We made our way down to the lobby on our way to the dining room where Helen looked up, saw us and smiled. “Looking good tonight girls, it’s a pity that it will all be wasted on a group of other women, you’d be fighting the boys off if you were out on the town.”

Confronting
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

The story that I am telling is set in the year 2001 which is the year that my mother died, but it really starts much earlier than that, in the year 1969, which was the year before I was born. Earlier that year my mother had a miscarriage. My sister never lasted too much beyond conception, but my mother mourned her until the day she died.

Gakkou no Kaiden:
The Frosty Kiss of the Yuki-Onna

Satoyama is a rural village located in the mountains. The mountains that surround Satoyama are heavily forested. And since the Edo period logging has been one of the oldest businesses of the village. Generations of young men have followed in their fathers footsteps and gone into the mountains to harvest the trees that grow there. Merchants from Tokyo pay a high dollar for the wood harvested from the mountainside.

CHAPTER 18
What could I do but hold her? Eventually, she slipped off, well before I did, which was probably because I was so worried. I managed some sleep, Alys warm beside me, and it wasn’t until I saw and felt the warmth of sunlight through the tent that I realised I had actually slept for more than a few minutes. It was indeed sunny, the rain having ceased in the night, and it was surprisingly warm; when I struggled out for an urgent toilet run, some of the tents around us were actually steaming as they dried.

Chapter 9

Monday, May 10^th, 2023

5:30AM

Marcia quietly opened the door to Allie’s room and checked in on her niece. It had become a routine that she went through every morning. She would check on Allie, then Sammy, and then go out and help Bruce with the animals.

Allie was in deep sleep, so Marcia reversed course and quietly closed the door. She moved to her nephew’s room and quietly opened the other door. Inside, Sammy was sleeping soundly as well. On his wall was a fresh drawing. Curious, Marcia tiptoed over to look at the picture of the riverbank. The moose with her calf and the diving eagle were both spectacular to see in their own ways.

Reluctant Diva
Inspired by Lipstick Discipline

LOOKING AFTER A FRIEND

By Rhayna Tera, copyright 2021

Warning: If you don't like reading transgender or related fiction, then stop reading now.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

The Visund continues along its journey to their next port of call. Hashim proves his worth by reading the currents and shallows of the great river as they head into unknown waters. Because Ursula is still looking for herbs, a side trip is called for. Unfortunately, danger lurks!

The Voyage of the Visund

A tale of Anmar by Penny Lane

49 - Sandbars and Creeks

Both my braids were between us, so I pushed them back.

(This story is a follow up of last year’s Halloween story "The Doll Maker" Reading that first is advised.)

Chapter 3