When I was in fifth grade the schools still did the Halloween parade.
On the afternoon of the Friday before Halloween or on the
actual day when it was not on a weekend we would have a party and
everyone would put on their costumes. Then we would have a parade all
the way around the school and across the stage. The line of kids in
costume would snake through each class room and then at the end of the line
that class would join up. When the first class got back to their room
they would sit down and all the other classes would walk past.

My ex-girlfriend always found a way to make me feel small. She would belittle me in front of her friends and even in front of my friends. While her friends cheered her on my buddies would stare at me in pity.

I could only take so much of it so I broke up with her.

We both went our separate ways and we moved on with our lives. Wait, that's someone else's story.

Surprise! Have some Min, on the house.

Michel was sitting in the Kitchen of the Cottage when Delphine returned from Totnes.

“Did she get the train ok?”

“Yes. We had plenty of time. In fact, we need not have rushed so much because it was five minutes late,” replied Delphine.

“This letter was in the post yesterday,” he said holding a letter.
"Oh sorry. There was one addressed to you. I clean forgot about them all what with being Verity here."
Michel handed her the letter.

That was the beginning of the Bearthwaite covid rebellion.

How different is 'different' ?

Summary:
Written elsewhere as a fanfic for the Five Gods Universe of Lois McMaster Bujold. Amended and republished here by permission of the author.

The Five Gods are Father-Winter, Mother-Summer, Daughter-Spring and Son-Autumn. The Bastard deals with all the misfits. There are those who believe in Five Gods and the Quads who deny the Bastard. One aim of the Bastard is to help those who are 'different'. Sometimes even his priests fail. And how different is too much - abuse, cruelty, racism, transgender or other. Whispers on the breeze.

A spin-off of the Black Ring series. Emily contemplates crossdressing as a man to gain the affection of her girlfriend, Natalie, who has split-personality disorder.

Thanks to Malady for his help editing and for ideas.

I’d also like to apologize in advance for the bending of physical laws in the following chapter. I suppose in my defense, I’ve been watching some lectures from the Royal Institute lately, and maybe it’s gotten me thinking a bit more – sideways?

To Return Home

2.3

John and I were in The Heavens Rose and I was trying to think, which was something I always did better in my kitchen. He had offered to help me, but was instead sitting on a stool placed in a corner where he could see me. It wasn't that I didn't want his help, but that we’d found that I would process things better while cooking, rather than explaining what needed done..