Working for his Aunt in a small bookstore, Alexis yearns for some excitement.
But when it finds him, it might be more than he can handle.
It all starts with a little parcel the postman brings.

(This is a pilot-part for a serial I may or may not write. Depends on the feedback.)
(The pilot has a completed story line with plot hooks for an extention.)

Part Twelve

"Local police are saying that the word on the street is that whoever financed the theft of the swords is having a meltdown, because they didn't get them."

"Are you telling me," said Vic, slowly, after her boss delivered this bit of news at the next Monday morning briefing, "that the people who stole the swords are keeping them instead of turning them over to their client? If so, are they trying to get more money? Maybe from the original client or someone else?"

Part Ten

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Vic, as she, Murphy, Muravachick and Medura left the briefing.

"You're not the only one," said Murphy, in an irritated mutter.

"Well, why don't we all wait by Vic's car, and if things do go south try to... do something constructive?" said Medura, with an uncertain movement of her hands.

"Sounds like a plan," said Muravachick, tiredly. "It's vague, but open-ended and flexible."

Part Nine

"I remember when some important people were wondering if I would ever be able to adult," said Vic, wistfully, as she and Michelle cleaned their dishes after a nice supper in their own dining room, that evening. "These days I sometimes feel like I'm the only adult in the room."

"I know what you mean. People - customers and even people I work with - just seem not only short-tempered these days but... irrational!"

Part Eight

Part Six

"Has he started puberty early, or something?" said Randy (Template) Devon, pacing irritably around the kitchen.

"He's ten years old," said Karen (Colossa) Devon, patiently, as she stood by the central table, hoping her husband would be reasonable about this bit of childhood mischief. "You have to expect some rebellious periods. As well as needing time to learn which pranks are going too far."

"Sarah is five, and a lot better behaved!"

"Well, since she got over the Terrible Twos," said Karen, trying to use humor to bring her husband's mood down.

Part Five

The Bureau had been nice enough to arrange for Vic to stay in a good-quality hotel in the city where paleogeneticist Dr. Oliver Gumprich had his office. Which caused a few problems when Vic registered. She had a bit of trouble convincing the desk clerk she was actually old enough to be in a room without an adult. Fortunately, Vic had enough forms of ID - including a Bureau credit card - to reassure the woman. Though Vic figured some phone calls were made after she headed upstairs.

“ Don’t be daft Kim, what harm could you do, even if you wanted to, there is not a lot you could do, all fixed up the way you are. You are a girl now, remember that and just get on with life as normal, and stop worrying, you are more girly and feminine than a lot of the others we will be playing against.”

Lillyn is ready to do some research.
Maybe even being a bit reckless about it.
But will it bear fruit?

Head Injury
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Part 1 - Mike

I remember those few minutes after I regained consciousness so very well.

I opened my eyes and reached to my face. There was a tube in my nose. I knew immediately where I was, I was in the hospital. But then I looked at my hand. I looked at the back of my hand and it did not look right. I found myself thinking that my hand should be beautiful. That is needed to be smooth and soft and that the nails should be shaped and polished.

Creatures
Part 2 -- The Conclusion
by Anon Allsop

Chapter 21

It was dark by the time they had loaded both of the corpses into the Suburban, Chet and the dogs left a little while after they had found Stew. Each corpse couldn't have weighed more than thirty pounds. The skin on each was stretched tight like blackened paper, and only their clothes told the men who they once had been.

Quietly, almost reverentially, they drove back to town where the doctor was already waiting for them at his office. Holding the door, he watched as both Stew and Eve were carried in and placed upon separate gurneys.

Creatures
by Anon Allsop

Another world, long ago

The macabre creature looked upward into the strange sky, one of its twin suns grew dim causing odd light to be cast upon the land. Tilting its strange triangle-shaped head slightly, it turned then raced back toward its nest to protect a small clutch of sleek and nearly impervious silver mirror-like eggs.

The eggs were nestled within the earthen bowl, each reflecting the face of the alien beast as Christmas ornaments would reflect back a child's face - distorted and bent across its surface. She hovered over them, instinctively using her body as the last bit of protection from what was racing down from above. Slowly she raised her head, just as the meteorite entered the thin atmosphere burning and tumbling toward the ground.