A couple in their forties went in the machine just as we got in line, and they came out again a few minutes later; the woman was younger and prettier, wearing a much more expensive-looking outfit, a dark blue dress that Meredith said looked like silk. The man was a wolf or wolfhound; the woman put a collar and leash on him and led him out toward the parking lot, probably to avoid trouble with the mall cops, police and animal control until they got home.

Olly

“Olivia?” the teacher inquired. “Oliver,” I corrected him. “Damn! Another one,” the teacher muttered.

Buffalo, New York
March 2007

Chapter 9

At the shop I found that my bolt ends had been delivered so I stored them in the ‘special’ room. Everything seemed to be ticking over nicely and I chatted with everyone for a while until Roberta commented, “You’re happy today. I would think that you may have got a good seeing to last night. Was it Jim or have you found another stud?”

I laughed. “About as far from a stud as it’s possible to get but I was satisfied and so was she.”

“Dorothy was a child, and she missed her home. Her Aunty Em. I left home when I was 21, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back even to visit. It’s not home anymore. And I’ll be honest: I’ve always thought Dorothy was an idiot for going back.”

She cocked an eyebrow in question and I said, “Have you been to Kansas?”

There has been some comments about that someone should write a story featuring vibrating bras. Well, here is a short, not very serious, one.

You might think that no boy would be interested in buying a vibrating bra for himself.

You’d be wrong.

After I'd left Lily and her collection of friends at the dunking booth, Clay and I found ourselves standing along. We've decided to watch the town's fireworks from the top layer of the town's observatory. The town's observatory was located on a high hill that was about two and a half miles from the end of main street. From the upper level of the town's observatory you could see the whole skyline of the town.

Mike gazed around the small living room of Susan’s flat. It was in a run-down tower block. He was quite used to this. Women like Susan never had much money for “nice things”. That’s what made them such a pushover.

Mike would flatter them. A little sugar always got the flies. It worked with real women, but with women like Susan, it was always easier. They were just craving for a man to approve of them as a woman. He knew just the right things to say to push their buttons. Many of them were lonely. They lost most of their friends and family doing what they do.

Changing Roles
By Julie Dawn Cole
Chapter 14

Louise took note of the number and suggested I ring it whilst we were present so they could listen in. It rang out for a while and I was just about to terminate the call when it was picked up.

‘Jack Garside.’

Necromantic magic surged into the large stone room that had been Keir's tomb for three centuries. His new eyes took in the scene, the guards had raised their weapons. Six of them had drawn swords that glowed a purifying blue, raising them defensively against the ghostly hands which filled the room, while the remaining two pointed their arquebus-like weapons at his chest.

Collecting the Reward
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Part 1

“I thought that I would meet you, Sir, so that you could see that I was qualified to receive the reward if I am successful.”