Bill W

Wow, you listed more unconventional gifts from the story than I had. Thank you for the marvelous feedback and I'm looking forward to reading your review. I'm glad you enjoyed this story.

I did. Thank you!

And all this time I thought retrocognition was just having a good memory. Hehehe. Anyway, thank you for the feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed this story.

Yes, we all experience moments of deja vu during our lives, but how many turn out this well? Hmmm... since this story came out of my imagination, I guess it could be either a short story with a happy ending or a modern day fairy tale. I'll let the readers decide which fills the bill for them. Thanks for reading and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you for your feedback, Mancunian, and I'm glad you enjoyed this story. It's true that there are too many homeless youth living on the street that can definitely use support, understanding, and love. Maybe this story will inspire at least one person to fill that gap. As far as a recurring theme, who knows? Maybe Scott and Jeremy will make appearances in more of my Halloween tales in the future.

@Zombie, I agree with the examples you gave, but if they had machinery that allowed them to move 50 and 100 ton blocks of stone even before they had the wheel, then that would be amazing and I'd wonder where they got the knowledge from. Remember, da Vinci had sketched many devices that were way ahead of their time, but there wasn't the technology to build them yet. Having the idea about doing something and actually being able to pull it off are not the same thing. The people involved in these constructions often said it was done by the gods, whoever they were, and some of it was accomplished using levitation, while others said the gods melted the stone before reforming it in the shape and placing it where they wanted. Riddle me how they did those things?

I agree with Myr about this. There are too many megalithic structures around the world that show advance engineering techniques that shouldn't have been possible by those living at the time. Not only that, but those structures also involve/include materials that we would have difficulty moving today, even with our advanced technology and machinery, so how did the ancients achieve these things? The only logical answer is that they had help from someone more advanced than we are currently.

James, that may be exactly why they are watching us, because their afraid that we may transport the insanity to other parts of the galaxy. The good thing is, that if they have been observing or helping us for centuries, at least they're not hostile - or at least they haven't shown that side of themselves to us yet. If we're lucky, they may step in to help us clean up the mess we've made of the planet, but then again they may be waiting for us to kill the planet and then come down for the natural resources left behind.

When I saw the story title, Their Last Battlefield, my mind immediately wondered which of the many wars fought on earth since the earliest civilizations that you were going to use as the basis for this story. To my surprise, it was an ancient battle in a galaxy far, far away. Then, with the mention of AI, I immediately wondered if the technological advances made in giving computers their own intelligence had taken a sinister turn against us, or if the AI technology of another advance race had put the crew's minds in a never-ending loop from which they couldn't break free. I was glad to learn their unconscious state was only due to the fact that they were downloading large files and should be fine once they finished, but then again I couldn't help but wonder if another unforeseen problem might arise from this in the future. I enjoyed this story and could have seen the premise used in one of the Sci-Fi movies or series that I've watched over the years.

From the second I read there was going to be a lottery, my mind instantly jumped to the short story The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson. Then, when I learned the pub was named the Scapegoat, I couldn't help but fearing for Nat, who I felt might end up being the scapegoat for the village. When Grant assured Nat nothing would happen to him, but seemed worried that he might get the third number, then I began to worry about Grant - obviously rightly so. I was on edge the entire time I was reading this story, especially during their flight out of and away from the Manor, but I was glad it was Rupert, not Grant, who had to carry the burden of drawing the short straw, or winning lottery number. I had a friend like Grant, so it was easy to relate to him. Thank you for this spooky tale with a fairly happy ending, except for Rupert.

Your story reminded me of the joy of getting a puppy, watching it grow, and the many marvelous adventures we had together, as well as the quieter moments when we cuddled together and merely enjoyed each other's company. Your story also brought back the pain of losing my dear friend when the time came, and the many months it took me to get over the loss. Thank you for this touching story and the many memories it rekindled.

A humorous take on something we can all relate to. I always wondered where Myr got his beta testers and now I know - don't I? Great job! It was very enjoyable and riveting, and thank you for the unique perspective on how this site operates.

I'm confused. Why does the funeral home director still consider the army dude as the culprit, if the license plate on the older gentleman's SUV matched what was seen on the video? I suspected the army dude from the start and was relieved when it wasn't him, so maybe the army dude was involved in another accident at another time. It was still an engaging story, but I just couldn't figure out why the funeral home director still suspected the army dude.

Yes, it has been a long journey with a lot going on, and thankfully most of it has been good. I'm glad you've enjoyed this saga and the Curries have become your favorite family, but I'll make no promises about another book. Thank you for the feedback and I wish you the best in the future.

Thank you, flesco. I'm glad you enjoyed the unusual course their lives took and that they found each other once again. Yes, Tristan was fortunate to find a school district that not only allowed him to teach the classes he wanted, but they promoted them as well, which should make a long and valued collaberation. I'm not sure about revisiting this story later and will have to think on it, but there is truly more that can be written, including their wedding, but whether I get to it or not, we know that Gavin and Tristan will have a wonderful life together. Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, their relationship was obviously meant to be, no matter how winding the path they had to take. Thanks for the feedback.

I'm sorry to hear that your mother threw away the envelope and you lost contact with your friend. I lost touch with one of my friends as well, but that happened in college, when he moved well over a thousand miles away. I also changed addresses in college multiple times, since I was older and lived off campus, so he obviously didn't know my current address and I didn't know his. It was awful. As far as Gavin's silence goes, maybe his parents were trying to force him to fit in at his new school/neighborhood and never sent the letters that Gavin wrote, or possibly it was their way of encouraging Tristan to move on and find another friend as well. Who knows what was happening at Gavin's home? Thanks for taking the time to give me feedback.

Unfortunately, it's sad but very true. My best friend and I lost touch while we were in college, made contact briefly a few years later, and then cue to busy lives, we lost touch again. I hoped that some day we'd reconnect, but it never happened, so maybe this was my attempt to make up for that loss. Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, if only we could all be that fortunate. Thanks for the feedback, Chris.

I'm sure that we've all traveled on that rollercoaster as well.

I admire the love and caring that the protagonist showed for his brother, Glenn, and the generational bonding with his grandson, Cliff. I'm also pleased that both he and Cliff found boyfriends, and I wish it had been easier in the 1960's for guys like me to have done the same. Great job!

Yes, life is very unpredictable and we have to deal with whatever happens, good or bad, but you're right in saying that we all hope for a happy ending. I haven't thought about continuing this story, although a strong positive reaction to these chapters may push me in that direction, but for now I'll just say that I'll consider it, without making any promises. Thank you for the feedback.

Yes, unfortunately as we're growing up a great deal happens that we have very little control over, if any at all, and it can lead to a great deal of frustration. As we begin to grow older things improve, but not always to the extent we'd hope for. We'll have to wait and see what happens for Gavin and Tristan.

A beautiful story about friendshiip, but I must admit you threw me a few curveballs. When I realized how badly Cory was feeling about Mark's death, I thought he was staying in the storm hoping he'd get sick and would die too, so he and Mark could still be together. And then when the branch came down and smacked him in the head, I thought the blow might kill him and accomplish the same end. I was glad neither of those things happened and Cory realized that Noah was there for him now and they could have a wonderful life together. Well done!

I'm not sure where you live, but I can now envision the scenery and flora and fauns that you enjoy on your ventures into nature. Nicely done.