William King

The mantis has got Teddy playing his game and that is deadly! Nice, I know I've met the mantis before, it's familiar, but I very much enjoyed reading this.

It's not always about the money. Take this scenario as an example: Friend: "We really would like you to come on holiday with us to Fuji" You: "That's nice of you, but I don't like long haul flights" Friend: "Don't be a wuzz. It's just one day and you're in paradise" You: "Yes, but it's still sitting hours cramped in a plane" Friend: "Is it about the money?" Now what you really want to say is - 'No, it's not about the money, I just don't want to go on holiday with you to fucking Fuji or anywhere else' But what you actually say is - You: "Well it is pretty expensive" So there we have it, how to try to extricate yourself from an invitation which leaves your friend thinking 'it's all about the money' but it's actually all about him! I still like the Bullshit Meter

Have a great day and enjoy your birthday ..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY

A slice of life that kept me guessing about the final outcome. I'm still not sure... do they really have pink camouflage? Well written, entertaining, a good interpretation of the prompt. I want to know if they actually went through with it, and I can't help wondering about Randy, dogs they say reflect their owners characters!

Happy Birthday Aditus

HAPPY BIRTHDAY --- hope you do something special, but most of all enjoy the day!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Northie :) enjoy your special day

HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving is a North American annual national holiday marked by religious observances and a traditional meal. The holiday commemorates a harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrim Fathers in 1621, and is held in the US on the fourth Thursday in November. A similar holiday is held in Canada, usually on the second Monday in October. In Britain, thanks have been given for successful harvests since pagan times. Harvest festival is traditionally held on the Sunday nearest the Harvest Moon. This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox (22 or 23 September). The celebrations on this day usually include singing hymns, praying, and decorating churches with baskets of fruit and food in the festival known as Harvest Festival. Celebrations for a good and bountiful harvest are celebrated across the world at different times of the year reflecting different climates.

You're right when you say his thoughts are falling apart. Reality is mixed with dreams and real events are hinted at, but distorted.

The journey is an arduous struggle. He would like to let go and give up, but is forced to go on.

You told this story amazingly well, it is a fantastic piece of writing, totally captivating, brilliant!

You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. If it were me I'd choose to be damned for not going, I think I could live with it. The only thing that would change my mind is if he asked to see me. I'm sorry, but I can't see him asking. A lot of people will probably disagree, but the 'blood is thicker than water' crap doesn't work for me. What works though is 'you reap what you sow.' Think of yourself, whatever you decide make it your choice.

Great chapter, really enjoyed it, I can't help smiling at the police.

I love your sense of humour: "...Then he opened and inspected my empty glove compartment. He did this several times, as if expecting a rabbit to appear." Then later he asked, "...Don't you have police cars." It's a good story and even better when you make me laugh, because the whole comic search just comes alive. It's just so stupid that you know it's exactly what would happen.

Jake and Ben may have been soul mates, but they both also lack a certain sincerity and emotional responsibility. You don't just move on after your husband dies and fall into another relationship which is about what, sex and being comfortable for Ben, whilst Richard was actually in love with him. If you look at that relationship, Ben was always leading Richard on, he was never in love with him. Jake not only finds another partner, but they get married and have kids, huge mistake. Lee, like Richard, was deeply in love with Jake and blind to the fact that Jake never felt the same. That is evident when Jake only agreed to marry the third time of asking. There is nothing unusual in one person loving the other partner more, but it's just not going to last, and it's irresponsible to have kids, although it happens all the time (look at the divorce rates). I don't feel happy for Jake and Ben, I feel sad for Richard and Lee, and even sadder for the children. I also think Evan, who said Jake and Ben should get back together because they were made for each other, well he should have kept that to himself, it was way out of order. My opinion might not be shared by others, but for me Ben and Jake were utterly selfish. The story itself was great, well written and a clever, intelligent scenario. I enjoyed reading it, which proves you don't have to like the protagonist.

Your review is spot on, I can't say more. Thanks for commenting.

Not only is the journey a struggle, it's also painful, physically and emotionally.

“Admit it. You aren’t like them. You’re not even close. You may occasionally dress yourself up as one of them, watch the same mindless television shows as they do, maybe even eat the same fast food sometimes. But it seems that the more you try to fit in, the more you feel like an outsider, watching the “normal people” as they go about their automatic existences. For every time you say club passwords like “Have a nice day” and “Weather’s awful today, eh?”, you yearn inside to say forbidden things like “Tell me something that makes you cry” or “What do you think deja vu is for?”. Face it, you even want to talk to that girl in the elevator. But what if that girl in the elevator (and the balding man who walks past your cubicle at work) are thinking the same thing? Who knows what you might learn from taking a chance on conversation with a stranger? Everyone carries a piece of the puzzle. Nobody comes into your life by mere coincidence. Trust your instincts. Do the unexpected. Find the others…” ― Timothy Leary

It was out of this world! The Smurfs and ET rolled into one. Loved poor old accident prone Ruu and Ruben of course... couldn't stop smiling. Great story almost a shame it came to an end, but of course I was glad he made it home.

Sad, tearful, I feel for what you went through and I thought about my friend Dave, he was on the streets, I loved him... he didn't make it. Maybe one day I'll be able to write his story, I don't know.

So much emotion the tears were streaming, it was real and it hurt me to read it, thank you for sharing a part of yourself, it's humbling.

Before you posed the question at the end I thought it would make a great first chapter. The scenario gives a background, but it's the two boys who are interesting. The loneliness of being the sole survivor, the discovery of another human, then the irony that the other person is mute, that is the story and it's unique. I would enjoy reading how their relationship developes and discovering some other equally interesting characters, but it also stands alone as a short story.

Book two was just as great as the first book, very enjoyable and well written. The story is told in a style that is so easy and natural, when Brett got sick and Billy sneaked away from the party to visit him I could feel the sickness in the air. The dialogue is spot on, the characters are real and develop at an unhurried pace. Really liked it.

Great to see it live, lots of hard work by all the team, coordinator, proof, tech, and banner, congrats def19 on your win... now let's go and read it!

Aiden is living on a knife edge, I don't know how long he can hold it together so that no one in school finds out he's gay. He can't stop himself looking at other guys, pretty natural, but dangerous given his situation, and he's got his feelings for Jason. And his parents, is his dad working all hours or is he having an affair that's going to break up the family? No choice here, but to read on... nice story