Here's part 3. I have read all of the comments and appreciate them very much. I think that I have a structuring problem to deal with that likely stems from my tendency to frame my narrative as if writing for film.

Bear with me, I'm trying to improve on delivery. Like I said in Ch. 1, I've never done this before but please keep the advise coming so that I can keep trying to improve my efforts.

This is a short chapter, but I didn't want to go any longer without updating. I promise that there is a plan in place for all of the floating mysteries, I'm not J.J. Abrams.

Period

I woke up Saturday morning feeling even worse than the day before. And I woke up so wet I could feel it on my thighs. I reached down to touch and found I’d dried flaky. Wait that wasn’t what was supposed to happen, was it. In growing alarm I reached down to touch and brought my fingers to my eyes. There was dried blook flaked on my fingers.

Ohhhhhhhhhhshit! “Mom!”

The worst day of the week bites Alexa not once but twice but leave it to Jenny to help smooth things over.

Into The Light (Part 3 of 6)

by Erisian

Chapter Twelve - Transit

I was in the back seat of yet another SUV. This time it was a green one being driven by Colin Forsyth, the Lieutenant from the phone conference between Director Goodman and Mrs. Carson. Mrs. Shugendo, a tall Asian woman, sat up front. Poor Khan was stuck once more in his travel cage and I had to admit I did feel grateful to Soren for the scope of the scholarship I was sure he had arranged for me. It had included paying for all sorts of details, as one would expect from a scholarship: books, school supplies, tuition (including room and board), and uniforms. To my (and the Director’s) surprise it also covered all related expenses for bi-annual transport to and from the school via chartered plane out of the closest airport to the school.

Don’t get me wrong, though - Soren still deserved a boot to the head for what he’d done. I’d thank him for the money after.

I wrote this over ten years ago. It was essentially finished, but I somehow never considered it ready for posting. Or, at least, it had gone as far as I was inspired to take it. It kinda begs for a sequel, but it's fine as it is.

Much thanks to Terry Volkirch for test reading it way back when. She might even remember the story.

One fine day, Joe wakes up and finds that his whole life has been turned upside-down.

* * * * *
Interlude

Jack, Harry, and Jock were drinking beer and laughing about how they beat the crap out of that cross-dressing pervert when they saw a bright light outside the front door. They went to investigate, and immediately felt their feet leave the ground. They tried to escape, but couldn't do a thing about it. They floated into what looked like a flying saucer -- kicking and screaming all the way.

CHAPTER 28
I didn’t have that bad a hangover, but there was a smell about me even I could detect, which meant my curry had left traces. I showered and brushed my teeth twice, before heading in to start the day’s work.

To my surprise, Chris was there again, moving very stiffly but actually on his feet.

“I have decent biscuits, my love! And milk!”

I wrote this over ten years ago. It was essentially finished, but I somehow never considered it ready for posting. Or, at least, it had gone as far as I was inspired to take it. It kinda begs for a sequel, but it's fine as it is.

Much thanks to Terry Volkirch for test reading it way back when. She might even remember the story.

One fine day, Joe wakes up and finds that his whole life has been turned upside-down.

There is some violence in this installment. It is brief, off-stage, and resolves well.

Friday, November 5, 2021:

I had a really strange dream last night. The strangest part is that I remember it so clearly. Dreams normally fade very soon after we wake up, but this one stayed with me.

"Have fun," Janet said with a smirk as Ellie headed out the front door. "And don't stay out too-"

"Bye!" Ellie said with a smug smirk, before closing the door behind her. "Don't wait up!"

"-Late," Janet sighed, before allowing herself a quiet chuckle. "Kids..."

Princess
by Princess Pantyboy

This is paradise a hot four shot mocha with chocolate sprinkles, me sitting here outside on the patio in front of Starbucks on Main Street Huntington Beach Southern California. Yes this is the life, or like they say life is good when the simple things can bring a smile to your face. I pull out my new iPhone X and check my emails and text messages.

This story very briefly uses the characters Katie, Liam, Pat, Brendan, Niall and Jimmy from my story Some Gave All which I posted here last summer: https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/69181/some-gave-all

This story is related to that one, as it tells about things that happened at the orphanage after those six kids ran away in May of 2006.

Most of the story is told from one boy's viewpoint, i. e., memories of what happened to himself and some other boys there.

The Angel of Chicago

Part Four: Revelations

by

Rodford Edmiston

Most of the preliminaries were simply Melody verifying some of what she had read about Arielle. Who seemed both surprised and pleased the reporter had read her book. There really wasn't time for more than that, though. Despite her comment about the service, the waiter arrived to take their orders shortly after Melody sat.

Into The Light (Part 1 of 6)

by Erisian

Chapter One - Emergence

When most people think of Los Angeles they think of traffic. Lots of traffic, with cars jammed onto the numerous freeways all creeping along like ants stuck in molasses trying to get every which way at speeds that cause everyone’s gas mileage to suffer horrible degradations. When just one of the main routes from the ‘westside’ to ‘the valley’ underwent construction that required its closing, the news media dubbed those weekends of closures ‘Carmageddon’.

Tonight’s traffic was infinitely more deserving of that name.

Terry Mason spent the last 12 years designing nanobots with his long time friend Dave Pembrek. When the nanobots find a way to evolve out of their control, infecting Terry in the process, will he survive? And what are the nanobots doing to his body?