Living Next Door to Alex
By Julie D Cole

I vividly recall that grey autumn morning. How could I ever forget it? I’d decided to stay in bed daydreaming and thinking of what I could do to change my mundane life. The house was empty since mum and dad were away for the weekend so I could stay in bed all day if I felt like it.

Suddenly I jumped. I was disturbed by a message on my mobile phone so naturally I picked it up to see who might be interrupting my Saturday lie in. It was Sally my long-time friend from our schooldays who kept a frequent contact with me and was always trying to coax me to socialise together. What excuse could I give her today since she knew I was at home alone.

Nyx changes out her chest plate for her armor. She’ll have to rebuild her older armor chest plate. While she is getting the replacement, she runs the list of local supply places you could get what was needed. She knew that the material needed to repair the other armor was special.

It was going to require specialized equipment as well. She does some research to see if she could locate some companies that would either carry the equipment. A long list appears on her computer screen. She tries narrowing it down, but there were just too many places.

I got back to my room feeling very excited. OMG, OMG, OMG! Tim asked me out, I told him I was born male and he was still game for a date! Was it a date though? Or maybe it was just two friends, hanging out? He was, after all, the new boy and he needed to make friends.

I really liked him though, really wanted. Really wanted him to like me.

I use my girlish charms to win my cutie boy over.....

The feed cut off and the world watched in horror as there was a series of explosions on the surface of the asteroid. The ships were exploding as the power surged through them. They extra power had given the engines a massive boost. The exploding gravity field fields pushed the asteroid out of the atmosphere.

The earth was safe. Cheers erupted from the whole world. In the control room it took a few minutes for the screams to die down. In the control room.

Peter looked up from his coms screen. He was crying. Chloe stared and shook her head.

NB Although all of the great houses and historical figures are real, current period characters are purely from my imagination and have no link with anyone living or dead.

Chapter 1 - The Fish-kisser of Coggeshall

Just Friends
by Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2022 Melanie Brown


Alex should probably get a haircut

This has a different Tony. This story was actually started back in October but it wasn't finished. -- Ed

How a teacher took the only girl in an all-boys school under her wing and let her fly...

I wondered what he would look like in basketball shorts...?

Here is the original story that I submitted to my former publisher (the now defunct Torquere Press).
There were a few changes:

Chapter 10

Monday, May 10^th, 2023

6PM

“It was rash to take Fraiser and Jenkins off the case,” Judge Matthews admonished Coleridge.

“I know,” she said.

“Why did you?”

Coleridge was reluctant to answer, and Sylvia came to her rescue. “Bill, I don’t think that’s something she wants to discuss with us.”

Bill wanted her to face what she’d done, but he was willing to drop the matter for the moment.

Chapter 9

Monday, May 10^th, 2023

5:30AM

Marcia quietly opened the door to Allie’s room and checked in on her niece. It had become a routine that she went through every morning. She would check on Allie, then Sammy, and then go out and help Bruce with the animals.

Allie was in deep sleep, so Marcia reversed course and quietly closed the door. She moved to her nephew’s room and quietly opened the other door. Inside, Sammy was sleeping soundly as well. On his wall was a fresh drawing. Curious, Marcia tiptoed over to look at the picture of the riverbank. The moose with her calf and the diving eagle were both spectacular to see in their own ways.

Carly looks at the books in her new office. She couldn’t believe that for the past five months all the business ventures she had invested in has started paying off. The detailed business brought in business every other day. The food truck was making a profit, and the vehicles she fixed and sold brought in a decent profit as well.

High school is a jungle, but sometimes the prey catches the predator!

Chapter 7

Friday, May 6^th, 2023

Brad exited the office to find Darryl sitting on a recliner, watching him.

“What was that all about?” Darryl asked.

“I think it was a power grab,” Brad replied.

Chapter 6

Thursday, May 5^th, 2023

6:37 PM

Chet was surprised, but he pointed with his thumb to Bruce’s trailer. “He’s staying in his camper over there.” He wasn’t sure what was going on, but being police, he really didn’t want to question them.

Detective Fraiser nodded, then stepped off the porch and started toward the trailer.

The Girl He Would Not Be
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

When you grow up with somebody you never really think about what they look like, until one day you just turn around and you see something you have never seen before.

Looking back, I can remember my mother talking to my father about Bruce, and saying: “Not just a good looking boy, but a pretty boy.”

Chapter 4

Wednesday, May 3^rd, 2023

11:45 PM

The day had been incredible. Marcia kept fingering the ring she wore on her ring finger of her left hand. It was beautiful, and she was so happy Darryl had bought it. Briefly, she had wondered how he afforded it, but then she realized that he had saved a lot of money over the last couple of years.

The surprises had only begun with Darryl’s proposal. When Mike asked for the bill, the server brought a slip of paper. There was no sign of the normal credit card tray. Instead, there was a note. Mike read it, teared up, and then handed it to Gloria. He didn’t speak, and in fact, it appeared as though he couldn’t.