I see, sort of see everything spin and go free floating. We hit something and we’re flying, rolling.

I see asphalt and hopscotch squares but I’m looking up when I see them.

There’s a crash and red…so much red.

Ma takes Lucy and her little sister Ruth to Bikini Beach for a fun wet Saturday. Lucy makes new friends, and experiences a whole new experience. However, this being Bikini Beach, not all is as it seems.

Bikini Beach and its principal characters are copyright 1998 by Elrod.

Twisted Throwback

by Trismegistus Shandy

This story is set, with Morpheus' permission, in his Twisted universe. It's set about a generation later than "Twisted", "Twisted Pink", etc. I've tried to write it as a stand-alone, so you need not have read Morpheus's Twisted stories first, or recently, to enjoy it; some of his characters make cameo appearances, but I don't think it has significant spoilers for the stories they come from.

SALAMANDER, n. Originally a reptile inhabiting fire; later, an anthropomorphous immortal, but still a pyrophile. Salamanders are now believed to be extinct, the last one of which we have an account having been seen in Carcassonne by the Abbe Belloc, who exorcised it with a bucket of holy water.
~ The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce

Darren Lawrence had what most would consider an idyllic life- a beautiful family, a house, a close circle of trustworthy friends and his music. However, all of this changed the day he lost his job. This disappointing yet seemingly innocuous occurrence sets off a series events that threaten to strip Darren of his identity and turn him into everything that he hates.

Graham Pearce had been very lonely since the death of his wife.

Alone walking across moorland one night Graham makes a wish that changes his life.

The sign on the street says just three words Hope's Ranch Academy but there is more than learning on the ranch. A mixing of people, in need of something they didn't, or couldn't get any where else. The symbol of refuge for those still outcast by society in large.

If they had been thinking about it, a copy of of the same lines from the sonnet "The New Colossus" would grace the sign as well, the same words that rest on the Statue of Liberty.

Author's Note: This is a light-hearted, cross-dressing mystery story, written in my normal style, which I hope you enjoy. It does contain references to adult themes, and some of its characters have little sympathy with the Catholic Church. Please don't read if you feel this will upset you.

Synopsis: Brad feels trapped in his life as a corporate lawyer and yearns for something better out of life, like the handsome doctor next door. When his wife is called in to work overtime, he becomes his alter ego, Nurse Brandy, and is always ready for the doctor to make a house call.

A young student by the name of Richard Hegyi is growing restless with his life. While he lives a relatively good life, he is yearning for a change, to go to another country. However, he finds he had been yearning for more after accidentally helping set a cosmical event in motion on one fateful day. Our story follows his adventures from a few weeks before the event that changed the world forever.

What complications will arise out of Gerald's heart attack?

Gerald is a reporter who goes undercover as an employee of the State Department of Transportation to uncover a corruption scandal. His life long friend, Grace, tipped him off and helped him get a job where she works. He finds love with a co-worker, Veronica. In an office full of women, Gerald takes refuge with the guys. They happen to be the people that he is investigating and gathering evidence for his story. At the least opportune moment, Gerald has a heart attack and nothing is the same again.

New Meaning of

Sugar and Spice

By Ariel Montine Strickland

Will Tony choose Sugar and Spice in the end?

A Kindle E-Book

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

A Lamur, Georgia, USA Novel

By Jo Dora Webster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What will be the result of Alex spending
the summer with his Great Aunt Montine?

This story is set, with Morpheus' permission, in his Travel Agency universe. Thanks to Morpheus for his feedback on the first draft.

I'll be serializing it here over the next few weeks, but if you don't want to wait, the whole novella is available as part of The Weight of Silence and Other Stories, along with thirteen other stories, including several that haven't previously appeared online.