CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003010
ELLA AND KESTREL
The toddler looked at her in astonishment and asked, “How did you know my name?”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003020
GWENDOLINE (53) AND ROOK (50)
Gwendoline knew a lot more concerning hounds, horses, grouse and trout than she did men.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003030
TRESS AND BRYONY
“That was a surprise. Being naked with the boys I mean. Do they do that every day?”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003040
SAPPHIRE (15) AND MERE (29)
She had watched Gellet, the big gander, hatch, and he had imprinted on her and followed her everywhere. He could be aggressive to strangers, but never to her. He would put his head on her knee begging for titbits, and when her world confused her his world comforted her.

-------------
Chapter 15
-------------

Mai was in the process of gingerly tearing a corner of her ketchup packet when Tatiana sat down with a tray of food across the table from her. They were in the food court in the mall having lunch, and Tatiana had unsurprisingly grabbed enough food for two people. Mai remembered the feeling from two decades ago.

“Still no word back from her?” Mai asked.

“Nope,” said Tatiana. “Maybe she fell asleep again.”

MISSING WORD USAGE NOTES NOW INCLUDED

Brett sighed, the sigh of one who was weary of the whole world, a sound that had no business coming out of a fifteen year old. “Mum’s a user. She’s not at home for days at a time. I know what she’s doing, but don’t want to talk about it.” I just nodded. “When she’s home she’s out of it. There’s me, Jonno and Sophie. Jonno’s seven and Sophie’s five. There were others but they died when they were only babies before mum left the hospital. I’ve been collecting the family allowance for a couple of years now. I hide the book so Mum can’t get it, or we’d have nothing to eat. I can’t afford to get caught nicking anything, or the others will get taken into care. S’pose that’s what’s going to happen now anyway isn’t it?”

Sometimes life takes an unexpected twist. In my business, I am paid an awful lot of money to forecast the unexpected, take the ‘un’ out of uncertainty and at the same time make a shed load of money as a result. Even so there are times when even my crystal ball gazing misses something. The prospect of that is what makes me get out of bed each day and come into work.

Erin has pulled a couple of her old ASS* stories, and reposted them here. I'm following suit. This story was posted as part of Lord Malinov's Exploding Nipples contest: write a short story with a title based on a spam subject line. I've written several, even after the contest was mostly forgotten.
 
        Tit Torture-Free Site
        By Daphne Xu
        Copyright 1998

"YOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!" Something zapped my breasts!

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002590
DAY 2 LATER IN THE EVE ELLA AND KESTREL
“Why me? I asked you to sit with me because of you bumping into me and escorting me back to my table, but what made you pursue the matter? There were plenty of prettier women there than me? Why me?”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002600
LATER IN THE EVE TRESS AND BRYONY
Tress was fascinated by Bryony’s contortions as she unfastened her brassière, and even more so when Bryony explained every woman on Earth wore one.

Also included in this posting is Ch 42 because I couldn’t think where else to place it.

Castle The Series - 0042 Weights & Measures, Sunrise and Sunset Times

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002610
CALENDAR AND TIMEKEEPING
WEIGHTHS AND MEASURES
Folkbirtht women’s fertility does not significantly diminish till the end of menopause which frequently does not occur till women’s middle sixties, and seventy year old pregnant women are not unknown.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002650
SUNRISE AND SUNSET TIMES
AT THE KEEP
The following time are averages of sunrise and sunset times as kept by the candlers since the Fell year. Sunrise and Sunset are referred to as Firstlight and Fulldark in Folk.