“Last call everyone. You no have to go home, but you cannot stay!”

The bartender, Jakob Adamovich, bellowed. He was the sole worker, except for his wife and mother who worked in the back of house to deliver the best cheeseburger with a pretzel crust to ever grace the planet. I was able to try it once, three weeks prior when they had an extra one after someone mouthed off to the six-foot-three Jake who threw him out with absolutely no effort. Jake allowed me to sit at a table at the back of the bar so I could study as it was difficult to do homework by the dashboard light.

“Sometimes, when you’re surrounded by problems, all you can do is concentrate on the most immediate one, in this case, nausea. Lying in the trunk of a moving car, completely unable to move my arms and with precious little ability to move anything else, covered in something like a bag, all I could do was think of not being sick. Being sick into a gag could choke me. The journey seemed as long as the rest of my life to date, but just pure misery.

The Last Sleepover

Part one

At a sleepover with his childhood best friends, Elliot hears them making fun of a transgender celebrity. Elliot has always felt different and an outsider. He works to discover his true identity and when he does it's hard to accept. Elliot struggles between staying silent and standing up for himself. Will he reveal his secret or pretend to be someone he’s not?

Another festive season approaches, another year of my postings comes to an end. I would like to wish all the staff at BC a Happy Christmas and a Safe New Year. I'll be spending my time writing more to post. To all my readers, thank you for the kudos ticks and all the comments, good and not so good. There are a lot of very competent writers on this site, my thoughts are with you all.
I certainly wish all of you the best for 2025.
Marianne

Chapter 6

Lucas’s makeup skills are challenged, but something very unexpected happens when he puts those skills to work.

Max never truly believed that his dream of becoming a magical girl could become a reality - but he never even imagined that becoming the villainess of the magical girls was a possibility! 

***

Ever since the first Magical Girls appeared, to fight against the Violet Ooze threat, Max has dreamed of joining their ranks. Not that he’s particularly interested in the girl part - no way! - but the magical bit? The being a hero bit? That’s everything he’s ever wanted in life! So when a Magical Crystal offers him an out from the mundanity of college life, he agrees without a second thought! 

Unfortunately, the Magical Crystal gets attacked by Violet Ooze during the formation of their contract! Instead of a purehearted magical girl, ready to face the forces of evil, Max ends up as the Violet Queen - the new leader of those very same monsters!

Of course, the problems don’t end there! She's got magical girls aiming for her head, powers that are fueled by people lusting after her, and - worst of all - a ‘corrupted’ crystal that insists the true threat to the world is actually the (unwitting) magical girls themselves!

Cover by my lovely friend Lulla.

 
It is now the 2nd November. but the shops are already bedecked with all the toys, food and decorations for Christmas. Perhaps time to put pen to paper for the Christmas story. As always, I am not fussed about the story being a formal entry to the contest, but I hope readers will enjoy the story, and it may act as a prompt for other people to join in and make an entry.

The Other Side of Me – Part 33
by Lily Rasputin

After my initial shock of finding myself unceremoniously falling on my butt during cheer practice, I realized that everyone, including Coach, was staring at me with bewilderment. Everybody that didn’t know I was currently leaping back and forth between universes; that is.

“Miller,” Coach said, giving me a look that was part annoyed, part concerned. “You okay?”

The next morning at the breakfast table a freshly grounded Tracie was almost shouting. "If I was a boy, I wouldn't be grounded, and we wouldn't even be having this discussion right now!”

Speaking through his teeth, Tracie's dad spat, "You ARE a boy!"

"No. No, she's not."

It was spoken quietly, almost unheard, but it had a force behind it that shut everyone up.

Corinne looked at her husband, "Face it, honey, she's not a boy and hasn’t been for a long time, if ever, really." He sat back down and put his forehead in his hands, staring at his plate.

The Hitchhiker
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I know that you take your chances when you stand on the highway shoulder with your thumb in the air. It was just that I had no money, and no real place to go. It seemed like the best way out of a home that didn’t care for me was to just walk to the edge of town and stand on the side of the road and make the sign. If somebody woud stop for me I was ready to go as far as they were, and then keep going.

Ed makes an accidental discovery at work that challenges his ideology. Should he go to HR and demand that Carl act appropriately, at least while he’s at work?

Prince Connor sat in his lavish study, a glass of wine in hand, watching a recording of the trial's conclusion on a large screen. His expression shifted from intrigue to irritation as he leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass. The sight of Alex standing firm alongside Princess Helena, her loyalty unshaken, clearly displeased him.

"Huh," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the screen, "I hadn't expected Consort Alex to completely abandon her parents like that. She played the part well—loyal, unflinching. It seems going after her family is not going to work."

When Akari returned to Gale Haven Academy, the atmosphere had shifted. Word of the king’s summons had spread quickly, and the students and faculty alike were abuzz with speculation. Her walk through the academy halls was met with hushed whispers and furtive glances, and the once familiar surroundings now felt tense and uncertain.

Chapter 4

We both got out of the pool, and we walked hand in hand, down to the beach. We would stop every so often to kiss and he wanted to fondle my breasts. Eventually, we came up onto the promenade and into a park which gave us some privacy.

Not only was he fondling my breast as we kissed, now he was stroking my groin. Had I been a true girl I would have been ready to have him ravish me. I reminded him that my lower half was out of bounds, but I could make him happy.