A man found a thirsty dog near a fountain. Since he had no bucket and no rope, he went into the fountain and took water in his shoe and gave it to the dog to drink. In that moment, he felt very happy and his sins were forgiven (from a Muslim story).

I found it terribly difficult to carry all those shopping bags into the house, not only because they were heavy but also because of the delicate fake nails that I now had to cope with. I was afraid of breaking them whenever I clenched my fist around one of the bag handles, but at the same time I feared for the bags safety because these nails were quite sharp. 

I didn’t spare much time to examine my new nails, as I hated every moment I spent looking at them. They had this strange effect of making my fingers look longer and thinner, more feminine than they had been before. 

"Hey, Kaleb! Can you come over and babysit Courtney for a couple of hours?"

My neighbor David had just called. He and his girlfriend Jenny had just had a baby a couple of months earlier. I easily said yes. Not only is the baby cute as a button, I could engage in one of favorite activities.

You see, I'm a combination transgender teen baby. So, not only could I indulge in the simplicity of baby things, I could also rifle the drawers of the bedroom.

Part 1
A Storm is Coming

Early January 2007 – Outside the gates to Whateley Academy

In the docks at Dekarran, a visiting ship is being made ready for a voyage upstream along the Sirrel...on the dockside above, Captain Eriana Embriktsdottir receives unpleasant news. Although her initial fears are calmed by those in authority, she still has concerns. Meanwhile, her ship must be victualed, crewed and prepared for impending departure.

   
 
The Voyage of the Visund

A tale of Anmar by Penny Lane

1 - A Disappearance and a Departure

This account begins approximately two bells after Garia's disappearance on her second visit to Blackstone.

A few hours later and I'm seeing my boyfriend off on another potentially fatal trip. Naturally, I concentrate on being perky. However worried I feel the last thing Michael needs is me bringing him down ahead of a mission.

“Be careful while I'm away,” Michael warns me “I worry about you.” He does too. He's off to the wastes of northern Canada where literally everyone will want to kill him and he's busy worrying about me.

“Do you have your pistol handy?” He asks me

Finishing School For Young Ladies

By

Michele Nylons

“So Valerie Swindon? Are you ready” Sally asked.

Sally was still dressed in her bathrobe sitting at the coffee table in Valerie’s expensive hotel room, sipping coffee and smoking.

Finishing School For Young Ladies

By

Michele Nylons

Chapter One – The Beginning

Valerie Swindon sat at her desk in her small study grading exam papers. A shadow fell over the opaque glass panel of the door and she looked up at the ornate mantle clock and realised it was time.

Portrait
by: Ellie Dauber © 1998

When Dorian complains about his neighbor’s music, the neighbor finds a new way to solve the problem.

This is the first story in a set of stories about Stavros and his family. I’ll be posting them all in the next few days.

Portrait
by Ellie Dauber © 1998

In my Mother’s family, the custom has always been that the first son was named for the father’s father, and the second son, named for the mother’s father.