Valkyrie

The banner is perfect. Great job, Mann! I've already read a bunch of these, since I either beta read or proofed them, but I can't wait to read the rest. There's some great stories featured here. Thanks for all your hard work, Renee!

“Hi. My name is Jonquil—but you can call me Jon—and I am a faery.” Choruses of “Hi, Jon” echoed through the small room. I was clearly in the wrong place. The room contained about fifteen people sitting on folding chairs arranged in a circle. The heady aroma of freshly-brewed coffee momentarily distracted me from the spectacle I was witnessing. Jonquil clearly lived up to his name. His hair was bright yellow and his skin was green. He wore a yellow shirt and green jeans, completing the

The ceiling in my new bedroom was off-white with precisely seventy-five swirls in the paint pattern. The thirtieth swirl contained a darker patch in the center, shaped like a mutant sheep. At least that’s how my bored brain interpreted it. There certainly wasn’t anything else in the Spartan room to entertain me. No television or video games. No books or computer. They had taken away my cell phone. There weren’t even any pictures on the walls. Well, there was one. Of Jesus. Right above

“…County has been added to list of travel bans. There is no unnecessary travel allowed for the entirety of Western New York. If you are in need of immediate assistance, call the county help line at 1-800-444-3478. The National Weather Service is predicting an additional 36 inches of snowfall over the next 48 hours, so the travel restrictions are not expected to be lifted any time soon. Remember to use space heaters safely and –“ I shut off the radio and grimaced as I looked out the window.

Ivan offers shelter to a man stranded in a blizzard. He learns that he has something in common with his guest--something that would surely drive the other man away if he ever learned Ivan's terrible secret.

Welcome to Faeries Anonymous--A support group for changelings.

Rule #1: Don't go into the woods. Matthew moves to New Eden, Connecticut to live with his newly discovered aunt and uncle after a devastating accident. He is given a list of rules to follow and learns that his heritage is stranger then he ever thought possible. There are two sides to every story, however; and after meeting Isaiah he begins to question everything he's been told, including staying away from the woods.

I like the anthologies

Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. LBO, I loved your five word review. It sums up the story perfectly. Tim, sorry you found it too sad. I understand it's not for everyone. I have to laugh at the typo, because I find myself correcting the same error a lot when I type my username. lol LBO, I wish I had the time and energy to tackle more prompts. The trade-off is more anthology stories and soon, more chapters of "The Hollow Hills".

I doubt I'll revisit these guys. I know what you mean, though. It is really a snapshot, and I'd like to think that they escaped to live a happily ever after. Thanks for the review.

Guess I accomplished a good Halloween story, then Thanks for reading!

I absolutely love the banner. It's perfect for the story.

Thanks so much for the feature, Cia. And thank you all for the kind words. Gary and Drew, I hope you both like the story. Like Lisa said, make sure you have plenty of tissues on hand.

You don't ever need to apologize to us for posting a long chapter... I didn't want it to end. You answered some questions, but left us with more. It's freezing here, and I found myself wishing I was in those hot springs with them. lol My brother lives in Steamboat Springs and this story is making me want to go visit him. lol I'm a bit tired today, so no long review this time. Sorry. It was another great chapter, though.

This was a very realistic chapter. I'm not surprised about Peter's doubts. He's young and wants to enjoy his boyfriend. He needs to communicate with Alan, though, instead of bottling it up inside. Like washing the sheets every morning. Little things built resentment and turn into big things. They're a great couple, so I really hope they're able to weather the storm and come out even stronger. My first thought when Bob told Alan he was fired was, "no, not him, too!", but then I wondered if Australia was like the US and he did it because of unemployment benefits... I'm glad I was right! Bob and Merry seem like great people. We need more employers like them. Another great chapter.

It's really a shame that the grandparents can't see past their own ignorance to work together for the good of the boys. The solution to the childcare problem could be for the grandparents to watch them on the days that other person can't. With them threatening the guardianship that's not a viable idea, though. It's a shame that Alan has to quit his job, although it just shows how dedicated he is to the boys. I laughed in the beginning when Peter wanted to get amorous, only to see Bradley between them. He better get used to not getting any for a while... I really like Keidan and Steve. You had me giggling with the teapot cozy's new use. lol

That's great news about the 'like's It will be nice to not run out of them anymore! Thanks for listening to us.

I thought maybe Merry was going to offer to look after Bradley, but I can understand how they can only do so much for Alan. It's very nice of her to call around to child care places. I hope it works out that Alan can keep his job full time and finds appropriate child care. I don't think the lawyer was being harsh... just matter of fact, which can come off as harsh. It was just a matter of time before the Craig's parents attempted to get custody. Hopefully it will go nowhere. I can totally see the CPS workers coming for a home visit and the boys talking about Steve and Keidan and porn and 'fuck'. I'm betting some sort of wrench will be thrown into the works so that the guardianship hearing doesn't go as smooth as they would like. Another great chapter. Onward to the next!

The food struggles brought back memories of when I was a kid. I was a very picky eater--still am, although I'm much better than I used to be--and I remember many nights sitting at the table for hours before my parents would give up and let me leave the table. I was never offered anything besides what was served, though. Dinner was dinner, whether I liked it or not. I'm not sure how old I was, but I remember my grandma saying she would get me to eat my vegetables and forcing me to eat peas. I threw them up all over her and she never tried to force me to eat veggies again. lol I still hate peas. Alan and Peter are doing much better than I would in their situation, that's for sure. There's so much to think about and arrange. And mind the swearing... lol I can just picture the look on Peter's face when the kid asked what "fuck" meant. lol I'm really enjoying this story so far. I'm glad there's a few more chapters to read before I'm caught up.

I can't imagine being thrust into that situation. I wouldn't know the first thing about taking care of kids. Thankfully, my sister-in-law has sisters with kids that would do a much better job than I could if it ever became necessary. I can just imagine the kids shock at seeing their mom so injured and the pain Lisa must have felt when she needed something positive I hope she is able to maintain some hope, despite the tragedy she's gone through. I feel bad that she wasn't able to attend her husband's funeral. I know she's in no shape to do so, but I bet it would help her find some sort of closure. Peter and Alan have a tough road ahead of them too. They seem to be doing a great job so far. I'm sure the grandparents haven't had the last word yet. On to Chapter 2.

Since Travis lives in Colorado, it's not too surprising he's so good at snowboarding. Isn't it a requirement to know how to snowboard or ski to live there? I like Travis more and more with every tidbit you reveal about him. Ben is going to break his heart, although I suspect he's not going to put up with any bullshit and won't hesitate to call Ben out on his cowardice. The ending of the chapter foreshadowed what we all figured was inevitable. I'm mentally preparing myself for the 'conflict' part of the story. I'm going to trust you to make it right by the end of the story, though. As for Katy... well, we also know that she has issues and it was just a matter of time before she went back into crazy mode. What disturbs me more than her behavior was Ben's reaction. Another great chapter.

Why do you think Aditus and I get along so well? lol Thanks for reading and for the review.

My mom's FB status today: I was shopping at the grocery store for a friend, just some sliced mushrooms and a package of colored sweet peppers. I am in the express line and the guy (cute) ahead of me apologizes for having more than 15 items. I said no problem, the older I get the less of a hurrry I am in. He said that was so nice to hear and then told the cashier to put my order with his! I said no thank you and it was not for me. He did it anyway. Made my day and I hope Karma gives it back to him tenfold!

Headstall and Sasha wrote three each, also. So I guess we're the Wonder Triplets of GA... or something.