I’m really scratching my head to remember the details on this one. It was another life, another time, and I was reminded of it by something someone said the other day. It’s not that I’d rather forget, it’s just the details have been blurred by the passage of time. Let’s start with now and then cast back.

I’m Victoria Garcia, and I’m sixty-seven, a grandmother many times over and still married to Jesus. I’m Scottish whilst Jesus as you may have guessed is Spanish. We adopted and reared six children because I’m trans. Though me being trans has only a small bearing on what I am going to tell you about. I transitioned and had SRS somewhere in my early thirties I think. I’m not going to look it up because this story happened when I was I think sixteen in 1969 long before then and it’s besides the point.

Masks XXII: Golden Opportunity

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part One

"Whew!" said Vic, sagging with relief when the pregnancy test came back negative.

"Oh, babe," said Michelle, bending to hug Vic as the martial artist sat on the lid of the toilet in their shared apartment's tiny bathroom. "I'm so glad. You didn't really think Stone had... done something while you were out, did you?"

Stan had tears in his eyes as he laughed and said, “Sasha has a seven pound splitting axe just inside the door that he uses for firewood on his yard, and is there anyone here who doesn’t believe he’d use it?”

“I counted my arms and legs first, then my fingers. I was amazed they were all there. We turned round and the plaster lath ceilings had turned into dust and kindling and the entire wall was down. It was just a pile of cobbles and broken lime plaster on the floor.

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Chapter 3
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That following Saturday was perhaps the strangest day in Paragon history. On most days, either heroes or the occasional villain could be seen soaring across the sky, zipping across the streets, or scoping out the sites from the nearest popsicle stand.

Floodlit

I honestly never planned to become famous.

But I should start at the beginning.

It started when I met Mac, which was short for Macerio Yadell Gica. Yeah, him. His family came to Canada from the Philippines a couple of generations back, and even then he was an amazing performer.

“There are no stories that old, Father!”

“Indeed not many, Naomi, but there are some. Most are not told often, for many are incomplete, some just fragments, and often they disagree with each other. One of the most popular girls’ names for centuries has been Scowla, so would you like to hear of Our Lady of Niok and how Saint Scowla was visited by her with the passion in front of thousands and viewed by millions?”

Tim Rodgers was so ecstatic when he hung up the phone and went to his computer. He just got done with a productive conversation with the Dean of Business at Northeastern Wesleyan University. He was offered a full-time professorship chair there. The man was going to end the business world section of his life. No more late night at the office, daily meetings to just make some paper-pushers look busy or meaningless paperwork to give to some hoarder to file only to never see the light of day again.

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Chapter 2
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“Dead? There’s no way!”

Various students and teachers said something to that effect. School closed early that day. Getting ahold of Julian’s mother was close to impossible when everyone got out. Luckily, Julian’s new friend had awesome parents.

Denise beckoned Julian over to their car. Her father was the one driving.

“Hello.” Julian wasn’t sure what else to say, but felt compelled to say more.

"I really am going to be getting in a bunch of fights," he said.

.

Marcy’s mum met with his headmistress to discover the dress code is not gender specific. If Marcy wishes to wear a skirt to school the head said it’s within the code and she deliberately wrote the code that way. She expressed approval of Marcy’s ‘light touch’ with make up and jewellery.