Author’s note: Joannebarbarella, Emma Anne Tate, and I are sponsoring a writing contest. Details are available in a blog on the home page. The three of us are not eligible to enter the contest but we decided to each write a sample story to help promote more entries. I’m coming to you as the last visitor in this Christmas Carol. I hope you enjoy my offering and give our contest your consideration. - Jill

Hideout
A Short Western Story
By Maryanne Peters

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A Sissy Christmas
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

I suppose a lot of families have a weird uncle who is not really an uncle but who turns up for Christmas – right? I mean he might have been married to my aunt’s cousin at one time – so family but only slightly. It was just that Uncle Bart lived alone and has nobody, but he is rich and he gives good presents so he was always invited. Nobody really understood much about him or even tried to, but he has always seemed to join in, and then he just disappears for a year.

A Sister 'til Christmas 3
By Sabrina G. Langton

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Author's Note: Okay, here we are easing into the holidays, another big date and a little backstory... Just a little time shifting, nothing too major.... I hope YOU like it...

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I was looking at my phone, I had three texts from Sara, I didn't want to be rude and answer them.

A Sister 'til Christmas 2
By Sabrina G. Langton

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Author's Note: Hi, just suddenly realized how close this Christmas thing is a coming... Phew, I better get moving... I hope YOU like it...

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'Listen to me baby
Listen to my plea
I'm in the middle of nowhere
And it's worrying me'

House of Women
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I was one of three boys growing up on an isolated farm, so my original experience of women was my mother. I knew that she was different because my father always told me so – he told all of us.

“Your mother is a woman, and women are different,” he said. “They need to be looked after by men - like you will grow up to be. They need to be admired and respected. If you are lucky like me, you will end up with a woman who will be the greatest thing you ever possess.”

A Sister 'til Christmas 1
By Sabrina G. Langton

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Author's Note: Hope.

Part One of Three:
Does Cerridwen Dream of Being a Bunny Girl?

Frock Therapy
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

If I blame anyone for anything that happened, then I would blame my job.

I worked on a trading floor with a bunch of young men. There were some women. But let’s face it, stock trading suits the male ego. Women give up and move on to something without the bullshit. That was what I wanted to do, but I stayed on until the pressure drove me crazy.

The month long winter break flew by. Mom spent most of the break trying to make up for lost mother-daughter time with me. Faith ran interference a few times to get me out of it but I really didn’t mind spending more time with Mom. Dad was not quite distant. We still played chess in the evening every now and then. He loved playing against me. And I could still beat him occasionally.

Marc visited a couple weekends and got along great with my parents. He could not sleep over though.

Girltime at the Hideaway (Episode 5)
by Sabrina G. Langton

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Author's Note: Hmmm, we are ending this episode with a plan, an idea, a little sexual interlude, oh and some music, of course. Something crazy, fun, and feasible, ha... I hope You like it... and thank you for joining me at the end of the bar for some much-needed Girltime...

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Episode 5

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Thursday

Courage
An BigCloset TopShelf Exclusive Story

I took a deep breath as I peered toward the plain, copper protestant cross that stood on the altar. The air inside St. George's Episcopal Church was cold, just like the weather outside. A rare snow storm had moved in from Tennessee bringing with it not only snow, but a bitter wind that cut one to the bare bone. The Rector of St. George, Fr. George Stonewall had yet to turn on the heat. And thus the only warmth was from the tip of the altar candles.

Changing one's image is never easy. If you were ready to go public with a new image, who would be the first person you showed it to?

All Souls Requiem
Sequel to
Halloween Romance
The Conclusion of the First Arc of the Heather Delilah Soeksen

Summary: When I am writing one story and another story idea starts bubbling up in my head, it is not always a peaceful co-existence or handoff. Sometimes, the characters from the two different stories try to dominate my thoughts. The winner gets me to finish their story first. This is the tale of when Amanda, from my story, True Self Syndrome, started to fight for my attention, while I was still working on a story called, Teacher's Recommendation (note that story is still unfinished and unposted). Marla and Elizabeth from that story confront Amanda.

What Would You Do?
Part Two
A Cerridwen Solo Special

A few seconds later another stagehand a brunette woman with longish hair came beside me and ushered me from the front stage to the back area. She guided me down a long, dark hallway that was lined with doors. I could not tell the doors apart, one looked very much like the other. Finally we reached a room, she pushed the iron gray door handle down and the door flew open. She then reached one arm inside and flipped a light switch.

Super Speedway Gas Station, Yorktown, Va.

Jada couldn’t believe she had to come in and work on Thanksgiving. She turned and returned to the manager's office to find out why she had to work.

“Bruce, why am I working on Thanksgiving Day from two until closed? I thought I was going to have it off?” Jada stands in the doorway of Bruce’s office.

All Changes yet Remains the Same

I’m Hermione Clearwater and I’m about nineteen maybe twenty. I have an IQ that’s off the scale and a drop dead gorgeous body most women with give all they have to possess and all men would give even more to possess my body too, which can be seriously inconvenient.

Girltime at the Hideaway (Episode 4)
by Sabrina G. Langton

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Cinderfella

A Christmas Pantomime…..

For the whimsical, for the open minded, for fun and festive times.

Sydney was not a happy boy, He was 17, and alone at home where his Stepmother and Stepsisters had left him to clean up after their whirlwind of preparations for the Princess’s Grande Yule Ball. He of course didn’t get to go, mostly as the world seemed to ignore his existence at his stepmother’s behest.

  Larry has a secret. He’s been keeping a secret since he was 9. He’s been very successful at keeping it. In all those years not one person has ever been aware of this one thing about him that no one can ever know. Not his parents, not his friends growing up, not his fellow students when he was in college, not his buddies when he was in the Navy, not his coworkers at his job and especially not his wife.

  He particularly careful to keep his wife from knowing. No doubt she’s kick his rear to the curb, if she found out. Oh he’d read all the horror stories of wives who’d found out this kind of thing about their husbands. It never ended well. What’s more as often as not once the wives found out and made a stink, the poor saps employer would find out and they would lose their job as well. No, not pretty at all.

  He must keep his wife in the dark at all costs. He always puts back in the precise spot anything of hers he borrows. She’ll never, can never know.