When last we saw our protagonist:

A screen came alive and we saw a man. A human, but not someone we knew.”

“Hello, people of N21,” he said.” I am President Freeman of Earth. I know when you were sent away, Willem Wallace, or ‘Caesar’ as you referred to him, was the ‘Chancellor’.

“Approximately three hundred years after you left, Wallace had shown enough of his character to make those of us still on Earth recognize what you had long ago seen. There was an uprising, and we were able to remove him from power. He was in prison until we received a signal from you.

“Every computer around the world came on at the same time, and showed Wallace seated at his desk. He told us that we were all going to join him in a celebration of your exile. We saw what your camera’s recorded, Wallace telling you he wanted to ‘play’; the death of your maintenance worker. Then we saw a bay of the station open, and the people dying on the floor.”

For a moment, Freeman stopped. He looked somber, then rubbed his face with his hands.

“Wallace was questioned at length. That was an experience I never want to have again. He was, quite simply, insane. He wanted to toy with you as a cat toys with it’s prey. Revelling in your suffering was what he wanted most of all.

“He tried to bargain with us with his knowledge. He wanted freedom, but we refused. It took several months to obtain what we wanted. He spent that entire time in and out of consciousness. It wasn’t pretty. What we got from him, we want to pass on to you.

“There are several… surprises, in the computers of the station. They have been left there. There seems to be no way to remove them from the memory. Even a complete shutdown will reload the same information when you start them again.

“Much of what is programmed will be worse that what has already happened. Some not as bad. We will append a file to this message that will tell you what we have found. I hope you can find something on board that we didn’t think of here.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00008030
JACKDAW’S HORDE
Some of the boys had admitted to Beatrix their reading and writing was not all it could be and for the first time in their lifes they wished to learn to read and write properly. Beatrix had telt them she would take care of it herself, and Jackdaw had telt them he would find something for them to read they would be interested in.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00008040
GROWING UP CAN BE HARD, MARCY AND BETH
“Mum, I want you to know I’m a trans girl,” At that she braekt down and sobbing waited in dread for the consequences of her outburst.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00009010
COWARDICE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE
“Does it not bother you?”
“Yes. Every time. To be aflait is acceptable, but if you allow your flait to determine what you do, or do not do, the Way says that is cowardice and that is not acceptable behaviour for a true member of the Folk.”

Caught In Slips - Part 15

As relayed from Chris Myr

What do you do when you look 7 years old, but you're actually a college student in your late teens? For Kathleen's entire life, she had fought against people treating her much younger than her actual age. Feeling obligated to grow up fast to show people she wasn't the age of her size, Kathleen never let her inner child out. Tired of fighting against the world, she explores the adult submissive world. What she finds, however, is an enjoyment of regression. Had she made a mistake? Would life be better if she just let people treat her how she looks, 7 years old?

Their ruse is effective and Peter passes Mila off as his wife at Redhaven, the town owned and run by the Sons of Jehovah, a secretive religious sect where everything looks perfect but women are kept as chattels. Mila become restless and seeks comfort in an old friend and goes exploring where she knows she shouldn't.

Leslie looks at her image in the mirror in the Master bedroom. Casey had been right about the gold choker that encircled her neck. The choker itself was half an inch thick and an inch wide.

She noticed a couple of hours later that ancient Chinese writing had appeared on the right-hand side of her neck. The writing went up the side of her neck and behind her earlobe. Neither her or Casey could read what it said.

Having survived the first assasination attempt the girls are now accorded further police protection because of Erica's high value as a vital witness to the case that has now gone seriously international.

An unexpected career path opens up for Ted Evans when he discovers that he has talent for helping women manage and put on their underwear. Success on the job forces him to confront the very nature of his own gender identity.

I recently found a diary washed up on the shore.
It bears witness to the demise of an island no one remembers.
Retells the fate of a young teenager and a mystery unfolding.
Maybe I should have burned it, but then again, what harm is there to share it?

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00007040
FORENOON ZOË (14) AND TORRENT (28)
At braekfast Torrent announced, “I am happy to tell you Zoë and I have agreement.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00007060
SMALLPOX & WOUNDS,MÆVE, GINA
“The farriers use redweed on horses' feet, but I don’t know why.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00007080
AFTER BEDTIME VERONICA (42) AND MAST (19)
“Women are born traders, Mast. It’s what we do best.”

Thai Plastic
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Rock, paper, scissors. That was how we decided it. Best of three. Somebody had to stay in Thailand. One of our local partners had absconded with some of the profits. We still had a well-connected local who had invested hard cash, but he knew nothing about plastic extrusions. One of us would need to commit to staying to run the factory. So it was down to chance.