“Mom, when do I get to take this off?”, Willy whined, one hand behind his pink-clad hip, the other hand on the bent knee of his bare, chalk-dusty leg. Light reflected off his shiny pink leotard as bright camera bulbs flashed in his vision, causing him to blink his mascara-shadowed eyes.

Hello
Old friend
Been awhile
Since our last meeting.

Not sure
Why I'm calling you
A friend.

Given
Our very destructive
Relationship
Over the years.

Which
More often
Then not
Have seen me
Trying to end
My life.

You realize
I am so tired
Of your presence
In my life.

Turning
My life
Upside down.

May surprise you
And accept your offer.

Just
To shut you
Up.

It was the most difficult letter Lori ever had to write. She knew she couldn’t be free of him until it was finished and filed. When she was small, she was shamed by the torment. Day after day, the abuse mounted—but living well was the best revenge, wasn’t it?

The drifter

I’m homeless for longer then I could remember
I roam the town when all others are sleeping
I manage to find food in various places
and borrow clothes where I can find them.

The Cruse Or Blessing Of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
By
Geode

Ronny James learns the futility of worrying about the future and how ignorant he was concerning the reality of the world. When he gets caught up in his girlfriend's very old family's curse.

I was born Ronald James Jr., Ronny to the family the youngest of three children on April First of 1996 the only boy to Ron and Hanna James. I wasn't planned but the result of a romantic Twentieth Anniversary Cruise.

Hello, World!

Prologue: The final countdown

Time it seemed had slowed down. And not in the fun way, not in the Unfolding World Online way. UWO had a time dilation system, time would actually slow down artificially. Ok, so time is not really affected of course, but our perception of time is, which is as good as the real thing. There were whole research papers on the effects of time dilation on the human brain and body, they were publicly available. I had even once given it a shot, to try and learn more about it, but the dryness of the content had me quickly giving up on it. Everyone in the end agreed it was safe for use when the proper safeguards were in place, and that was what mattered for me.

Leigh Anne - Chapter 23
By Barbara Lynn Terry

Part 1 - The last day of practice.

They got to the Greater Midland Tennis Center* on East Wackerly Street. They parked in the spots that were reserved especially for them. Leslie Rhymes had her own reserved parking space. They all got their equipment and headed for the courts one last time. From here they would be on their way the state capitol of Lansing.

They set their bags by the bleachers and sat down. Mrs. Madison addressed the group.

I lead us through a back door in the nightclub. “This club has a deal with us,” I tell Kelly. “We provide security and often bring ourselves here. So, they will let us in, and they will watch out for us. They will get us waters if they know a man is ordering us a drink. Lots of men will come here, looking for someone like us.” We walk in, both feeling the electricity and sex in the room. I order the two of us waters. I hand her the water the water, and say, “Your cryx gives you considerable power over men. But avoid alcohol while wearing it. Alcohol will even the playing field.

Carter sat leaning over his knees, which were pressed together so his panties weren’t visible beneath his skirt. The TV was on and the commercials were droning on, but he was looking at Victoria.

She was sitting beside him, off to the side so she wasn’t too close. She was looking at him too, some disposed-of tissues on the side table nearby. Her eyes were still a little red and puffy, and she looked… defeated.

Carter sighed. He was so bored.

“So…” he said, shifting in his seat and trying not to ask about magic, “How’s school?”

A very short and very silly Fox Kid story.

The Fox Kid: Changing Places

by

Rodford Edmiston

"Wow!" gasped Tina, pushing back and sitting up straight. "That was certainly different!"

How many days like this have I seen now? This time it is bright and sunny and for some reason it matches my mood. A part of me wants to dance as I used to in musty ages past, when that was a way of showing honor to fallen comrades, fallen opponents… Customs are different now and it would be frowned upon to do such a thing in such a weighty place. Instead I content myself with a small smile and a few moments more of standing there with my memories.