Wayne Gray

You’re right. Organized crime Families are scary. When I started writing these stories I didn’t know a lot about them. I looked up histories, names of some defunct Families, and the vocabulary used. Made for a plot twist to paint one as a “good” force. But that “good” Family I showed, the Giovanni ... they’re known for bribery, blackmail, theft, and espionage. And they’re the best of the bunch. Corbin was a part of that world. Now, he calls the shots in his own group, and runs a largely above-board organization. But he always wanted to be free of his past. He’s anomalous. In the real world, these people don’t reform. The Costa are scary, because ... well, they’re closer to the real thing. I do get if you aren’t interested in this portion of the tale. I didn’t set out to glamorize the mob, as I don’t really consider Corbin and his crew as a part of one anymore. But, maybe that’s just me waving away my problems. Entirely possible. Thanks for reading and commenting, Mike.

You put a decimal where there should be a comma. 😛 We'll have to see what the Don is up to. Don't worry, we'll check in on Gary in our next chapter. Harlan, Bruce, and Jenoah are all about now. Stick around for the possibility of more. 😉 Thanks for the read, and for the comments!

Gin-NO-ah Now, the second is more complex. There's no crime if someone comes to them willingly, eh? The Costa are not above kidnapping, but they'd rather not. It'd be far superior to convincingly provide "opportunity", and provide an offer the boy cannot refuse. The Costa are dangerous. Before Elias (and Orson) know what is actually going on, it could be very late in the game.

Thanks, Dave. I like this one too.

You're so right with your comments. Harlan is human after all. Elias is a savant - gifted in ways, yet still behind in others. Orson sees him growing though, becoming more independent and confident. It all marches forward. Thank you, Fae. Until the next one. 🙂

Thanks! I'm glad you think so. 🙂

Hehehe. They felt well-suited for this particular mission. Oh, so very clever. I can't say much more about the Costa and the Raven without giving it away ... so we'll just have to leave this alone. 😉

Thanks, Chris. Gary still has a way to go, but thanks to Harlan he has a chance of getting through. Elias is just beginning to come into his own. We'll have to see what happens with the Family influences swirling around him.

July 06 (Friday, 10:22 a.m.) Mason heard the tinkle of the bell on the door of Gary's little shop. Looking up, he saw a couple of young men who had just entered. One was athletic and pale, while the other was a little shorter, slim, and had a darker, almost olive complexion. They both had very expressive dark brown eyes and dark hair. "Hi. Welcome to Flemming and Son's Goods. Can I help you find something?" Mason smiled at the good-looking men. They both returned the expression.

And you're the one who shared it. 🙂 It's worth sharing. It's cute and sweet.

Hrmph! You might be right. We'll have to see. 😛

You are searching for a link between two completely different universes. 😜

The initial confusion of awakening quickly gave way to a jolt of adrenaline as the orange glow and crackle of flames jarred Joe to consciousness. He threw back the covers and stared out of his window. He owned a hundred and fifty acres of land. A huge mono-crop of corn grew out in his fields, and he was only a few days away from a big harvest. The growing season had been good to him, and he was sitting on a bumper crop. Now, that same crop that had held so much promise was fueling the bigges

Howdy, DiC. I hope everyone is doing well. It's rainy, but oddly warm for this time of year here in Northern California. We can use the water, though. Enjoy your Friday!

This was a very different kind of story, but I liked it a lot. Thanks for writing, Thorn. Well done.

I wanted to say that I'm thankful for the readers who made this story so wonderful to post. I went through and just read the comments folks left, and I appreciate every one of them. Thanks again.

Thanks, Parker. The last part of your comment - about Harlan, is one I like a lot. Harlan’s a guy who finds connection hard. He looks around, sees it on display for others at the campground, and feels angry because he doesn’t have that same thing going for him. But even through his critical eyes, we see the campground as living up to its name. It really is a refuge.

I think, perhaps, that may not be very nice to @Thorn Wilde, my poor editor, who has to keep my work readable. 😄

Thanks, Dave. I'm happy you're liking the read back through it. You know that there's more to come. Man, I can't wait until A Silent Song starts! 😄

Hahahaha... Yep. He's a little shit. Some of his personality is beginning to shine through, now that he doesn't have to worry so much about survival. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for commenting, James! There are absolutely more battles ahead. We've gotta have a reason for more story, right? And you are filled with good ideas! I love all of them. Perhaps I took one of those roads, or a version of one of them. There's one way to find out! 🙂

I had a strange, "journal-style" story I wrote called Wayne's Journal. It was fraught with errors, formatting strangeness, breaks in immersion because of changes between the journal entries, and then first person present tense entries too. It wasn't exactly abandoned, as I posted it on Nifty as it was written. But ... I went back to try and maybe edit it so that it was a bit more coherent, but I had to just leave it alone. It would have been a nearly complete rewrite, and I have too many projects already for that.

Oh, how transparent that'd be of me! Having Corbin desire the sculpture for his very own, and snapping it up. Am I that transparent? I suppose we'll see, eh? Nope, no fighting between dad and son. They've got bigger battles to wage. I did a lot of research on leukemia for this tale. I also have access to a coworker who went through a bone marrow transplant, and she helped me get those procedures right. I've also had doctors and other providers write to congratulate me on a "real" depiction of the procedure. It was a lot of research, but it pays off when it's right, and when you get feedback like that. Thanks for writing, Danilo. 😄

It's so interesting to me ... the more specialized a provider and the more brainpower it takes to perform that specialized role, often, the more clinical and detached those providers seem. Dr. Sparks is an expert in his field, but ... you're right, Gary shouldn't be made to feel like a project, and not a person. It is important to be engaged in the healthcare of our loved ones. I work in medicine. We are required to deliver good care, but sometimes that definition changes based on clear expectations and communication with the patient and those who care for them. Good job, being an integral piece of your father's care. It meant he got the best treatment that was possible

Thanks for the comment, Chris. There are many battles ahead, some more significant and apparent than others. Two that are probably obvious are Gary and Jeremy's struggles. Yeah! What the hell are they gonna do with a huge raven sculpture?