Bill W

Thank you, GMC, and Mac and Devin are looking forward to taking another trip with Mac's parents. And you're right about Devin as well, he won't be satisfied until the hardware is removed from his shoulder. I'm not sure when he'll try to attempt that, but we'll see what happens. I'm glad you're excited about the start of book 3.

Thank you for the information about the keta friendly bars. Yes, there is if it's found on federal property, but Gramps discovered the land with the cave was on private property, so he arranged to purchase it. Any treasure found on private property belongs to the owner of the property, but they planned on saying the got the coins by purchasing private coin collections. I thought I put that it one of the chapters in Secrets 2 - I hope I didn't forget doing that.

Chapter 1 – The Return Home. After we returned from finding the treasure in a cave in the Ozarks, we spent a couple of days regaling Ma and Pa about our exploits. We also opened the bags and showed them some of the coins that were inside. “That’s very impressive,” Pa stated after seeing the various coins. “How do you think they ended up in the cave?” “After talking it over with Gramps and Pops, we’ve decided that three Confederate soldiers were probably involved in stealing

Mac and Devin are back from their treasure hunt in the Ozarks and now they’re ready to start their Senior (4th) year at Colorado State University. What new incidents will they become involved in?

Thank you, and I'm surprised I didn't find it when I was looking through everything. I'm sorry if I caused you extra work.

Grovel comes from Middle English: back-formation from the obsolete adverb grovelling, from obsolete groof, grufe ‘the face or front’ (in the phrase on grufe, from Old Norse á grúfu ‘face downwards’) + the suffix -ling . So, basically, grovel comes from the Vikings and is probably how they liked to see the people they were conquering, lying prone, face downward. You grovel when you want something, but also when you're afraid. Definitions of grovel. verb. show submission or fear. OED's earliest evidence for grovel is from 1605, in the writing of Joseph Hall, bishop of Norwich, religious writer, and satirist. However, if it comes from the Middle English, that period is from 1150-1500. Examples of grovel used in a sentence: "If they want me to get down and grovel on the floor, no." "I refuse to grovel to him" "I had to grovel to the manager for a loan" "She saw him grovel on the floor, begging for mercy." "If they want me to get down and grovel on the floor, no." "I refuse to grovel to him" "I had to grovel to the manager for a loan" "She saw him grovel on the floor, begging for mercy."

@Valkyrie, have you posted the links page in the Writer's Circle Club for the Comicality tribute yet?

Thank you. I appreciate that information, Val.

This is a story about two businessmen, Pete and Henry, who are physically attracted to each other, but are emotional opposites. What will happen when they're forced to work together? If you want to find out, you'll have to read this excellent short story to see if these two men will come to some sort of understanding and if redemption is possible.

I found this to be another interesting story, Val, and I'm glad that Henry was finally honest with Pete and pointed out they he'd been acting like an ass. I was afraid for a few minutes that Henry was just going to let Pete's behavior slide and not say anything, since he didn't want to hurt Pete's feelings, although I wasn't sure at the point if Pete had any feelings, or Henry didn't want to cause a problem for his employer by confronting the guy handling their big account. I'm glad he finally did and that Pete got the message. In fact, when Pete realized he'd been behaving like his dad might have been the real wakeup call. Sometimes we begin acting like a relative. especially a parent, whose actiions we despise without actually realizing it. Anyway, Val, great job.

If you'd like a lighthearted read that might cause you to smile, then this short story might be for you. And the author's name might give you an idea about what to expect.

An interesting story and I know how torturous tickling can be. My uncles used to tickle me when I was younger and totally went overboard when doing it, so tickling is not my favorite subject due to all the bad memories from those times.

Laconic comes to us by way of Latin from Greek Lakōnikos, from Lakōn ‘Laconia, a region of Greece known as Sparta. The Spartans showed an indifference to comfort or luxury and were known for their terse speech.” In current use, laconic means “terse” or “concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious,” and thus recalls the Spartans' taciturnity. Laconic was first used in English during the mid 16th century. Some common synonyms of laconic are compendious, concise, pithy, succinct, summary, and terse. Laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious. Examples of laconic in a sentence: "His laconic reply bordered on rude" "McCarthy did thrive on television, where his laconic, relaxed style showed off to best effect." "His laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic" "This interpretation was then bolstered by Tacitus' dry laconic wit and Lucretius' pagan atomism." "He had a reputation for being laconic. "The soundtrack is fueled by the laconic rock of the era, from Weezer to Oasis."

There was a major battle on Guam during WWII between the US forces and those of Imperial Japan. Guam is now a US territory, but as far as Americans stopping there on the way to Australia, it would be a bit foolish, since Guam is north of Australia, not to the east of it. As far as strange places, I don't think I've ever been to any. I guess I've led a very boring life.

This story begins with a paralegal, Ben, who is in charge of returning a runaway, Clay, back to his home which is in a really small community in northern Minnesota. Clay is very emotional because he doesn't want to return to the community he ran away from, so Ben asks his boyfriend, Rush, to go with him. During the trip we discover why Clay ran away and the reason is both shocking and unconscionable, but the author handles the material delicately and with professional skill. If you enjoy reading hard hitting stories that are well written and with believable characters, then give this short story a read.

Interesting story with a difficult premise that was handled delicately, yet thoroughly. I loved your characters and the fact that Ben asked Rush to go with him and that Rush was the one who connected with Clay and then helped him the most. l also found Clay's changing attitude appropriate for both the age and the abuse he'd endured. Great job, Cole.

That's true, but there are also those whose gesticulation is so animated and dramatic that it can actually be dangerous or just comical.

How many of you have been in a relationship that you wanted so badly that you were afraid to show the other person who you really are? If you were like that, what did you do? This short story explains what happens in one relationship where the main character has cold feet and his friend is attempting to convince him how to look at his situation differently - in a way that might solve his problem. So, if you're currently in a similar situation, you might want to read this short story to put a different perspective on what you're going through. You may find out the friend is giving some good advice that you can also use.

I know I'm years behind the time, but I'll still give you my input. I look at Romeo's problem this way. If your worried the relationship won't work out, unless you are willing to hide your feelings and act completely out of character as long as you're together, then be yourself and let the other person know who you are. If it's not going to work out, then it's better than you find it out sooner than later, so you can move on and find someone you're more compatible with. Don't waste part of your life acting out of character for someone you might lose anyway. That's my spiel and you can do with it what you want. And I believe that was the same advice that Jonah was trying to give Romeo. Good for him and it was an interesting story.

I was trying to be diplomatic and not mention any particular nationality, but having been related to through marriage to different Italian families, I can vouch that I accidentally got backhanded a few times when I got too close to someone when they were talking. My suggestion would be to give any Italian you know plenty of personal space if you don't want to accidentally get clobbered, because their gesticulations come with considerable force. 😜

From casual observations, I've discovered that some people seem to gesticulate more than others. In fact, I believe there are certain people that wouldn't be able to talk if they sat on their hands, because they need to gesticulate in order to make a point.

Gesticulate comes from Latin gesticulat- ‘gesticulated’, from the verb "gesticulari" (to gesture, mimic) and "gesticulus" (a mimicking gesture). It describes animated movements people make in conversation — with and without words. The verb "gesticulate" was first recorded in English around 1600, while the noun "gesticulation" was first recorded around the early 17th century. OED's earliest evidence for gesticulate is from 1609, in the writing of Robert Cawdrey, Church of England clergyman and lexicographer. Examples of gesticulate in a sentence: "He gesticulated with his shoulders and barely moved his arms." "Everything he says is peppered with sudden howls of laughter and much gesticulating." "Every time a player came near him he was yelling and pointing and gesticulating." "She was shouting and gesticulating quite wildly." "There was a man outside the window gesticulating wildly." "He gesticulated with his shoulders and barely moved his arms."

You used them all up already.

Gary, you're right. The goal seems to be "Keep 'em stupid!" I think back to two short stories I wrote for one of the anthologies back in 2015 and parts, if not all, seem to already have or in the process of become true. The two stories were "Backroom Deals" and "Hidden Agenda". Some people scoffed at them back then, but now some of my worst fears seem to be coming true, at least in part or maybe only until the rest of the agenda can be completed. It would be several giant steps backward and erase years of progress.

Because you've got a one-track mind?