Chapter 1: The Wish

The morning sunlight filtered into the small bedroom, casting a soft glow on Daniel’s face as he sat on the edge of his bed, staring at himself in the mirror. His hazel eyes looked tired, and his brown hair, always a bit unruly, stuck up in all directions. He sighed, pulling at the loose hem of his shirt.

Today was his fifteenth birthday, but he felt as invisible as ever.

Is Late Better than Never? Chapter 6
by Lily Rasputin

I honestly wasn’t the least bit surprised to learn that the club Maddie’s parents belonged to happened to be the ritziest, most expensive, and most exclusive one in Greensboro.

Pulling the Beemer into an empty spot not too far from the oversized putting green, I stared at the massive structure that was a living testament to wealth and privilege. As Mike, I had only been here once, at a gala charity fundraiser that one of the senior partners of Kelly’s firm was hosting.

 
Synopsis:

Charlie was a middle-aged man with one great regret, that a wonderful woman he'd been friends with for years was not interested in him as a man. She moves cross-country to care for her ailing mother and Charlie is heartbroken. A new employee befriends Charlie who later makes an unselfish wish for his new friends happiness. Charlie finds he's been betrayed and has lost everything he ever dreamed of or has he? A story of the power of love and forgiveness.

Is Late Better than Never?
by Lily Rasputin

Chapter Four

“Honestly, Madeline. Could you possibly think about someone other than yourself for once?

The woman at the end of the connection, the one listed in the phone’s contacts as “Mother”, possessed an annoyingly superior tone of voice which made me instantly sympathetic for the former Maddie’s having to have dealt with it for her entire life.

A sympathy, I supposed, that I should now feel for myself.

The sun was just beginning to rise over the spires of Gale Haven Academy when Akari woke up on her first day of classes. Despite the early hour, her roommates, Lila and Mira, were already up and moving, chattering excitedly about what the day would bring.

“First day of school at Gale Haven!” Lila practically sang as she flung open the curtains, letting the morning light stream into their room. “This is going to be awesome!”

Raina hugged her knees and sobbed quietly at the foot of her bed. The pain of the black eye she received from her stepfather was still fresh and sharp.

“I can feel your pain… Your desire… Tell me, my dear, what is it that you want?” Raina’s head snapped up to see a naked woman with pointed ears and the lower body of a deer stride into her room. Behind her was a forest from another world. As she stepped further in, her lower body became human.

“I want, I mean I am… but…” Raina struggled to get the words out. “Make me a girl… please…”

WARNING: ABORTED SUICIDE ATTEMPT

“Discipline, discipline, discipline.” Valin repeated this mantra in his head, over and over as he prepared himself for the practical exam. He was sure that he had gotten a perfect grade on the written portion, not that he expected otherwise, as he had been training himself for it almost his whole life. Not that he hadn’t done the same for the practical, it’s just that the practical required certain innate qualities that Valin didn’t have.

Meet Malcolm Sutherland, a sixteen-year-old forced to work a tough labouring job after his mother gets crippled in the same car crash that claimed his father. He longs for an out, but a whimsical purchase by a friend of his sister gives him one he wasn't expecting ...

When a notoriously toxic fraternity resorts to ancient magic in an effort to get girls, the repercussions are felt all over the house. People change, taboos are broken, and shameful secrets come to light. Will anyone be able to stop it before they all succumb to temptation?

Is Late Better than Never?
by Lily Rasputin

Chapter Two

Author’s Note: TW: Suicide

It took me a moment to recover from the shock created by the voicemail bombshell.

I pointed at the phone as I glared at Namira. “What the hell was that all about?” The pause button was pressed on my earlier trepidation about angering a powerful, otherworldly being.

“Nanny? Why am I … I mean, why is Maddie, my family’s new nanny? For that matter, why is Kelly even hiring a nanny in the first place?”

Is Late Better than Never?
by Lily Rasputin

Chapter One

It was a bad time to be driving. Darkness, rain, despair, and self-loathing are a really bad combination on their own, but when being behind the wheel of a moving auto is thrown in, it’s downright dangerous. I knew it as surely as I knew my life had just taken two painful torpedoes to the starboard side and was sinking fast.

I knew … I just didn’t care.

Spencer walks around the mall with his friends. Only Jason and Greg knew his secret: He wished he was a girl instead of a boy. They caught him one day wearing a pair of panties and pantyhose to school. His parents didn’t even know he wished he was born a girl. They just thought he liked dressing up as a girl. For Halloween, he dressed up as a sexy anime girl from one of his favorite anime shows.

Rene Auclair stared at the card.

The last two years were difficult. The pandemic triggered a new business model for the company. Working from home, there is little work related human interaction. Some enjoy these changes. For me, having replaced Darren Rogers as Networking Director in the middle of the pandemic has been hard. I’ve never met in person with some of my subordinates.

Silver Bell Wish 9
by Peregrine

Copyright © 2023 Peregrine
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Silver Bell Wish 7
by Peregrine

Copyright © 2023 Peregrine
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Silver Bell Wish 5
by Peregrine

Copyright © 2023 Peregrine
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Silver Bell Wish 3
by Peregrine

Copyright © 2023 Peregrine
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Silver Bell Wish 2
by Peregrine

Copyright © 2023 Peregrine
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

It’s so easy, so natural, when they’re little. I wish it stayed that way! I snorted as my grammy's old saying ran through my head: If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.