CHAPTER 54
To my surprise, Tiff wouldn’t talk to me when she first arrived. A small, huddled figure reeking of fear, she almost clung to Kim, who looked at me over the child’s shoulder with a little smile that clearly said “Leave me to deal with her”

“Tiff?”

“Yeah?”

“Going to take you out the back. Quieter there, just us girls, OK?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. That OK?”

“S’pose so… Is there a door?”

History of Benton: Rising like a phoenix from the Ashes (1865 -1890)

Chapter 33

Over the course of the weekend Mark parents didn’t see him, but at least they felt somewhat secure in the fact that he wasn’t completely isolating himself like it had looked these past few weeks. Lisa came by on Saturday and Sunday spending a big portion of her day over. Passing Mark’s room they heard the occasional moans and creaking of a bed, but then again boys that age just were hormone filled creatures right? It wasn’t anything they even wanted to know or investigate. Giving Mark and his girlfriend their privacy they avoided going upstairs as much as possible.

Erica finally talks to Hans and explains why she appeared to snub his advances.

Michel and Delphine returned to their Devon retreat by train later that afternoon. It had been a long day. Neither of them was in the mood for much small-chat on the train.

Despite the latest episode with her daughters coming to an end, Delphine was still pretty down in the dumps. She would not admit it but the attempt by her daughters to have her declared unfit to manage her life hit her very hard. The effect of seeing them face to face in Verity’s Office was very real and impossible to brush off. Michel was there with her all the way but he knew that it was going to take some time for his wife to return to anywhere near normal.

Graphic created by Patricia Marie Allen from photos on Pixabay.com

Thorn in the Flesh

By Rosemary

I entered the bar with great trepidation. I hadn’t had any problems in several years of being a woman, but I had just had some terrible news. No, I take that back. It wasn’t terrible at all. It was a relief. I had developed lymphatic cancer, and like every other case, it was ravaging my body.

I was reluctantly taking part in a meeting of eleven other ‘Roses’ while we were at the SWEET (South Western Exposition for the Embetterment of Transpeople) convention. I sat down and started taking in the other Roses there.

Most of them seemed to be much more comfortable in their role as women than I was. I had actually been quite comfortable for many years, but I had never been transgendered. I glanced down at my jeans and western shirt. They were women’s – they had to be. Men’s clothing would have been ridiculous on me.

I considered babies to be creatures that would vomit on me from one end and extrude even more unmentionable material on me from the other.

Part 13

Janet asked him who he was playing with at present and he related the story of my old band and its’ current woes. Janet said “I know the guys you are talking about, the young one has always been a pain in the butt.”

My Stepsister
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I have to say that when my Dad married Dawn, I was a bit unsure. I could see why he did. She is a good-looking woman, and I mean a really good-looking woman. The problem was that her son Mark looked just like her – a younger version that is.

The answer

By Lynda Shermer

Chapter 5 - Carol in the city

It turned out, Alice's errands were to get me some jewelry, a purse, and some things related to that, and generally accessorize. I put my spare glasses, in a case, into the purse. Alice added a key ring with copies of my keys (and, it was to turn out, some of hers), some make up, a pen, a pad, a pay-as-you-go cellphone. And a rectangular pouch, with something in it. They were cylinders, too big for pencils. What was it? Then I realized.