I wished with all my heart that I had been able to help him more, when he was younger. When it might have made a difference. But the past, as I knew only too well, could not be repaired.

It could only be transcended.

Things were going well in Dublin, but I now needed to move to London. From there I could apply at the Embassy for a passport with greater leeway as to who could countersign the paperwork. We told Sameed that we would be quitting at the end of the week and he was most disconsolate. He persuaded us to do one more week and we were happy to oblige him. He also gave us a reference in Arabic in the event that we wanted to look for work in any of the Lebanese restaurants or Arabic-themed clubs there.

Murder
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Have you heard it said that a friend is somebody who will help you move house, but a best friend is somebody who will help you move a body? That is the kind of friend my brother Dan was to Byron Marker. And I was as close to Dan as a sister could be, which was how I got to be included in their plan.

“I’ll need to get a new passport when we get to London”.

Lisa and I were walking around Stephen’s Green in Dublin. It was cold and dry, a pleasant enough day for the time of year.

“Why’s that? Can you not get it while you’re here?”

“No, I would need to get the local police to sign the application. In London I have more options. I’ll start working on it tomorrow; I’ll need to get some other documents first.”

Ending of Book One

Christmas day, it was just Willow and her grandmother who walked to the church, arm in arm with their breath steaming. Willow played to a church full of joyful villagers, singing the carols as she played them. Afterwards, there was a lot of hugging, kissing and love being spread around. Willow was happy that she was fully accepted by the villagers, but more so by her grandmother’s joy at being with her.

CHAPTER 80
We had other issues to think about just then, as Ish was navigating the sudden complications of primary school. There had been the usual sequence of birthday parties throughout his time in what I still thought of as ‘infants’ school’, but now he was in what my memories called ‘junior school' things were changing, as boys did their traditional dance of realising that girls were not only different, but actually distasteful which is not exactly the best process for continuing our species. His size and balance were both a little above the average, the latter no doubt helped by his emerging love of climbing, and that meant he avoided the old school horror of being ‘last pick’ for games, and THE local game for Perth was ‘footy’

The Interview (6)
by
Angharad.

©2025 SammyC

Chapter 12: A New Awakening

I sat quietly beside my mother beneath the soft, silvery glow of the moonlight, cocooned in her warm and reassuring embrace. The serene night air of the Elven kingdom was infused with the sweet scent of blooming night jasmine, whispering softly through the ancient trees and gradually easing the tight knot of tension coiling within me. For a fleeting moment, a sense of peace felt tangible again, like a gentle lullaby wrapping around my troubled heart.

A Walk On the Beach with Mom
Copyright 2025 by Heather Rose Brown

The ocean holds many secrets. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold many answers. At least, not the kinds of answers a gender questioning kid might be looking for. But sometimes, if you're lucky, you can find something on the shores of that ocean more precious than you might have hoped to discover.