Lanterns on Lake Pontchartrain
An Acadiana Transgender Story

-5-
Bunny Girls Do not live in Bookstores!

Bonus scene! Bonus artwork! Bonus--well, it’s just those two things, actually. But that’s still pretty cool! After Fraylim got inspired to do some additional artwork for “Family Therapy,” I wanted a way to share it with you. So, to avoid undercutting the original story, I’m offering this as an “alternate ending.” Here, we see a young trans woman on the verge of an important decision as she muses on the unusual road that her life has taken, and the role that her father-turned-mother played in it...and may yet play in the future.

I wish to inform my readers that this is an experimental story. I call it experimental because it is the first time I have used AI for any writing purpose. See my comments regarding the method of writing below. It actually came out better than I expected and so I have elected to commemorate the event by posting it here. BC readers may have probably seen better AI writing than this, but this item was made using a limited and free AI writing website; any future work in AI done by me will, I hope, be made on a much better engine with more advanced features. (The day is soon coming I think, that some modest parameters will be all that is needed for AI to write an entire novel).

The Family Business UK
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Let me tell you what the family business used to be. Shit. That was our business. Pumping shit. Granddad used to have a saying from up north: “Where there’s muck there’s brass” (meaning money). And he would add to that: “And where there’s more muck, there’s more brass.” There is plenty of shit, so we did pretty well.

Two students’ love of literature creates an escape – but also, a common language to discuss more personal concerns.

 
Ordinary miracle

I was an average sixteen years old boy, and then things started changing. It wasn't funny anymore!

Consequences of telling her about the "hobby."

Chapter 7

Andy and Maria spent much of Sunday sorting out the evidence that they had gathered. They knew that it would have to be believable to swing the hard-nosed members of the team. It would be a hectic week, if they were to raid the restaurant before the victim had been ritually sacrificed.

Five Brides
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

Another day at the bridal boutique – right? A photo of six girls trying on bridal outfits, except that there was only three of us meant to be getting those special dresses. The other three were the grooms. The three tall “girls” are us – that is Quinn with his girl – the goth with the blue hair, me with the headband and Peyton the surfer with the blonde hair tied back.

Chapter 18

She dug into her bag, brought out six boxes, and then handed them out. When I opened mine, it was more than I could take in. It was a pendant, yes, but what a pendant! It was gold filigree with ‘Stable Sisters Rule’ in diamonds and emeralds.

This won’t be joining the one now resting in a drawer at home. It would be front and center most of the time. Almost in tears, we had group hugs and cheek kisses. We all put them on and carried on with our meal, ordering more coffees as the originals had gone cold.

.
School’s out, and summer beckons. No homework, no early mornings. Just long, lazy days, summer friends, and the magic of a lake in Maine. But Logan wants more . . . much more.

Chapter 6

They arrived at the Tamworth Industrial Park, turning off Watling Street into Claymore, and then into the roadway where the body had been found. To one side of the road was the back of factories in the next road, the other side was a big automotive spares warehouse. At the end of the short road was the factory whose workers had come out to find the body. They parked in a space and stood in the road looking around them. Maria was the first to speak.

Chapter 17

We spent most of the afternoon discussing the songs we would be dropping and the ones that would make up the core of Sisters shows. Many staying were already classed as Pixie hits. We could build on that and cement the move with our next album.

We got the amps turned on and just played the things we liked for an hour or so. We then had a short discussion on why Josie left and the effect that had on all of us. The fact that she hadn’t been on stage for some months had helped lessen the damage to the band as a whole.

Chapter 5

As they walked into the office, Sue was on the phone. She looked at them, smiled, and said, “I see what you mean,” then put the phone down.

“That was the duty sergeant. He wanted to know if we now had a new branch – the Fashion Police. You both look a bit different. Very elegant and absolutely right for the job I have for you, tonight. That’s if you haven’t got a couple of seats booked at the ballet. That outfit looks good on you, Maria, maybe a little more expensive than your weekly outfits.”

My Dominant
A Very Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I thought that Miles was the coolest guy in school. All I wanted was to be with him. It was not a gay thing … or maybe it was?

“Sure, you can tag along”. Those were the words I wanted to hear. I tagged along, alright, all through school.

When we left school I went to work in a warehouse and he went into business with his uncle. I was frightened that we would drift apart.

“I really value our friendship, Miles”. I meant it. To me, nothing had more value. Nothing.

Chapter 4

That evening, Andy had a few too many, with Maria having to help him inside when she took him home. She helped him undress and into bed, giving him a motherly kiss on his forehead as he started to snore.

House on Fire
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Kaif and Leo had just bought their 4x4 rock crawler “Boulder Boy” and were keen to put it into action. This machine had the power, the super-lifted independent suspension and the wheels and tires for the job. The cab was tight but well protected and the seats were good quality. It seemed to be in good order, but then neither of them knew these vehicles that well.

Chapter 3

With the front door open, they could see a brick laid on the accelerator pedal. The FSI leader looked closely at the outside of the door and pointed out a small depression.

“I expect that there were two of them. They started the car with the brick upright and one put the automatic into drive. As it started to edge forward, he pushed the brick over onto the pedal and would have ducked out of the way. The second guy would have knocked the door closed as it went past him. I expect that we will see some damage to the grass with wheelspin.”

Remember Me?
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

She looked at me in a special way, as if to say that she knew me, or she wanted to. She had already been pointed out to me as being the boss’s wife. I guess she was what I might have expected from a guy who asks so much of his sales force – nothing less than the best.

Chapter 2

They spent the day going through the case files. Susan had told them to keep things to themselves. Monday they would discuss the cases and see where they would go next. When she got home, she found Mervyn having a cup of tea in the kitchen.

“Hello, darling, how was the trip?”

Chapter 13

Allan grinned. “That’s my girl. Make sure you take something to help you sleep tonight and tomorrow will be a good day. I’ll arrange for a nanny to come to the house this afternoon to look after Ali, to give you a little bit of free time.”

When I tell people that the Sunflower Grocery Store is haunted, people around Benton tend to give me something of a sideways look. But honest to goodness the store is really, bloody haunted. In fact I would go as far as to say it's crawling with ghosts. My name is James Donald Bell, and I'm a part time Courtesy Clerk at Sunflower Grocery store. Before I move on with my story, I should tell you a little about what a Courtesy Clerk is and what they do.