Chapter Four – The Other Vessels

The night following Aphrosia’s revelation was not a night at all. Yet as midnight approached, a sense of unreality settled over the world—an uncanny pause before something immense. People stepped outside, drawn by a pressure in the air, a hush that made even city traffic seem to hold its breath. It was as if the earth itself knew change had arrived.

As the car turned off the lane leading to Niamh’s house, and onto the road towards ours, I saw the security light outside our house come on. My heart sank: This could only mean one thing; my father had just driven or walked into the farmyard. For some reason, this was a much more troubling prospect than been seen by my mother wearing one of the Twins cheerleading skirts. She had, presumably been given an explanation by Niamh so would have expected to find me dressed like this when she called to collect me.

“Does he know?”

Sent By Sophia

Chapter 1: The Loved and Gendered One

A Transgender Coming of Age Adventure

A Story from THE ONE

Ariel Montine Strickland

How could a person guided by Sophia, Spirit of THE ONE, make recompense for a wrong done 30 years ago and have their fondest dream come true?

The Beer Festival
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

Karl and I come from a small town in Germany – in Bavaria, close to the Alps. We have lived there all our lives. We went to school together and we became friends. Then we became more than friends – we became lovers. And then more than lovers – we moved in together, as a gay couple.

Beer, Barbecue, and Bikes, Richmond Fair Grounds, 315 Community Park Dr, Warsaw, VA.

Jessie couldn’t believe that Peter Barton and their current manager managed to get them a gig playing at the fairgrounds during one of the biggest events during Spring. Their manager had managed to get the organizers to agree to her idea of riding their motorcycles up onto the stage. All of them practice the stunt to make sure they did it right.

Chapter 4

When I made it down to breakfast, the mood was positive. I had passed the first hurdle or six and was still on track. When I arrived at the station, I organised my afternoon and evening shows, with two piles of notes. I had another meeting with the boss, a short one, and had a chat with Anita, who had come in to sort out her afternoon spot.

The Green-Eyed Maid Inn

“Nonsense,” Karen spoke up as she approached us now, having photographed me at least half a dozen times from different angles beforehand. “Anyone can be trained how to stand, walk, smile, pout, but a natural team player is worth double her weight in gold.”

Sophia and Mariposa snuggled down together under the mosquito netting. They didn’t need any other covering in the warm weather that was normal on the island. Last night’s rain had made the lushness of their island home just that bit more lush, and the perfume of the flowers was intoxicating.

"I spent half an hour picking out what I’d wear..."

Another Country -11-
by Erin Halfelven

Chapter 3

When we arrived at the main gate, I had to show my station lanyard with my picture on. I was signed in and given another lanyard with ‘visitor’ on it in big red letters. From there, we did the tour. The first stop, after passing a big hotel, was the Exchange.

Altered Fates: The Pretzel Becomes the Princess - Part 2
By Marie7342231 - marie7342231@yahoo.com

Chapter 2

After the concerted effort of Friday, it was with a sense of dread that I answered my mobile, seeing Andrew as the caller.

“Carol here.”

“Carol, it’s Andrew and thank you for organising the photos. I rang the photographer, and he told me that it was a pleasure to see you through his lens. I’ve shown the pictures to management, and they’ve decided to use one in reception. With your application, I’ll email you the form again. If you fill it in with your new name and on-air experience, I’ll use that for the records.”

Our Island.

Sophia her involvement in the solar arrays on the island as the resident engineer, but there was plenty of time to share with the child care of Squid (Gabriele) and Giant Clam (Santiago), and Seahorse (Delphine). There were no suitable husbands for her so her maternal feelings were sublimated by her involvement with the three children.

Chapter 16 October 9th, 2025

Whit was shaving every morning, something he’d never done in his life. Wednesday after work he did something he’d been thinking of doing for years. He stopped at the Salvation Army store to shop for women’s clothes. The place was dead but he still was constantly looking over his shoulder. He found a top that was new with tags. “I think I can get away with wearing this,” he said as he took it out of the bag to show Lucy. It was a soft knit long sleeve sweater in deep red with a wider neck then a men’s sweater would have.

Amy Lives
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

It was a Sunday night - October 31, 2010 when my life changed, or maybe it began then. I had been married for less than a year to Romana, the woman I had always thought of as my best friend. We were ready to start talking about having children. I had always wanted to have children – it was a strong drive in me that I never really understood. I know now that there was a lot about myself that I did not understand, but that was going to change too.

Demands My Soul

A Transgender Heroine's Journey & Romance Novel

From THE ONE Universe

Chapter 32: Family Together

By Ariel Montine Strickland

What will be the future of the Morrison Family and will there ever be a reconciliation with Craig?
Is love so amazing and so divine sufficient to change lives?

Copyright 2025 by Ariel Montine Strickland.
All Rights Reserved.

Reposted for Valentine's Day 2026