The locker door slammed shut right beside thirteen year old Natalie’s face. She flinched and quickly turned around, her mouth agape and her breathing heavy.

The older girl in front of her, alongside the two friends flocking to her sides, looked at her scornfully. This girl was at least a year older than Natalie, in the eighth grade, and she made it her mission to scare the younger girls and make their lives miserable.

“That got your attention, didn’t it?” She said. “You’re finally looking at me like a normal person.”

“What do you want?” Natalie asked, fearful.

Chapter 2

When I looked more closely at his Italian passport, he had spent a couple of weeks there starting about five months after his wedding to Susan. It was almost every month for about four months. After the wedding, it picked up at the same rate, once more, until around two months ago, when he was shown entering and exiting the country. If he was hiding his other life by claiming business trips, Silvana would be getting worried by now.

Orphan Petal

November 2023 - Part 3

Shirley knows who he is

Her face lit up. In a teasing, confidential tone she asked,
"Did mean old Charlotte steal your boyfriend Ross away from you?"

"No," I scoffed. "I don't know Ross. Charlotte is my—" I sighed.
"Charlotte is my cousin."

Patience was not one of my virtues. I was getting antsy and wanted to stretch my legs on the surface, yearning to see what my home was like after all the time I'd been away. The desire to see familiar sights and perhaps even visit my parents was overwhelming. We were so close to them now.

The anticipation of my upcoming visit was palpable in my voice as I asked Minsha, "Would you like to see my home here on Terra?"

Minsha looked at me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "I would love to see it, Kara. It sounds wonderful."

Talk Good

I wish I said this, I wish I said that
But I kinda froze in my tracks
I wish I said this, I wish I said that
But I kinda had a panic attack
I wish I could talk good

Constructing Eva
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I worked in construction because I had a background in it. My grandfather worked in wood and he had a full workshop in his basement with a bench router and a wood-turning lathe, as well as a band saw, planer and drill press. He had me make little things in wood from when I was small, and when I was older I helped him to build a scale model of a house – just the framing. I wanted to build the real thing.

In a story I posted earlier in the year – ‘Life at Tethers End’ – I had my main character as a writer of racy stories. I’ve had a chat with Adam, and he has allowed me to post the first four stories as listed in that one. They are heavily edited to cut out the more explicit sexual details. This is the first story. They run to a total of 19 chapters and are sequential.
Marianne

Star Light Agency, Los Angeles, California:
A lone figure dressed all in black moves around looking at the ruined office. They had a penlight in their hand as they followed the blast pattern where the explosion had occurred. The person was being very careful because the damage was very extensive.