A loud and excited gasp found its way to my antennae from across the table, “ohmigod, really!? Darbee, I’m so happy for you!”

I took a second to recoil, Bea sometimes can’t exactly handle how loud she gets. She cycled through shock and embarrassment accompanied by a soft giggle when she saw my reaction. “S-sorry I didn’t mean to get so loud.”

The Redemption of Jamie Sarah Potter
-5-
Babylon has Fall

The whole school heard the Head's words. The Board of Trustees who had long stood in stark silence could no longer sit on the edge of the fence. They had to move. They had to remove her. Daisy's sentence was suspended and a public apology was issued by Trustees of the school over what had happened. And in a strange twist of fate, both Cerridwen and Daisy were named prefects by the new Head.

The Redemption of Jamie Sarah Potter
-4-
Armageddon

What happened next, none of us expected, and I none of us could have ever dreamed of in our wildest dreams. But somehow the fact that Cerridwen was transgender got out. I mean, I'm also transgender too. But I'm not as open as she is about it. I was dismayed when that little bit of news broke. I expected that would take all the wind from our sails and our so far united effort would fall apart piece by piece. But as history proved me wrong.

The Redemption of Jamie Sarah Potter
-3-
Social Media Firestorm

The news of all the school prefects turning in their badges spread like a Californian wildfire. It spread first through word of mouth then through social media. Soon the whole town knew about it. Then it happened, the cheerleaders all twelve of them turned in their pom poms and true to his word. Ben led the whole defensive line in walking off the field. There would be no Friday night football for a while it seemed. And the Head well, there was little she could do to punish us.

Warning: there is some sexual violence in this story, as well as explicit mention of female body parts.

My Brilliant Idea

A group of friends streams their gaming on Wednesday nights. But not all the action is on the dining room table.

A group of friends streams their gaming on Wednesday nights. But not all the action is on the dining room table.

Saved by the Bell
-3-
The Son of God goes forth to War

I don't think one signal word passed between the three of us as Jamie guided Daisy out of the lunchroom and toward the headmasters office. Jamie and Daisy walked ahead of me, and I trailed a little behind the two. Then something happened, as we drew closer to the headmaster office. Daisy paused and took a deep breath. And then in a light, airy tone of voice he started to sing a cappella. The sound of his voice seemed to echo down the hallway. 

Saved by the Bell
-2-
Dead man Walking

“BELL! JONES!” A loud voice seemed to boom. The voice belonged to Mr. Coalfield. A brute of a man, Mr. Coalfield or Coach Coalfield as everybody in school called him was the boy's P.E Instructor and the head coach of the Benton Academy football program. His skin was brown as leather and his neck reminded of the shank bone of a ham. And his hands were thick like hot dogs.

Saved by the Bell
-1-
His name was James Donald Bell

It's a common misconception that Benton Academy is the cradle for the Episcopal and Methodist bourgeoisie of Benton. In fact it's nothing more than a really redneck school. And the only way my mom and dad can afford to send me here is that my grandmother is footing the bill. My grandmother wants me to get the best education possible in this small town. She wants me to make something of my life.

-9-
The Harvest Moon

My shift in the dunking booth had come to an end. The Sun was now setting over the gable roofs of Iskay Village. The cobblestone square had fallen quite. I thought like most folk festivals there would be a dance at the end. I was wrong, there was no dance. The villagers simply retreated inside to the warmth of their houses.

A group of friends streams their gaming on Wednesday nights. But not all the action is on the dining room table.

-4-
An Interesting Proposal

-1-
The Road to Isksay 

The village of Isksay is an idyllic little village located around ten leagues from Sea Breeze. The village is a small farming community and is best known for the many windmills that dot the surrounding hills. Each Autumn the village celebrates the bountiful harvest by holding a community wide celebration. Now even adventures need some down time. And so, upon hearing that annual harvest celebration was about to take place, I packed my bags and saddled up Coco and started toward Iskay

I took a deep breath as I peered out the car window. The sight that greeted me was nothing but flat, rolling fields that seemed to stretch far beyond the horizon. The Mississippi Delta was flat as a board. As I released my drawn in breath I shifted my eyes toward the woman seated beside me. Her name was Lavender Stoner and she was less than thrilled to have me along for the ride. I could say the same for her. Sitting next to her was like sitting next to a junkyard dog.

-4-
The Wisdom of Bridgette, Apprentice Wisdom to the Village of Thorn

The common room of the inn was silent as the grave. Night had fallen and many of the rowdy patrons had retired to their beds. In a far corner of the room, Bridgette, Oliver and I gathered around a simple wooden table. At Bridgette's feet there laid a leather traveling knapsack. Her wooden staff lay probed up beside her. In front could be found the bones of a roasted chicken, picked clean. We all had the roasted chicken, it was okay. Could have used a little more salt and pepper but otherwise it was okay.

-2-
A Fork in the Road

Oliver and I walked about another league before we reached a fork in the road. Most of our fellow travelers to the left fork, that was the path I guess would take us toward the Sand Hills. A old wooden sign that had been driven in the middle of the two forks said as much. It also said that the right fork would take you toward a village that was called Thorn. The village of thorn was around two leagues distance down the path or six miles. According to my sources the soothsayer lived near the village Thorn. 

I was lost as a goose when it came to picking out a pair of high heel shoes that would match the gown I'd picked out. Thankfully my aunt was there to help. It took her just under fifteen minutes to pick out a pair of coral pink shoes that went well with the dress. And as kind of an after thought she tossed in a pair of pink flip-flops. Once those two items were in hand, we made our way to one of the checker stands. The sales woman, a woman who seemed to be in her mid fifties, a woman who had salt and pepper colored hair just smiled and scanned each item.

Greenville, Mississippi had a total population of some fifty thousand souls all nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River. The town was a thriving river port, and could boost a thriving downtown district that was lined with all kinds of shops. It also had a mall, a pretty good mall. Not as big as say North Park the second biggest enclosed shopping space in Mississippi or the Metro Center Mall, who claimed the title as the biggest and best enclosed shopping mall. But it was the only mall in the region.

The Stoner family lived in a fine two story brick house at the corner of Hegman Road and Railroad Avenue. That was about a half mile from where Aunt Cat and Uncle Sidney lived. The house was a fine, brick house with a black slate roof. Behind the house one could see the railroad that was the lifeblood of this small delta town. Beyond the railroad tracks, and as far as the eye could see one could see cotton. Cotton was the chief crop of the Mississippi delta and was the breadwinner for many delta farmers including my dear uncle. Who's change of heart still worried me.