The Order of Things
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

I had a stopover in Thailand, and I decided to stay over and get the chop. It was a spur of the moment thing, but the way I figured it, why would I go on living as a man one day longer when I knew that I had always been a woman on the inside.

I got the body wax prior to the surgery. They even do the sack so that they can use it to fashion vaginal lips. I can’t stop admiring them in the mirror. Okay, I even show my pussy off to anybody who wants to take a peek, or even a photo.

The Sundial
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I have always been drawn to the sea, and I guess that was down to my father. He was a ships’ engineer and I saw little of him when I was very young, but whenever he was home he would bring strange objects and stories from the places he had been. It seemed as if his life was like a fairy tale. I wanted to follow him.

Echoes of the Past
Being a mother is the best thing in the world, but nothing prepares you for it
What do you do when your son is different from other boys?
What do you do when he does not want to be older?
What do you do when he does not want to be a boy?
What do you do when he says you are not his mother?

“Luke!” Paul shouted up the stairs. “Come on, get out of bed, it’s nearly 10 o’clock and we’ve a lot to do today!”

“Yeah, alright,” Luke grunted in reply as he threw back his bed sheets and pulled on his dressing gown, only pausing to look at himself in the mirror before leaving his bedroom.

Motherhood
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

How can I begin to describe the shock of being told by the woman that you love that she is not a woman at all, or at least was not born a woman? To be honest, it is not so hard for me now because I have buried it, but I remember that at the time it hit me hard.

The Awakening
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

She woke to the sound of music. They had rented the “La Villa Musica” for a month just to soak up the Adriatic Coast, and simply because they could afford it. He was not lying beside her in the bedroom with the view. The windows were open, and the curtains moved with the warm sea breeze. The music seemed to be coming from the lounge – from the grand piano.

Summer Assignment
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“How are the sales today?” Hayley asked as she returned to her flat to find Sophie sat on the sofa, checking her laptop.

“Still good,” Sophie replied with a smile. “I mean, yes, they’re tapering off, but that’s to be expected after this length of time, so- yeah. Publishers are still VERY happy though.”

“I still can’t believe I know a famous author!” Hayley teased, giggling as her friend rolled her eyes and blushed.

One of Those Stories
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

Cocktail
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

It seemed as if all that Jack needed to do was to get drunk. They had been seeing each other for almost a month. He had been determined that this was a relationship that would work. Perhaps he just tried too hard. That was how she let him down – hard. It hurt more than he could ever have imagined.

Raquel looks at her reflection in the full-length mirror mounted on the back of her bedroom door. It finally took her eighteen years to become how she felt inside herself. A smile appears on her cute youthful face.

“Are you ready to go yet, Raquel?” Larry comes walking out of the main bathroom, fully dressed.

“Yeah, I’m ready, sweetie.” Raquel turns around to look at her boyfriend.

Sexpiation
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

When the world is on fire, how far would you leap to escape the flames? That is how we looked at it. We were not escaping from justice – we were escaping from madness.

Domesticity
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

I love to cook. I learned how to when I was laid off and my wife Jane became the principal breadwinner.

“Let me keep house for a bit,” I told her. “I will keep looking for a job, but until I get one there is plenty I can do at home.”

It turned out that there is plenty to do, and that does not give time for job hunting.

Ruff Love
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Ruff Love
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I had finally done it. I was on my own in my own flat. My marriage had failed and I had split amicably with my wife. She kept the house that had been paid for mostly by a trust fund set up by my parents. I kept the remainder of my savings. I did not begrudge her the house. She had been patient and understanding about my "condition". Both my parents were dead, which is why I was contemplating doing something I had been longing for all my life.

Bob
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

I was called Bob when I was a man. I always thought of myself as a regular guy. I was quiet, I suppose – not one to stand out. I could never be overtly gay. I think that requires a little more courage than I had. I just wanted life without drama or conflict. I was always a gentle person. I still am.