A Love of Books

My world came crashing down on the Friday evening I showed my parents the real me. They had called me Benjamin, but I thought of myself as Bonita. It had started innocently enough. I was sitting on the sofa, watching TV, when Dad remarked that the girl in the show looked like a tramp.

“Dad, that’s the look they all have these days. It’s called clubwear.”

“What on earth do you know about girls’ clothing, Ben?”

“Actually, Dad, quite a bit.”

Mum stopped her knitting and laughed.

Dot the Magician - A Dream

I'm posting this as a story rather than a blog, cause I think its worthy. You guys will have to decide what you think

Authors Note: Get buckled in for a big chapter, and just a word of caution, this chapter deals with personal injury. Also if you're interested in reading more of my writing you can check out this essay I just posted on my substack. Thanks again for reading along and I adore the feedback!

Chapter 19 October 20th 2026

Outside the window the light is flat and grey, the kind of March morning that hasn't decided what it wants to do yet. I kick the sheets off. The air in the bedroom is cool but my thighs feel damp, sticky almost, the boxers bunching up between my legs like they're caught on something. I press my palms into the mattress and push myself up, legs swinging over the edge - except my balance is wrong. Not dizzy. Just off, like my center of gravity shifted an inch or two south while I was sleeping.

We found there is an organized group spreading a link to a forum on Reddit called dollcrisis. They are using that as a central place for activities people are working together on. And it’s mainly about these facilities, because the other stuff like rescuing all our people and making alphabet pads for people who can’t speak, people mostly figured out already.

Michael is desperate to escape, desperate enough to intentionally infect himself with a virus that will change his body in drastic and unpredictable ways.

This story takes place in my Burke's Virus universe. It’s been a long time since I wrote the last story in this universe, and this story idea has been waiting since then for its turn.

Chapter 11 — “Avalanche Hearts.”

Chapter 8

I resisted giving too much away when asked what I’d been up to. I just said that I’d gone with Randall to a job interview. Christine wanted to know if he was leaving the police and I told that he wasn’t, just going to another area, but that we would still be able to be together. I think that she was starting to realise that change was in the air.

CHAPTER 4
Lil sat in silence for a few seconds, staring at the mug of tea Alwen had just delivered. When she did speak, it was far more hesitant than I was used to hearing from her.

“What if… This is all sponging, stuff, yeah? If…”

She stopped once again, clearly seeking the right words before trying once again.

“If this is meant to be the start of proper things, proper COUPLE things, aye? How can I start on the basis of her paying for everything? And what if it doesn’t work out? How do I pay you all back?”

He looked a little uncertain, so I found a Dad-smile.

“Not only will it be a family do, but I suspect most of this lot will be looking to come along. Besides, Jimmy would just ask questions. Anyway, you saying you don’t want to come?”

Sent By Sophia

Chapter 2: Divine Transformation

A Transgender Coming of Age Adventure

A Story from THE ONE

Ariel Montine Strickland

How will Starry, transformed by Sophia, settle into the cottage provided for her, and get ready to meet Hope Rome?

John’s depression was down to the failure of AC Morgan to act on the information given to her by John, Dido and Chrissy. She’d gone silent, and so far, she had not returned any calls from John. His contacts in the Met were also very quiet.

The young post-doctoral fellow at the podium began her speech to the audience assembled in the lecture hall.

"We had discovered a ray that apparently traveled faster than light -- specifically at ten times the speed of light. Our experiment was motivated to verify the ray's existence and speed, and test the physical and logical consequences.

Cover art by Erin Halfelven
©2026, SammyC

Super-Sister has dealt with a runaway truck loaded with toxic chemicals. Now all she has to do is figure out with the rest of her life.

CHAPTER 3
I could hear the sirens now, taking the opportunity to slip a canula in as Tom played with the gas: why add more pain? I couldn’t get my head around the lack of blood flow from that leg, and wanted Naz more than a little out of it before I had a poke. If it was what I suspected, he could risk a toxic shock if and when the juices did start flowing.

Sirens; closer, thank fuck. I dropped a unit of morphine into the patient’s arm before nodding to Tom.

“Cavalry, I hope. I’ll hold off on back boards till we get their decision. On the other hand… Bryn?”

“Aye?”

“Could you tug out the back boards for us? You know where they are. I’m going to be very busy in a few”