I was the kid who had one job on the team: kick the field goals. Through two seasons of football, I had a record of 12/1 and missed breaking the state record for longest field goal on the one I missed by inches. The one I missed, the kick had the leg; it just veered right. Neither the miss nor the loss that night came as a surprise to anyone.

My nickname of ‘Mr. Automatic’ died that night last year, which was bound to happen at some point, so it wasn’t heartbreaking or anything like that—yet.

High Resolution
A Short Story for the New Year’s Resolution Story Contest
By Maryanne Peters

John and his parents receive medical information that requires John to make what could be a life-altering decision.

The holidays are stressful for any family, but it’s more so when family has become strangers. An emergency takes the Roberts clan home for the holidays, where long held secrets will change their relationship forever.

Constant in All Other Things 2
Interlude II
by
Fakeminsk ([email protected])

“Friendship is constant in all other things
Save in the office and affairs of love:
Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues;
Let every eye negotiate for itself
And trust no agent.”
Much Ado About Nothing

Man of the House
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

My parents were very keen to meet Manuel, my sister’s new boyfriend, and it seemed like she was toying with them … my father in particular.

“Are you worried that I might embarrass you? Or that we will clash, Chrissy?” Dad asked her.

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.

Prince Taylor continues now on the path chosen for him. He is being told that he will now be reborn as a girl and leave his boyhood behind

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.

Diva Dismayed: Chapter 21 – Walking the walk

Led Into It
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

I don’t know how I let it get this far. I blame Abigail, but not in a nasty way. She is still my BFF.

She said that whole Lolita thing was a fashion statement. She said that is about expressing your femininity in an ageless way, although there are plenty who think that it is a bit creepy.

She said that the fashions are not “little girl outfits” but clothes that deny age. I have to say, that she looked great in those clothes. I told her so.

Parker looks out towards the water from the pier he is standing on, thinking about jumping. He was cradling a heavy stone in his arms and standing close to the edge of the dock. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He could not believe what had been done to him by people he trusted.

His life was now ruined, all thanks to what they did to him. Not only had they recorded what they did to him, but they had posted the footage on all the social media sites and the college site he attended as well. They sent footage of what happened to him to his parents.

Pollygeist
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

It is a strange story, but like many such stories, its effects changed lives. There are two essential characters in this story. I will call one of them Kevin, and one of them Polly. The third character in this story is 456 Masefield Road, one of those grand old homes in the small but once wealthy town of Hambleton, sadly well beyond an easy commute to the city.

Diva Dismayed: Chapter 18 – Troubled water
The following day I spent perplexedly trying to understand what was going wrong in my relationship with my best friend. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I picked up a bottle of hair colour instead of shampoo when about to wash the hair of one of my customers. Fortunately I realised what I was about to do before the woman did, prompted by the disapproving look on the face of Claire. Otherwise the resulting pink rinse would have been interesting at the very least!

Golden Hours
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I always considered that I would be involved in medicine somehow – I wanted to save lives. I considered myself a caring person, but I also liked the idea of adventure – of standing between life and death and fighting to allow somebody to live. It seemed to me to be the noblest calling.

Sunset Beach
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

From a personal perspective, the conference was a disaster. They had listened to her but from the podium she could see that wave of realization start to take hold in the audience. Although she could not hear, she could see the lips and guess what they were saying. “That’s a guy.”