Next week is orientation for this year's new students, so here's something related.

A gala drawing gives Samantha a role Samuel never asked for: princess. But helping a frightened child may force him to see the experience differently.

CHAPTER 3
“Take a seat. Please”

He slumped into one of the armchairs, setting his briefcase upright on the floor beside him, where it promptly fell over.

“Harry… “

He stopped abruptly, looking down at his clenched hands, then slowly relaxed his fingers before looking back up at the two of us on the settee.

“There have been rumours, you know. I wasn’t sure… Short form, then. Mary, could I have that tea after all? Please?”

She brought an extra mug from the kitchen, and the three of us sat silently as she poured and handed him the cup.

“What do I call you? Harry seems a bit awkward”

“What everyone else does”

“Ellie? I always did wonder about why you pushed that one. Bit too glib, I thought, and I was right, wasn’t I? So, please, executive summary”

I looked quickly at my wife, then jumped in. Soonest humiliated, soonest over.

“Lots of cliché stuff, really, so I won’t go into the usual rigmarole”

Part 3 A Penny for them

We had the next three days to film the rest of the Friday story. On Tuesday morning, very early, we were filmed coming out of a door onto the street. The door had ‘Head Office’ on a sign over it. We all then went next door into an actual beauty salon which had the sign ‘Heavenly Bodies – Look like an Angel’.

Back in the industrial building I was shown a set I had not seen before. It was a mock-up of a salon, complete with hair-washing station, make-up station and a proper salon bed with adjustable height.

The Magician's Force

Author's note. This essay contains a discussion of abuse. please read with care

It had been a wet and cold summer my sister April and I had been
cooped up indoors nearly every day and we were getting bored. April
said Danny have you seen these films on YouTube, I said which ones are
you talking about. April said these and she showed me it was a short
film about a sister making her brother look like her sister.
April said I have watch a few of these and I bet we could make a
better one. I said you want to turn me into a girl. April said no just
looking like one. April said you are quite slim and about my size you

My Diary.

By Nikkie Silk

Dear Diary

Today was a busy day. This morning, I kissed Daddy goodbye at the front door, wearing my pink baby-doll nightie. The nightie rides up to show my matching knickers, which barely cover my little cockette in its cage. Daddy keeps the key close to his heart on a chain around his neck, which I think is supersweet of him. It is gestures like that which make me love him so much. Only he can use the key, as it should be, I hasten to add.

I wake at half past four to something wrong with my underwear.

The trio left Damien’s father and friends behind. After receiving some more directions from Stephanie, the Taxi took them to a quiet mews not far from Red Lion Square in Central London. They waited in the street while the cab did a ‘U-turn’ and disappeared into the traffic in search of a new fare.

Paper Girl

The Paper Moon Theatre was famous for making impossible things out of cardboard.

Its swords were cardboard. Its crowns were cardboard. Its castles were cardboard, painted silver and gold and blue, folded flat after every show and stacked behind the curtain like sleeping kingdoms.

The wigs were paper. The flowers were paper.