500 < Short Story < 7500 words

Dinner with Polly

Dinner with Polly
A Short Story
(and certainly not an AR fantasy)
By Maryanne Peters

Maggie Dawson looked across at her husband Brian and smiled. They had been married for 26 years and he was still a good-looking man. He was also slight of build and not ruggedly handsome, and his hair was prematurely white, but his skin was remarkably unwrinkled, although thin and pale. She had far more wrinkles than him. She loved him now more than ever. There life together had been much more interesting lately.

“Is Polly coming for dinner tonight?” she asked.

Being Princess

Being Princess

I married a princess. Not a proper princess, mind you. But living in London as a third generation Pakistani, it’s about as close as you can get. I honestly couldn’t tell you how I landed Shazia, my princess. She’s a posh bird with a successful businessman father, spoiled as heck. Has a huge closet full of clothes and shoes, all expensive stuff. Her father refers to her as ‘daddy’s little princess’. She could have had any rich, handsome, educated bloke she wanted. Instead, she chose me.

Proof for the Emperor

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Proof for the Emperor
A Short Story based on Actual People and Events
By Maryanne Peters

My Master had once been an apprentice to the great Aelius Claudius Galenus of Pergamon, known simply as Galen, renowned as the greatest physician and surgeon of all time. Galen had been the court physician to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and was given time and support to study the human body and all manner of treatments. That was Galen’s gift to history.

The Perfect Host, Chapter 1

The first meeting.

I suppose I had better tell you how I got into this position. I am, at present, typing this on my computer keyboard and thinking that it was a good job I am able to touch-type. She is watching the television, yet another of the weepy chick movies she loves, along with game shows. I hate chick movies and game shows but she has to get her fill every day.

"How dare you! I'm NOT Gay!"

How dare you. I’m not gay!!

I knew at school that I was different. I was called ‘gay’ just for being different – cruel, ugly, untrue. Although I’d admit to being a bit puzzled about, erm, some aspects of life – yeah, alright, sex. Then things really got strange when I was at college and stayed with Aunt Maddie. And I learnt more than I ever expected about girls – in a new and different way. A story in two distinct sections.


Legacy II - My Father's Legacy

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My Father’s Legacy
A Short Story following upon “Legacy”
By Maryanne Peters

Do you remember me? Some time ago I told the strange story of what happened after my grandfather, a famous drag artiste, died and the heirlooms that he left behind. Things that changed my life forever. Those things and meeting my grandfather’s … well sort of his adopted son, I think – Rodney Gaspard.

Not TECHNICALLY Crossplay | Chapter 1 of ?

Alex stared at the mirror, trying to size up his potential cosplay.

I think having my hair like this should work. And I think that plucking my eyebrows helped. I should probably watch some makeup tutorials though.

Susie Mondays

I've read through this once, with some slight editing, but it's mostly un-proofread.
Another day in Susie's life, see Saturdays and Sundays before this.


David yawned as he stepped into the kitchen, and gave his mum a sleepy hug.

"I thought you might sleep in a bit today?" Georgie asked her slowly waking son.

"Bad habit this waking up stuff." David replied with a touch of cheek, as he dropped some bread in the toaster and continued, "My alarm doesn't seem to understand pupil free days. Maybe I'll have a nap later to make up for it."

The Excursion in Spain. Chapter 9

Back on the Right Path

On the way back to the farm I had Emilita sitting next to me. She asked me how I managed to have five days off in my first stint and I said I was just lucky, I guess. I did point out that every opening hour that I missed was paid for and she did have to concede the point. Celestina wanted to know about the lady with the black Skoda and I told them she was called Portia and owned a big security company and liked the way we had sex. That seemed to settle them. I knew the rest of it was so wild they would never believe me, even though it was true.

The Reluctant Birthday Princess

The Reluctant Birthday Princess

Edward Mathews sighed as soon as the alarm went off.

He considered calling in sick, but knew that would only delay the inevitable, so he got up, got dressed, and trudged to work.

"What a crappy way to spend my birthday" He thought, as he entered the building that held the company he worked for.

The Adventures of Cerridwen Circle Whitethorn (6)

I took a deep breath as I peered out the window of my bedroom. Ribbons of pale moonlight streamed through the trees. The moon, high above the treeline was round and full, and glowed like a big fat silver coin. Watching the moonlight stream through the window panes of my room, kind of reminded me of that night. It was a full moon that night too. A sudden knock on the door brought me out of my musing. There in the doorway stood my mother, she was wrapped in her night coat and in her hand she held an old wooden tray that held two extra large mugs.

Scald-Crow 1: Chapter 11 - Speak Softly

 

Scald-Crow 1:
The Rocky Road To Whateley
A Whateley Academy Tale
by:
ShadowedSin
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High School is a living hell for Padraig, and his life is only made worse by bullying.
One night a powerful spirit offers him a deal, and his life is changed forever.
In a world where Superheroes and Villains are the norm, and mutants are hated by most of the populace
life get's complicated fast for our young hero.

Caring

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Caring
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Nobody wants to be a burden on their family and friends, but a man with Multiple Sclerosis is a burden.

MS is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. It is more common in women than in men and is usually diagnosed much earlier that it was for me. Less than 5% of MS sufferers are diagnosed after the age of 50. I was 51.

Will I be ... glamorous?

Will I be … glamorous?

I’m more of a tank-type T, built big, built rough. Never likely to look neat, pretty, sweet, colourful, … and never going to be glamorous. And I hate this outward me. Will I ever be what I want? Would that I could be …. glamorous.

AP - bit close to the bone some of this. Hope it's worth putting up and reading?


The Adventures of Cerridwen Circle Whitethorn (5)

Being Cerridwen had changed my life, for the better I believe. My mom is now more involved with my life than she was before. She also started teaching me a lot of domestic skills, like how to make up a bed, how to deep clean a house, how to sew and how to handle a broom. She also started teaching me more of the craft, see my mom's a witch, and since the craft is normally passed from mother to daughter, she always figured the craft would die with her. That's not to say she was overjoyed to find me wearing that old skirt and blouse one afternoon. No, quite the opposite.

The Excursion in Spain. Chapter 7

Slight Detour. Part 1

At this she took out her phone and called Pavlina, asking if it would be all right for her to pay for my time up to close of business Thursday evening and they came to an arrangement, with a bulk discount. I was affronted – only a week on the shelves and I am already consigned to the discount bin! She then turned to me and explained what she wanted me to do.

The Trial of Elizabeth

The Trial of Elizabeth

It was that newspaper clipping that shook my foundations. I’d never considered before any idea that men could dress fancy and colourfully.

Telegraph Thursday December 29th 2018 ‘Dressing Up’
A law in the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First declared “None shall wear in his apparel satin, damask, silk, camlet (angora) or taffeta in gown, coat, hose or uppermost garments except that he may dispend £100 by the year.” The article went on about the colours that were allowed - red, purple and so on.

Wow. What an opportunity ….. for anyone born a bit over 400 years ago and had sufficient wealth to dispend. Could it really be true that the male was the flamboyant peacock? I knew some of the words for the materials but I knew nothing about their reality. Once more I looked with disgust and despair into my wardrobe and at the drawers open beside my bed. Drab, dull, grey, black, blue, BORING. Oh to be in Elizabethan times.

Talk Show

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Talk Show
Fictional Transcripts
By Maryanne Peters

Season 3 Episode 5

JT: Welcome everybody to another “Tonight with Tanner”. I am Joe Tanner. And tonight, we have the star of the new Show “Crossover” with us tonight. Please welcome TJ Albright.

APPLAUSE

JT: TJ, Welcome.

TJA: Thank you Joe. And thanks everybody. It’s good to be here.

JT: I have to say it but once again you are with us in full costume.

I can't get dressed.

I can’t get dressed

I hate this bloody pandemic. I want to get dressed and I can’t. I daren’t. My flatmates might not like it.

Authors note : I haven’t posted for a while now. Back in Dec 2018, I finished my set of 500-word ‘starter stories’ and the only person who took one and added a sequel ….. was me! Then the writing monkey took a break and couldn’t give me any worthwhile stories. Recently, I re-read some of my own stories and got a bit interested again. There may be a few posts in the near future. AP


Rescued

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Rescued
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I had never met Samantha Copeland until the day of our confrontation. Thinking back, you have to wonder why. We had lived next door to one another for about five years.

I had met her husband Keith Copeland the week they moved in. I suppose I thought she had taken his name – Copeland. it was not until afterwards that I learned he had taken hers. I found that a hard notion to grasp, at the time.

Ghost Stories And Urban Legends of Benton (5)

Tales of the monsters Rougarou have been passed down from one generation to the other. The Rougarou, is something of a werewolf type creature that is said to stalk the underbrush of Big Cypress Swamp, searching for its favorite prey, a careless hunter, trapper or fisherman. It's also said to prey on household pets when the picking is lean. It's said to favor cats more than dogs. Its also said to make the many hidden hollows and vales that dot the thickly covered area the locals call “Haunted Hollow” its home.

Sanctuary

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Sanctuary
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“I know who you are,” said Mother Sophia. His hair hung loose instead of pulled back in a slick ponytail, and he had wispy hairs on what had always been a clean-shaven face, making it just look dirty. But it was unmistakably Esteban Moya, son of Carlos Moya, the dictator recently deposed.

You Are a Meany Chapter 17

Luke was standing in the domestic flights arrival area of LAX with his aunt and uncle waiting for his parents and twin sister to come down the steps. It was a little over two months since he saw them so today was a big event in Luke’s life. As the moment of reuniting with his family was coming near, the teenage boy started to feel the entire gamut of basic emotions. These feelings came one by one.

Rose the Bunny

Rose the Bunny

Rosey Red gave me this idea. Make of it what you will.

His name wasn't Scrooge, but it might as well had been.

His actual name was Richard Rose, and throughout the small town he lived in, there was no one richer, but no one less kind or less generous.

And yet there was one person who wanted nothing more than to see his heart soften.

Her name was Penny, and every night she prayed for him, saying “Somebody must have hurt Mr. Rose, which is why he’s so mean. So God, heal his heart.”

Influenced

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Influenced
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“Pernicious” is the word. The internet is pernicious. Pernicious and addictive.

What is an “influencer”? How can they trap people the way they do? It is pernicious.

I was just an ordinary guy. A shy person. I suppose one of the generation brought up with a screen before my eyes. Introverted you might say. Absorbed by the screen. Absorbed by the world wide web.

The Adventures of Cerridwen Circle Whitethorn (4)

I took a deep, deep breath as I climbed up the soaking wet ladder. Holding in that breath, I started to slowly climb from the ladder over to the dunking board that was already soaking wet. My heart started to flutter as I inched my way toward the very end of the board. Looking down, I noticed there was a good two feet from where my feet were tangling down and the freezing water below. Releasing my breath I eased my hands down to my side and focused my eyes toward the crowd that was starting to huddle around the throwing line.

That of a Child

BigCloset TopShelf Featured Author
Katherine Phillips

Authors Note:

This work is set in the early stages of the Coronavirus outbreak. It's a work of fiction and if it offends you I apologize in advance. When I saw the reports of young people in Florida still going to the beach something in me wanted to tell a story about someone clueless as to how pandemics work. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and have a wonderful day.

My Name is Miranda. in depth part 1

My Name is Miranda. in depth part 1

by Anistasia Allread

This is a more in depth look at a short story I wrote a few years ago.

Michael finds out that his life is about to change. A new genetic mutation has surfaced causing G.A.S.S. Gender Automatic Switch Syndrome.
Breaking up with his girlfriend is only the beginning as his body starts to go through changes. Thankfully with the love and understanding of his family, he learns to accept his new life.

Public School

Public School
By Maryanne Peters

Attached as a file so that you can all appreciate the talent that is Ignatious Fluke, the creative force behind Tranzfiction Magazine.
I am looking forward to contributing more material to this gorgeous (free) publication.

The Adventures of Cerridwen Circle Whitethorn (3)

The day of the dunking booth arrived sooner than I thought. Like I normally do, I rode the bus home that day and mom greeted me with a hug and a afternoon snack. After my afternoon snack, I dove right into homework till mom knocked upon my bedroom door and reminded me I needed to change into my costume. Mom and I had settled on cheerleader, and since money was tight, we decided to alter her old cheerleader uniform to fit me. Anyway once I had been changed, we drove into town.

My Date as a Teenage Girl Model

When there was an announcement that Amy Amstel should come to the school secretary’s office urgently since there was a call waiting for her from her modelling agency my class-room exploded in laughter at the obvious joke someone had managed to pull. Everyone looked at the boy in the second row – me. My teacher is in on it and said:

- They must mean you, Andrew. Off you go.

I hated the fact that I looked like the young teenage girl model Amy Amstel. More precisely I hated the ribbing I got for looking like her. I could, just, accept that my fellow students joked about it but teachers?

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