One too Many
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Even with the curtains drawn in a vain attempt to help me cope, it seemed that the room was in direct sunlight, or that I was in a Nazi interrogation room facing a searchlight I kept my eyes open as only slits, or was it the one ton block sitting on my head that was keeping them mainly closed?

Sam looks up at the pink tinted machinery hovering from an extendable arm two foot above his face. He could clearly see the permanent makeup tattoo brushes and eyelash extensions poised to descend and change him forever probably into a girl with light makeup, long lashes, and rouge lips. He was semi relieved that he could not see the tell-tale injectors to plump his lips as well, but he supposed they could be there.

Living my life on the edge of what is and is not legal sort of happened without a plan or deliberate action on my part. It just happened and … well it took a car crash to make me take stock of my life.

Walking over, I sat on the bench and looked over.
"Happy New Year Daddy. Been a while since the last time we talked so I thought I would swing by and catch you up."

Our hero surrenders herself up to the rebels but mainly to start a dialogue.

In a world without women, the trans woman is Queen. Taken from the old saying "in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

No one knew who started it, but the Americans accused the Chinese and the Russians. Both of those countries accused each other. The Gynax virus had effectively wiped out 98% of women.

It was thought that it came from a mutated virus that was meant to mimic the beneficial effects of female hormones on the immune system. During the covid outbreak, more women recovered than men, and fewer were hospitalized.

It was a cold winters night, the week before Christmas. The sky was dark and mysterious with only the moon peeking through the snow-clouds. All the stores were closed and shuttered, all the streets were empty dark and bare. Nobody in the right mind was out and about on such a bitter unwelcoming night, the only sparks of life were the homeless shivering in shop doorways, wrapped in cardboard, paper, or whatever other items for warmth and protection that they could salvage.

I was just about to escape into sleep when I heard someone approach me. In the short time I had been sleeping rough I had come to learn it usually meant either Police who were normally ok as long as you moved on until they had left, Security guards who were a lot more intolerant brusque and even violent, or other rough-sleepers who were looking to steal the few possessions or scraps of food that I had.

However this one was different, it was a young woman, well wrapped up in warm winter clothes with her long-blonde hair peeking out from under her woolen hat and wearing a pleasant welcoming smile.

I felt at a bit of a loss the next morning now that Sylvie was going back to her duties with the FBI. She had arranged for my stay to be extended by one more day and as one or other of the FBI or DOJ were picking up the bill. The only upside I could see was that I was under no pressure to check out by 11 am.

The next week at work was a bit of a come down really, everything just felt so drab and I think Anita knew I was feeling a bit down when he had our lunch time coffee. Finally she asked me to open up. I told her, “Everything just feels so different and strange now.

“I mean... he’s hot, he’s a great guy, but I can’t marry him! He’s straight as a pin, and I’m male like 80% of the time!”

Chapter 12

It would take us about five hours to get to Jakarta in Indonesia and we needed to go through emigration in Perth and immigration in Indonesia. Before we left the hotel I went to see everyone who was flying with a bag and said that if anyone had any drugs on them to put them in the bag now.

A new start - Part 1 of 5

I've finished this, but haven't decided yet if I will post it once a week or in consecutive days, and part five is technically a prequel but still very connected to the whole story. I hope you enjoy.
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Night of Broken Glass
By Sabrina G. Langton

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Author's note: Hi, another quick story about my new favorite couples, learning to live with memories, new and old. Just slightly darker than my usual stories, just another song we all know by heart. I hope YOU like it.

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I watched the airplane fly overhead. Sometimes they drown out the music, sometimes they drown out Linda.

"Sabrina do you want one of those drinks with a straw?" I couldn't really hear her, there was an airplane overhead, I had on music, we were by the pool listening to Billy.

METHOD OR MADNESS
By Joannebarbarella

Chapter 11

When we went to leave, Jim, who had been very quiet, then asked us all if he could stay with us over the break. He said he could use the smallest cabin and that he had some experience with boats. The girls were happy to let him, so he hugged everyone and thanked me.

I checked in with the marine chandler that looked after the moorings, and he was surprised at my appearance. I told him that it was only for the tour that I was flying around and found out that he and his daughters were booked in for the third show.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 38 Bearthwaite Invests Even More in Itself

“Nay, Lad that was fine. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in telling of the lives of ordinary working blokes, and those lads that died fighting that fire and in the explosion deserve to be remembered, and doubtless they were our kind of folk just trying to get by in a hostile world. We may not know their names, but there’s many a man here who tragically lost a mate under different but similar circumstances at work and will feel for them and their families and mates. It one of the reasons we meet here. Even Sasha tells the truth occasionally, though I’m not sure about Dave.” At Vincent’s final words there were hoots of laughter including from Dave.