Bill W

You're on a ski trip, caught in a blizzard, and your friend has a medical emergency. You do your best to keep your wits about you and work out a plan of how to help him in your mind, but will it be enough? To find out the answer to this question, you'll have to read this intense short story.

You laid out the situation they were in very well, and I liked how you had Adam keep his wits about him and save James life. And as Timothy M. stated, it was actually more realistic that you only had James love Adam as a friend and not as an actual lover.

How would you react if a friend had betrayed you, and then you're suddenly forced to spend three days in the same house with his during a blizzard? This is a very emotional story and the authors laid both boys feelings bare, and quite raw, but to discover how this turns out, you'll have to read this engrossing short story.

An interesting story. I felt bad for Khayyam when he walked in on Mason and Dylan. I could blame him for turning against both of them, so I felt it was kind of rude for Satar to ask to borrow Khayyam's car to pick up Mason. He should have just called Mason and said the storm was too bad to be driving and his car wasn't good in the snow. However, that wouldn't have allowed you to write this story, so you used author's discretion to make sure the story continued. As others said, I'm not sure that I could have forgiven Mason, and although Khayyam agreed to speak with Mason again, it doesn't mean he's forgiven him. It was a good portrayal of the emotions provoked by this encounter and I was involved in it until the end.

Halloween is a time for children to go house to house collecting candy, teens to toilet paper trees, spray each other with shaving cream or whipped cream, and pull other pranks. Those just out of their teens might party, get drunk, and raise hell, but it seems that Halloween might also be a time to meet someone you may be interested in romantically. That's what this short story is about, and if you like that type of story, then give the tale a quick read.

Halloween seems to also be a time for falling in love. I enjoyed this story.

The word "balance" comes from Latin roots via Old French. It originates from Latin bilanx ("two-scaled") combining bi- ("twice") and lanx ("dish, plate, or scale pan"), describing the two pans of a weighing scale. It was borrowed from the Old French balance and entered English in the 13th century as balaunce, meaning scales or equilibrium. Its core idea of two equal parts or weights evolved from weighing instruments to abstract concepts like harmony and accounting. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the noun form of "balance" appeared in English around the late 13th century (e.g., 1297), while the verb "balance" was first recorded later, in the late 1500s (specifically 1583), borrowed from French and used by Philip Stubbes. Balance in writing means using parallel structures, contrasting ideas (antithesis), and rhythmic sentence variety for clarity and impact, seen in examples like "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" (contrast) or "She like reading, writing, and painting" (parallelism), balancing description with dialogue, or balancing story elements like conflict and character development. It creates memorable, pleasing, and believable prose by matching grammatical structure or contrasting opposing ideas. Examples in Sentence Structure (Parallelism & Antithesis) Antithesis (Contrasting Ideas): "He cannot speak to her, but he also cannot ignore her" or "Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline". Parallelism (Similar Structure): "The teammates we select should be committed, hardworking, and eager" or "He came, saw, and conquered". Balanced Clauses: "From Lowman to Cape Horn the weather was rainy, but from Cape Horn to Stanley it was clear" (balanced prepositional phrases). Rhythm: Varying sentence length, e.g., using short sentences after long ones, or combining simple and complex sentences. Examples in Storytelling Dialogue & Exposition: Alternating between characters speaking and narrating actions, like Sam grunting with a fly in his mouth while Sarah talks. Conflict & Character: Ensuring a character's internal struggles are balanced with external events, or giving heroes challenges that seem overwhelming. Description & Action: Weaving descriptive details into action scenes so the setting feels alive without slowing the pace. Story Parts: Balancing the introduction, rising action, climax, and resolution so no single part dominates or feels rushed. Examples in Tone & Theme Opposing Forces: Presenting both positive and negative aspects of a situation or character, like "there's nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what is right with America". Muse & Scribe: Balancing creative inspiration (Muse) with disciplined execution (Scribe) in one's writing process.

I began the story with a feeling of dread and foreboding based on a couple of things - the title: Almost Home, and the tag "ghosts". Could the wildlife his parents almost hit been the Cherokee Chief that they didn't recognize through the snow and only saw the blur of a vehicle covered in snow? Could Bryson have swerved to avoid an accident and that's what killed him? Whatever happened, the result was very sad.

Thanks, Anton, but as far as the players during that time period collecting high value for their cards, let me just name a few: Mickey Mantle rookie card, Hank Aaron rookie card, Willie Mays rookie card, Roberto Clemente rookie card... just to name a few, because don't forget that it looked as if Johnny's father bought cards for his children when they were born, hoping that they'd become baseball junkies. As far as cards for players notable achievements in a specific year: Mickey Mantle '56, Frank Robinson '66, and Carl Yastrzemski '67 all had batting Triple Crown years and Sandy Koufax won pitching Triple Crowns in '63, '65, and '66. Then there was Roger Maris' 61 HRs in '61 (the first to break Babe Ruth's single season HR record), Denny McLain won 31 games (31-6) in '68 (also the AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner). There are also the final year cards of greats such as Jackie Robinson '56, Ted Williams '60, and Mickey Mantle '69. All kinds of possibilities, and those are just the ones off the top of my head, and trust me, I can't afford to lose any more brain cells. 🤣

Would you prefer I call you Mr. Weiner?

Thanks, Danilo. I'm glad you caught that.

A good point, Mr. dog, and thank you for pointing this out. You may have saved my credibility.

Yes, the boys do have cell phones, but with everything they've got going on they obviously overlooked this fact, or maybe I over looked it because I'm an old fart who doesn't utilize such apps. 🤣 Once again, thank you for the feedback.

You're correct, Lee, and I jumped to a conclusion. When I saw the word scholarship, my mind went directly to a full ride variety. Thank you for pointing out my error.

I believe the comment about the "dog shit" was said tongue in cheek, since the boys have a playful competitive relationship. Yes, that was an interesting ethical conversation, but is it really so unusual? It seems that bidding on government contracts have followed a similar scenario, whether it's on a recent or historical local government or higher, both in this country and others, as well as the possible selling of "get out of jail free" deals that aren't really free to those seeking such things. Sometimes younger people are tempted by stories they've heard of or read about, whether in a class or in other situations, so they're discussing these things to see if they might use a similar procedure to "repay" the person who gave them the ranges for the various cards, so they'd know what they can anticipate their value will be. They certainly don't intend to do this with more than a couple of the cards and only as a thank you for the gentleman who seems to be trying to make certain they don't let the cards go too cheaply. Whether the company knows about this is uncertain, but as I said, I think it was done to make sure the boys don't get ripped off and sell the cards far below their "market" value. Thanks for the feedback, drs.

Yes, we anticipate they will, but exactly how much is still to be discovered. 😍

Nathan is a high school boy with a disability - he's deaf. The author paints a beautiful picture as she shows how Nathan navigates in a silent world and relies on his other senses to compensate for his inability to hear. As I read this short story, I experienced the little things that Nathan observed by using his other senses and how he communicated with others who didn't know sign language. It was an intriguing tale and I strongly suggest that you read it.

What an enchanting story that is sensitively written. It immediately forced me to envision what it would be like the have this disability and be forced to rely on my other senses to experience life, as well as how to I would communicate with others who don't suffer from the same disability. Well done!

The word economy comes from the Greek oikonomia, combining oikos (house) and nomos (management or law), originally meaning "household management",ecompassing the administration of a household's resources, property, and people, as seen in the works of ancient Greeks like Xenophon. Over time, this concept expanded from the individual house to communities, then to nations, and finally a global system of production and distribution, with its modern sense emerging as a science in the 18th century. The Greek term passed through Latin (oeconomia) and Old French into English, maintaining its meaning of "household management" for centuries. The word economy can have several definitions. As a noun, it can mean the wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services, or it can mean careful management of available resources, such as the economy of motion as one performs a task. As an adjective it can mean (of a product) offering the best value for the money (eg. the economy package of toilet paper where the cost of each individual roll decreases in price in proportion to the number of rolls in the package). According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the earliest known use of the noun "economy" in English cates the the Middle English period, around 1440, initially referring to household management or frugality. The sense of "wealth and resources of a country" (short for political economy) appeared later, around the 1650s, though it wasn't in common usage until the 18th century. Examples of the word "economy" used in a sentence: "The war altered the country's economy," "An increase in tourism will help the city's economy." "The U.S. economy grew by around two per cent in 2025." "What's more, strong job growth suggests that a region's economy is expanding." "If you take the long view, the commodity economy passes through three stages." "We must learn to practice economy." "The Toyota Prius currently has the best fuel economy of any vehicle."

It's a nice idea to set up a scholarship, but that usually requires huge amounts of money for just one four-year scholarship, since college is so expensive. That amount would multiply if you awarded it over successive years, and I'm not sure we'll generate that kind of money from the sale of the baseball cards. Thanks for the input.

I don't remember if any of the chapters had actually lined up with the current calendar before, but it's possible. I think the Halloween contest where they dressed up at cheerleaders was close to being concurrent with the actual date. I could have, but I've been working on future chapters and didn't think about editing in that information. Hopefully, there won't be a delay before the next chapter is posted. 🫰 Thanks for your feedback.

Chapter 32– An Interesting First Few Weeks. When we woke up on Monday, we got ready to go to the dining hall for breakfast before we went to the dog park. It had snowed overnight, so there was a fresh coating of the white stuff on the ground, and it was also the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. When we were at the dining hall, we were surprised when we ran into the guys that we were going to watch the final game of the college football playoff game with. After all, there were no classes an

This is an emotionally moving tale, and it will definitely touch you on an emotional level. The main character is a young boy whose parents are divorced and he lives with his mother, but then when he is eleven, the person who has been so good to him and he's counted on for everything up to that point is suddenly unavailable. What does he do and how will he react, because the situation only gets worse as he enters high school. I found this a very emotionally gripping story, and my heart ached for Josh, but there was far too much information lacking that would help me understand what and why this was happening. Read this short story for yourself and see what you think of this tale.

A very moving story and I could feel Josh's emotional pain, once he told his mother that he was gay. As others have stated, I was left wondering why his mother acted that way toward him, after being so supportive throughout his early life. I also didn't understand why his mother wanted to cook Thanksgiving dinner and then didn't want to sit down and eat it with him, when Josh had stayed to be with her on Thanksgiving, rather than be with his dad and paternal grandparents. Her coldness and refusal to eat dinner with him caused Josh to lose his appetite as well, and in turn the wonderful meal she fixed went to waste. It's difficult to rationalize how this happened on a day when you're expected to give thanks for the good things in your life, but obviously by that point, Josh didn't feel that he had anything to be thankful for. What a shame. And then when his father suddenly started to show an interest in his son at a time when Josh was struggling with his emotional baggage, it made me wonder where this concerned Dad had been for most of Josh's life. It didn't seem as if he regularly spent time with Josh, and Josh said he only saw his dad when he and his mom went to his paternal grandparent's house for a visit. It was good that he was finally around when Josh was at his lowest point, but where the hell had he been before that. Apparently, he had been emotionally and physically absent as well, but then the roles suddenly were reversed when Josh's mom became the one who became emotionally distant. I felt Josh's pain, but I was struggling to understand the reasons that each of his parents acted as they had during a good portion of Josh's life.

The word precision comes from Latin praecīsiō (a noun of action meaning "a cutting off"), derived from praecīdere (to cut off, shorten"), combining prae- (before) and -cidere (to cut), linked to an older idea of being "cut short" or "abrupt". It eventually made it way to English via Medieval Latin praecisus (abrupt, cut off) and Old French précision, to mean exactness, accuracy, or a careful cutting off of the unnecessary to get to the exact point. According to the Oxford English Dictiionary (OED), the noun precision first appeared in English in the early 1500s, with the earliest recorded use found in the writings of Thomas More in 1529. While "precision" is primarily known as a noun, it is also listed as an adjective (referring to "of, pertaining to, or characterized by precision"). The adjective and adverb precise appeared in English during the Middle English period (1150-1500) in 1392. Examples of the noun "precision" used in a sentence: "I admire the precision of her work." "Now even more airshow fans will be able to see the precision aerobatics." "But then I have these ridiculous plans that need to be executed with exact precision." "They would have had to smuggle in the precision machine tools necessary for new centrifuges." "Nielsen, the company that measures TV ratings, prides itself on the precision of its calculations." "Lack of both accuracy and precision becomes more problematic in malformed hearts when cardiac structures are hypoplastic." Examples of the adjective "precise" used in a sentence: Scientific/Technical: "The telescope allows for precise tracking of distant galaxies." Describing Actions: "The chef made a precise incision in the garnish." Describing Language: "She chose her words with precise clarity to avoid misinterpretation." Describing Timing: "They arrived at the precise hour for the secret meeting." Describing Tools/Work: "The new drill performs a precise bore every time."