Selina looks at Debbie when she and her guest come walking into the house. They had come in through the back door instead of the front door.

“We got a problem, Debbie. Jack activated his emergency beacon.” Selina was standing in front of the big-screen television in the kitchen.
It was flashing red and showing a wolf head on the screen. There was a laser keyboard on the marble countertop and Selina was trying to zoom in on his location.

“Are you sure it's Jack’s beacon, Selina?” Debbie and Cheshire run over to stand next to her.

Michel was sitting in the Kitchen of the Cottage when Delphine returned from Totnes.

“Did she get the train ok?”

“Yes. We had plenty of time. In fact, we need not have rushed so much because it was five minutes late,” replied Delphine.

“This letter was in the post yesterday,” he said holding a letter.
"Oh sorry. There was one addressed to you. I clean forgot about them all what with being Verity here."
Michel handed her the letter.

Graphic created by Patricia Marie Allen from photos on Pixabay.com
- Background by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

This is the story of a crossdressers wife. It was originally published as part of the anthology One Dozen Roses. I highly recommend the whole anthology, but I am biased.

Introduction: I’m sure everyone has come across a story or two about someone finding that bottle or lamp that after the appropriate action releases a genie who will grant a certain number of wishes for the lucky person who happens to find it. Quite frequently, the person finding the genie doesn’t read the ‘fine print’ and the results are frequently not what the person making the wishes desired. The greedy and the dishonest seem to get the worst of it. In the case of this story, I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.

Well, it’s back to the big date. Without question, Sandy is looking forward to it. She’s still a bit puzzled about why she is so looking forward to it. Becky puts it in very simple terms. Sandy is growing up.

Introduction: I’m sure everyone has come across a story or two about someone finding that bottle or lamp that after the appropriate action releases a genie who will grant a certain number of wishes for the lucky person who happens to find it. Quite frequently, the person finding the genie doesn’t read the ‘fine print’ and the results are frequently not what the person making the wishes desired. The greedy and the dishonest seem to get the worst of it. In the case of this story, I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.

Back to the present, sort of. Rick has shaken Sandy to the core. Everything she thought about herself is eroding away, and rather quickly, I might add. Yet, she cannot find anything in the original wish that would indicate why this is happening to her.

Introduction: I’m sure everyone has come across a story or two about someone finding that bottle or lamp that after the appropriate action releases a genie who will grant a certain number of wishes for the lucky person who happens to find it. Quite frequently, the person finding the genie doesn’t read the ‘fine print’ and the results are frequently not what the person making the wishes desired. The greedy and the dishonest seem to get the worst of it. In the case of this story, I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.

We are going to take a bit of a trip back in time; not too far. Maybe this will help us make some sense about what’s going on.

Jack takes out a bottle of Irish whiskey he brought with him from home and pours it into a custom-made crystal glass. He takes a sip from the glass as he looks out the big bay window in his office. He was worried about Cheshire and his girls. The men that came with Amy had managed to stop the bleeding and they were resting in their bedrooms.

“It’s not your time, yet Cheshire. Go back to your family and look after them.” A glowing Cat woman stood before Cheshire.

Cheshire looks at the glowing cat woman standing before her in silk robes. She had been moving towards the light and then all of sudden she stopped before the golden cat woman. She had appeared out of nowhere.

Cheshire could feel the power coming off her and the warmth as well. She had heard stories about Cat deities when she traveled to Africa, Thailand, and Egypt.

“Who are you?”

Join a dozen Roses as they attend the SWEET Conference (South Western Exposition for the Embetterment of Transwomen/Transpeople, depending on who you ask.) Rose Gallagher is a registrar for the conference and notices that there are 12 Roses in attendance. On a whim, she contacts them and suggests a meeting of the Roses to share a bit about their choice of the name Rose.

Seven authors collaborate on one story to tell us about

Vivienne’s return to London from Paris was rather strange. It was strange in that she actually felt rather naked without the corset wrapped tightly around her body. Even after just a few days, it had started to be part of her. Then there were the brand new two suitcases that held all her purchases. If her daughters could see inside, then they’d probably keel over on the spot. She had spent quite a lot of money but Vivienne had plenty and it wasn’t as if she’d be going shopping in Paris every day or London for much longer.

Troy, Amy, and Samuel follow behind Mr. Bounty and Cheshire as they step outside. Just as they stepped outside a huge black wolf comes running up to Jack.

“That’s a huge wolf.” Troy couldn’t believe how big the wolf was. He figures it had to be about the same size as a werewolf or dire wolf.

“That is the legendary demon wolf, Chaos. A wolf you don’t want to mess with.” Gina had been standing nearby when her father and their guest came out.

“What makes him so legendary?” Samuel looks at Chaos and wonders what makes him so dangerous.

"Ja… Jacques? What are you doing here?" said a very startled and surprised Vivienne after they'd almost bumped into each other on 'The Strand'.

He smiled back at her. Any worries that she might have had just disappeared in an instant. His smile did that to her. Again!

"Meeting you," he replied.

‘You don’t mind if I call you Mike do you?’ When forced to reply they usually replied by saying something like, ‘I didn’t realise you were talking me, Cinderella, because my name is Michael.’ That was of course if the questioner were male. They substituted a name like Arnold if the questioner were female.

Vivienne met with Verity late the next day at her offices on Victoria Street. They’d been at Boarding School together and had become firm friends when they both got struck down with Measles at the same time. Being the sole occupants of a Boarding School Sick-bay over the Easter holidays was no fun so they’d gotten up to all sorts of mischief together. That bond had lasted until Vivienne had gotten married. Verity had been her Maid of Honour at her wedding to Rex.

The Photographer from the Estate Agency, a still wet behind the ears youngster named Neil Thomas, finished packing up his gear and then left Vivienne alone. A job that should have taken under an hour had taken three hours. For some unfathomable reason, he insisted on using a full studio flash rig even in the Bathroom where there really wasn’t the room to swing a cat let alone all the kit that he’d brought with him. From what little he’d said during the visit, he was clearly more used to taking pictures of the very large houses that only the mega rich of Hampstead could afford. Still, it was at their cost not hers. If she wasn’t happy with the promotion material she could take her business to another agency.

Vivienne’s not so good day wasn’t over. At a little after seven that evening the front door bell rang.

As she entered the hallway, Vivienne could see two figures through the frosted glass on the door. It was either someone trying to convert her to their religion or it was her beloved daughters. For once, she really hoped that the former had chosen to try their luck with her rather than her daughters.

If it was the latter then it was to be expected given the virtual deluge of calls and messages that had been sent in her direction since the phone call with her daughter just before Betty's Funeral.

[Eight days after Vivienne’s disastrous Birthday Party]

“Come on Betty, in you go,” said Vivienne as she opened the front door to her home.

The Spaniel ran through the open door and into the hallway and skidded to a halt on the polished wood floor in front of the kitchen door. Her tail started wagging furiously. She knew what was waiting for her on the other side when her mistress opened the door for her.

“I can see that someone is very happy to be home again aren't you Betty?”

Embarrassing things happen in this life. Sometimes other people embarrass you, sometimes you embarrass yourself. Most of those times you sigh and feel glad that no one is watching - or worse yet - filming.

Jack and Cheshire look at all the people they invited to the meeting. The Hunter organization would be stupid to attack this group. All the best killers that were either related to Jack or Cheshire were in this room.

“Rachel and Anika, I want you two out at the longest range possible with your rifles. You’ll be getting support from Arabella and the drones she will be controlling.” Jack looks over towards his granddaughter.

Arabella noticed her grandfather looking at her “don’t worry grandpa. I’ll have them and everyone covered.”

All was quiet in the house. The Sun had risen well over an hour earlier. The hum of London grew as the city started a new day.

There were two occupants of the house. For one of them this was a day to celebrate. For the other, the prospect of walkies, rabbits to chase and food was normal.

In a bedroom at the front of the three-storey terraced house, Vivienne Carter was wide awake. Today was her sixtieth birthday, plus it was the first day of what she’d been calling her ‘afterlife’. She’d just retired from her job as very senior official at the HMRC in the ‘Collections Department’. The previous day which had been a rather sad occasion. Vivienne, could have carried on working for at least six more years until she qualified for a state pension but she’d had enough of work, commuting and putting up with the incompetence of other people for far too long so she'd decided several months before to call it a day when she turned sixty years of age.

The Jillaroo Part 1 / 4. Birth and Rebirth

I am lying in bed, my face bathed in sunlight from a nearby window, and my two grand-daughters are telling me about their day at school while my grand-son is looking out of the window at his friends playing soccer.

This photo of Hotel Classic Inn is courtesy of Tripadvisor

Saturday Afternoon
Harry was relaxing on a Saturday afternoon, the recliner tilted back, the cat in his lap and a good novel in his hands. His wife Carmen was out shopping, leaving Harry a very contented man. So content that the good novel was resting upside down on the cat, who was sprawled across Harry's lap in a posture that only a trusting feline could find comfortable.