Somewhere, pine boughs and red shirts mean something in a land called...

Bian
(Bee-Onn)
by Erin Halfelven

In a shop call PIRATES PLUS a bored looking shopkeeper is polishing a cutlass. The bell over the front door jingles and a man wearing a long mack enters, awkwardly, trying to open and close the door while wheeling in what appears to be a pirate tied to a dolly.

“I wish to register a complaint! It's about this pirate, that I purchased not a half hour ago for our INTERNATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY celebration tonight, at this very boo-tique."

“Ah yes, the Nassau Bluebeard, what's wrong with him?”

“What's wrong with him?! He's DEAD! You sold me a dead pirate!”

This is a true story of how my Mom feminized me as a teenager. She had caught me wearing her pantyhose the summer before seventh grade. I got the surprise of my life the first Sunday of junior high, when she started encouraging me to wear them -- Tracy

After we arrived, I was wearing tights every day, with nail polish on my nails, and Char always remarked about how nice I looked. It was heavenly!

Henry was asleep on the microwave doing dead cat impersonations. He was laying on his back with his head flopped over the side upside down, legs all over the place with one back leg stuck up in the air like a furry flag pole. All he needed was a thick white line drawn around him and a little dagger sticking out of his chest to complete the picture

I originally wrote this non-Masks tale a few years ago with the intent of selling it professionally. Unfortunately, it's a size which few publications are interested in. Hope you folks enjoy it.

Unwanted Child

by

Rodford Edmiston

"Please, Josh..." said Horton.

"I think that should be Mr. Thompkins to you," said Josh, carefully keeping his tone neutral.

"Come on, Josh! We've known each other since you were a toddler!"

"We met fewer than a dozen times before I started legal procedures against my Mother. Let's keep this formal."

The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane - Part 4
By Barbara Lynn Terry

Chapter 6

Sunday morning dawned early for the residents of Ginger Lane. It was time to get up, take a shower, have breakfast and man their stations. Jay Simons was already dressed and at the soft drink tent, setting everything up. She counted the money she would need for change, and made sure the stock was ready. Jimmy Shepard, having had his breakfast, went to join Jay at the soft drink tent.

Everything comes to the crisis point at once. Far more is at risk than the girls, or even the Sisterhood.

Everyone finds themselves making major adjustments.

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

Marti and Lanu find out quite a bit about their respective families. They also find out Rhonda, their counselor is more than they expected. They bring The Wizard in on what Marti has found out. He is as surprised as they are. Apparently, his group had never considered Samoa as a harborer of magic.

Ashley continues to have a positive impact on Ryan, and this growing bond leads Ashley to reveal a painful secret. With the malleable period soon ending, and with it supposedly their chance to return to normal, Ryan and Ashley confront Dr. Travers and attempt to play upon the man’s morality, yet what they learn may make them yearn for Ms. Daniels.

Excerpt: There wasn’t a modicum of emotion to his voice which matched an equally blank expression when we finally saw his face. I pulled my hand away from Ashley’s, and while this would have amused Ms. Daniels, Dr. Travers remained stone faced. He was dishevelled, even more so than before with a thick beard and a heavy, acrid sweat smell. His lab coat was stained, and so were his shoes- a grimy pair of sneakers. Still, his eyes were vibrant, and within them, I saw a man who was calculating and focused. Just a brief glance showed the intelligence residing there, but there was something else too. The way he looked at us made me think of how my science teacher peered at the foetal pig before it was dissected. It was morbid curiosity.