Nathan stared down at his open sock drawer in confusion. This absolutely was not the way that it had looked the day before. He’d had maybe a dozen white socks and a few black dress socks. He certainly had not had three dozen pairs of socks of varying lengths and colors, some with pictures of animals and cartoon characters. And there was no way that he’d had a small collection of rolled-up tights and leggings of various colors and patterns.

A Love So Bold
by Anon Allsop

The story continues - Hope you enjoy!

-Seventeen-

In the pre-dawn light, the train was slowly coming to life. Families had eaten and were now hitching their mules, horses and oxen to them. Hannah was holding Em and standing beside Gideon, while Cade sat on the back of the near mule watching.

“What do we do with the little cart?” she asked, capturing a loose lock of hair and tucking it behind her ear.

“I’d love to take it with us, but we’re going in some real rough country soon and I’m afraid it will just drag us down.” He looked past Hannah to the cart where it sat off the side of the trail.

Hannah sighed, then turned to also look at the cart. “We can leave it; perhaps someone else could use it for repairs or may have use for it in some way.”

Gideon had been watching her, remembering to what she had done only last night, his mind dwelling on what his heart wanted him to do to, and for her. But alas, it wasn’t to be… for as soon as she could, she would be gone. He couldn’t help studying the curve of her form, mesmerized in the beauty she possessed. Her wavy red locks drifting in the morning air, she was so much like ‘his’ Hannah…and yet, nothing like her.

A Love So Bold
by Anon Allsop

The story continues - Hope you enjoy!

-Sixteen-

As they rode closer to the wagon train, Hannah looked over toward Gideon, admiring his rugged handsomeness. She knew that she could pull off the ruse; she had been doing it for weeks already, but one little question was in the back of her mind and she wanted to ask it before they got too close to prying ears.

“Gideon?” she asked.

“Hannah?” he said with a laugh and then smiled boyishly to her, and decided now wasn’t the time to kid with her after all that she had been through. He decided that he should respectfully reply, “Yes Hannah, what is it?”

“I’m basically giving up my… let’s just say ‘life’ here… to help you with the children.” She looked at him, studying the expression he would give for asking. “What is in it for me?”

Hello, my name is Miranda and this is the unbelievable story of how I became the woman I am today.

Each student had been issued a name tag with her first name in large black lettering. We were told that the tags were to be worn as part of our school uniforms. On Friday, a dark-haired girl whose tag boldly proclaimed her name to be “Lauren” sat across the table from Amie and me. Lauren had an air of smugness about her. She seemed much more interested in the two of us than she was in eating lunch, and she kept staring at us … mostly at Amie. Finally, she asked, “Where ya’ll from?”

A Love So Bold
by Anon Allsop

The story continues - Hope you enjoy!

-Thirteen-

When the sun climbed high into the sky, Hannah had found a small stand of trees to rest the horse and nurse Em while enjoying the comfort of the shade. She contentedly watched the child... her child, as she had finally accepted, nurse.

She had taken to pinning her long fiery hair up into a bun recently and removed a bonnet that Luttie had given her. This effort allowed a cool breeze to wash over her.

As her daughter suckled, she rummaged in the sack and removed a biscuit to eat. Both she and Em sat on the seat of the cart quietly eating, when an unusual sound brought the young mother to alertness.

A Love So Bold
by Anon Allsop

The story continues - Hope you enjoy!

-Eight-

Tears filled her eyes as she rode into the dark, back toward the trail where she had found the canteen. In the bright moonlight, she found the trail and once again headed west. Behind her she left her former identity, a corpse forever clothed in feminine garments.

She glanced behind her; the trees and rocks were only a blackened shadow upon the horizon. Ezrah’s passing was now only marked by the pile of stone covering the young mother's body…it was too confusing! Grimly she wondered if hundreds of years from now, some archaeologist like those who have stumbled upon the strange bones of past monsters, might locate the altered bones of... Ezrah. What might they think about him, wondering why he was clothed as he had been?

She sighed, and looked down at the tiny charge asleep in her arms. She felt sorry for herself… to be so young and saddled with such great responsibility. She knew that women all over this great big world have been taking on responsibilities like this for thousands of years, so why should she be any different?

A Love So Bold
by Anon Allsop

The story continues - Hope you enjoy!

-Six-

As Ezrah dreamt, far off he could hear the sound of a train whistle. The closer it came to him, the louder it became, sounding much like he was laying right there on the tracks. The shrill train whistle screaming like a banshee woke him and caused the youth to bolt upright, his now unfettered feminine breasts seemed to have a life of their own. As they settled he looked down, a great wet spot saturated the front of his chest, right at their very summit.

“Oh shit!” he cursed as he sat up and felt the front. There was no mistaking that by becoming Hanna, he was now lactating. He looked over at the baby fussing and crying, and tried desperately to ignore her, but it was no use. It was the baby crying that made him dream of the train, and it seemed the more she cried, the wetter Ezra's shirt became. As he sat up, his eyes came into contact with the body of the woman, although she was an exact duplicate of what he had once looked like… only wearing the bloodied dress.

“Happy birthday!” Everybody in the packed ballroom yells at the top of their lungs. I can’t help but giggle at some of the bizarre costumes being worn by some of the party attendees, myself included- there are very few places you could get away with wearing a skin-tight green thong leotard, a pair of brown booty shorts and combat boots, but a videogame-themed birthday party is one of those occasions.

“Hey Miss Croft,” Sarah giggles as she gives me a tight cuddle. “Want to go and ‘raid’ me a drink?” I smile as Sarah adjusts her own tight white top and loose over shirt.

A Love So Bold
by Anon Allsop

The story continues - Hope you enjoy!

-Three-

Two days west of the attack site, Ezrah was on foot walking the big black horse in an effort to rest it. Ever since that terrible day, the boy used every trick he could think of to elude the roving bands of Indians. Unsure of whether they were those who attacked and killed his parents, yet to him, all Indians were now suspect.

He was walking through a small canyon, and the echoing of Blackie's hooves rattled within his ears even though he was trying to keep silent. As they emerged from the other end, he saw a band of at least a dozen Indians riding diagonally toward him. If he delayed too much, they reach him in no time. He quickly mounted and took off across the prairie in an attempt to outrun them.

When he heard the loud whooping, he knew that he had been seen and it was the second time he had heard their telltale sound. The terrible feeling once again returned to the pit of his stomach. Lying along the back of the big horse, Ezrah entwined his fingers in the long black mane of the horse. Still with the reins in his hands, he hung on for dear life. The horse ran like the wind, ears flat back, tail out and its long ebony main flailing in the terrified youth's face.