Cousins in arms 4(5) The trade

“Are you kidding me?” she asked, incredulous. “You’re 42 years old!
You don’t need to ask your so-called parents. Seriously!”

“I’m thirteen,” I retorted, “in case you hadn’t noticed. By the way,
have YOU looked in the mirror lately, Mrs. Shearpen?
You’re not a forty-year-old man any more either!”

Molly Grows Up
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

CHAPTER 6
Ruth picked up on my confusion before my workmates, which didn’t really surprise me, as I was steadily realising how sharp she was. I was having a break from household drudgery (or feeling too lazy to cook for myself) and digging into one of her beef stews when she took a seat across from me, after checking the door.

“Cough, Debbie! What’s got you all twitchy this evening?”

Lillyn is ready to do some research.
Maybe even being a bit reckless about it.
But will it bear fruit?

Patsy Power Part 31

Friday morning we dressed in casual clothing and went out to the care home. As well Joanne, Minh, Nina, Riordan, Julia and me, we had been joined by Jake and Angela. We had our acoustic guitars with us but left them in the bus as we visited the premises. Riordan and Julia were welcomed as old friends and they introduced the rest of us.

Lois laughed. “Did you ever read No Exit by Sartre?
It starts off like this -- a guy ends up in Hell,
and the first thing he asks for is a toothbrush.”

“Um, I don’t feel like I’ve landed in Hell,” I told her.
“I hope you don’t feel that way.”

CHAPTER 5
Work was a new beginning for a time, as the three weeks or so of local slog kept me occupied, while the longer runs down West gave my mind the space and solitude to put things into a more sensible order than they had fallen into after the funeral. I played my music, I drove my wagon and I planned my days off, whether weekend or midweek.

 
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

Making Beautiful Music

 
Introduction

It's about the oldest continuous memory I've got. Sure, I can remember flashes of stuff like a toy or an animal at the zoo, but this memory is like a movie. I'm standing with my sister in the wings of a stage in a theatre, watching the empty stage as the audience waits for the performance to begin. A spotlight comes on and my parents walk on stage. Dad is in a tux, as an adult I would say he was resplendent in a tux but I was only about six at the time and such words were not in my vocabulary. He was just my father and he was smiling, doing what he loved to do most - make music with my mother.

A deal is made.
A boy starts.
A struggle unfolds
A girl finishes.
An exploit taken.

Thanksgiving was fast approaching. Despite a blisteringly hot summer, there was already some snow at higher elevations just to the west of Denver. Ma had said more than once that this was a sure sign of a hard winter ahead. I knew from bitter experience that her track record in forecasting the weather was better than any of the TV weather women.

HOMEWARD BOUND

Author's Note: When the text is alternating colors, please be aware that the scenes are alternating between the heroes.

The New Kid

Patrick Chatham entered the band room and nervously looked around. He was new to the area, as his father was a pilot for an F-35, and had just been transferred to Eielson Air Force Base.. Patrick was two grades ahead for his age, and this was his 2^nd semester of ninth grade.

He carried his flute in and went to see the band director, Mr. Thomas. Mr. Thomas had the flutes make room and placed Patrick with the 3^rd chair, until he had a chance to challenge.

Tammy spotted two figures trying to sneak up on Kat and Paul. She adjusts her scope and pulls the trigger. She drops one guy, and before he hits the ground, the other one falls as we.

Kat didn’t even hear the two guys sneaking up on her and Paul. She heard them drop as she looked behind her. She was glad, Tammy was an excellent sharpshooter.

“Thanks, Tammy.” Kat moves with Paul through the forest.

“Anytime, Kat.” Tammy had found a nice tree she could shoot from.

The parents of a troublesome teenage son finally had enough and sends him for special training. He gets more than she bargains for.

“If you walk out of this room, if we never see you again,
I will think about you every day.
I won’t want to, but that’s what will happen.”

BIGGER THAN ME

Laundromat
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Despite the fact that they were the only two people in the laundromat at that hour, she came over to use the machine next to his.

She was tall. Her hair was blonde, in a short bob with slight curls. She wore makeup despite her clothing being casual. She was looking at his load of laundry.