Now that the term is starting again for real, the commute reminded me of this incident some years ago. I guess the moral of the story is that voice therapy works.

Hide and Seek
by
MichelleA

Good night, Gwen. Don't think anything of it; Bob was fine looking after
James while we went out tonight. Do you have everything James? Alright
goodnight again.

Bob. Bob. Are you in your room? Janet hears sniffling coming from
Bob's room. Opening the door, she sees a young girl crying on Bob's bed.
Looking up the girl sees Janet and begins to cry harder. Janet realizes
that the girl looks like Bob.

"I heard you," he said. "I ain't deaf."

The Marrying Kind
by Suzan Donamas

Magnolia Blooms & Sakura Petals
By
Rebecca Anna Coleman

-2-
Chocolate Sunde

I took a deep breath. According to the army green wrist watch I always wore on my wrist the time was around two thirty in the afternoon. I'd been mowing grass, pulling weeds, and pruning bushes for a good five hours now. It was now in the hottest part of the day and I was thankfully I'd just finished the job. Dripping sweat I took a shallow breath and sat down upon the concrete steps of our front porch and peered out at the sun drenched vista that spread out in front of me.

CHAPTER 24
Our next shifts were lates, and we decided, after the delights of New Year’s Eve, we deserved a bit of a break, so we parked up in Splott once more.

“What’s got you so bouncy, Jen?”

“Um, stuff”

“What sort of stuff?”

“Sort of personal stuff”

“Ah! You rang that woman, didn’t you?”

“Er, might have done”

While Paula searched for a suitable date for Faye and dealt with other clients, Stephanie continued to work on Faye’s behaviour and appearance. When Steph mentioned ‘behaviour’, Faye went a little mad.

“My behaviour is very good, isn’t it?”

I was in my early twenties, a few weeks after I started my first semester in a visual arts college, burning the candle at both ends, working grueling night shifts while trying to keep up with my studies during the day. By the time morning arrived, my body was running on absolute fumes. Stepping onto the bus for my usual ride home felt like sinking into a heavy fog, and within minutes of finding a seat near the window, my eyes drifted shut and I fell fast asleep.

Part 6 A Penny in the Slot

After finishing our filming on Thursday, I was walking out of the place in my black outfit, fully made up with red nails and great hair.

Paula laughed.

“Hey, we all look fabulous. Why don’t we all get ahead of tomorrow nights’ filming by going out on the town? I know a little dance club where we can relax.”

So, we were all driven into town and dropped off outside a restaurant, the drivers saying they would pick us up on Saturday evening for the club scene.

CHAPTER 8
“Yeah, they’re camped down at Watlington, just along from Lewknor”

“Ooh! It’s pretty round there. I’d just prefer it a bit warmer, and drier. Did you want those drinks?”

“Oh, sorry. Pint of Abbot for me. Mary?”

“The pinot grigio, Jules, please”

“In five, then”

She looked quickly at Lynn.

“This one can give you the low-down on who’s been talking”

The Legend

You mean to tell me you ain’t ever heard the legend of Jenny and the Heartbreakers?

Well, sit back and let me spin you a tale.

The year was 1988, and Jenny and the Heartbreakers had already been living on the road for nearly two years.

CHAPTER 7
I had no answer for that, so fell back on the one Jacky herself had given me.

“Options open. That’s what you and Carly told me, Jacky. And you have Clarice there. Look: I’d normally be thinking all sorts of rubbish about canteen culture, but from what you say it’s sort of your sister’s canteen. You’ve got support there”

Mary asked, “I have something, if you don’t mind. I know I don’t know you like Ellie does, but it’s a more general thing. Game theory. Each of you, you and Jerome, has a choice. Try or don’t try. If neither of you tries, you both lose. If you both try, then there’s a chance of winning for each of you. How old were you when you married, Jacky?”

Mark Lansing never wanted to stand out. He was perfectly happy disappearing into a football huddle with the rest of the team until one play made him the talk of the town. Thrust into a spotlight he never wanted, every choice can reshape his future, and every decision could transform him in ways he never believed possible. Mark’s destiny will be determined on the field … assuming he can figure out how to dress the part.