Bill W

Witty, funny, and you had me playing Dr. Freud all the way to nearly the end as I was trying to figure out a way to deal with this illusion, since we all know that the dead can't text. And that's when you pulled the ol' switcheroo. Nice job, SA. I really enjoyed this story.

The word "apathy" originates from the Greek word "apatheia," meaning "without feeling" or "freedom from suffering." It is a combination of the prefix "a-" (meaning "without") and "pathos" (meaning "emotion" or "feeling"). The term was later adopted into English, initially with a more neutral connotation of freedom from suffering, but eventually developing its current meaning of indifference or lack of emotion. "Apathy" is a noun referring to a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern, while "apathetic" is an adjective describing someone who is affected by or displays apathy. In essence, apathy is the condition, and apathetic describes the person experiencing that condition. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "apathetic" was first used in the mid-1700s. Specifically, the OED notes the earliest instance of "apathetic" in English dates back to 1744, found in the writings of Harris. Examples of the word "apathetic" used in a sentence: "The shareholders had also been shown to be apathetic in protecting their interests." "Young people are becoming increasingly pathetic." "Surprisingly, most Americans are apathetic toward this important issue." "And that's what the dancer is supposed to be -- the storm that shakes these girls out of an apathetic way of being." "Of all the drinks, white wine was the most apathetic beverage." "In early 2022, he developed what he calls a brain fog and became apathetic." "Since the security law was introduced, tens of thousands of residents have left the city while others grew apathetic over politics." "We have emerged more sick, unhappy and apathetic than our collegiate predecessors."

Anton, it is obvious that you put a lot of thought into this post and have made some very good points. I agree, the lock was only important in that the boys wanted to snip one side of the lock to remove it from the chest, but would leave the lock basically intact, if they decided to bury the chest again later, to honor the wishes of whoever buried it in the first place. Now, like the rest, you'll have to wait to find out the significance of the box and its contents. Thank you for this feedback, and it may give others a slightly different outlook on the box and its contents.

The word zenith has two meanings: 1. the time at which something is most powerful or successful. E.g. "under Justinian, the Byzantine Empire reached its zenith of influence" and 2. the point in the sky or celestial sphere directly above an observer or the highest point reached by a celestial or other object. E.g. "the sun was well past the zenith" When you reach the zenith, you're at the top, the pinnacle, the summit, the peak. Zenith developed from an Arabic phrase, samt ar-ra's, meaning "the way over one's head," and then traveled through Old Spanish, Medieval Latin (cenit), and Middle French before arriving in English. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word "zenith" was first used in English during the Middle English period, before 1387, in a translation by John Trevisa. Examples of the word "zenith" used in a sentence: "It may be in the fall, though, that this place reaches its zenith." "The summer sun was at its zenith in a cloudless sky." "The sun is well past its zenith when we cross paths with a mini-flotilla." "His publicity campaign reached its zenith when he was summoned to an audience with the royal family." "The tragedy will no doubt reach its terrible zenith in next week's final episode." "The second world war represented the zenith of her career, but also led to her inexorable decline." "The power of the archdeacon reached its zenith at the outset of the 13th century." "The exhibitions in the arena were perhaps at their zenith during his tenure of power."

A group of gay friends are out celebrating Pride when a group of thugs start to pass by. Something causes them to stop and move toward the other group, and this leads to an exciting chase scene. You'll be surprised by how this wonderful and engaging short story ends, so do yourself a favor and read it to sate your curiosity. I promise that you won't be disappointed and you'll be glad you took my advice.

A lot of the language told me the SA is British, so I was shocked when I read this line ... "Another glance over my shoulder and I saw I'd extended the gap to about a hundred yards." Yards? Shouldn't that be meters? And then I learned that the metric system is only used in official instances and Imperial units are more common in every day usage. Anyway, great job, SA, and thank you for that wonderful twist at the end.

That explains it. The most dangerous place to be is ... in your head. 🤪

A charming story that features an ?imaginary? Royal Family filled with palace intrigue and a generous helping of skullduggery. If this sounds the least bit interesting to you, then get comfortable in your chair, pull up this short story on your computer, and prepare to read an adorable story that proves karma is real and you don't want to be on the wrong end of the universe's payback for truly unscrupulous and wrongheaded deeds.

The intricacies of palace intrigue, yet the monarchy survives. A wonderful story that I enjoyed very much, SA. It's about time that the UK had a gay/bi king who has had two polar opposite queens. Hail Britannia, the 21st century has truly arrived.

Would I do that? 🙃 🤪

If you're looking for something different, maybe on the humorous side or something that will make you question your concept of reality, then you'll definitely want to check out this short story.

Reading this was like being caught up in a bad acid trip or maybe the butt of a lengthy April Fool's joke. It really makes you question your sanity. 😜

I guess when you find something like that, your first thought is a hidden treasure, not something that was left behind by someone like Ted Kaczynski, and if there had been dangerous animals left inside, they would have died by now. Chemicals would have also lost their potency during a lengthy burial, and I doubt the boys were thinking it might be booby trapped. Then again, maybe it's another example of my lack of imagination.

You forget, Gramps and Pops have a caretake who job it is to do those things, and the boys are not house sitters. In a lot of old houses, the basement is dark and dank, some even have dirt floors and low ceilings, so maybe the thought of going down there just wasn't appealing. Besides, with all of their other activities they're involved in, especially studying and spending some time with others, along with visits to the dog park and the hunting camp, maybe they just didn't have the time to explore the basement.

Since I'm not a mechanical engineer, the idea of cutting both sides didn't occur to me. Even when watching shows where someone uses bolt cutters to snip a lock, I've only seen them cut the one side, so that's what I wrote in the story - call it lack of imagination. Now, we just have to wait and see if @Lee Wilson or you are correct as to what's in the container.

Interesting guesses, but now you'll have to wait and see if either or both were correct.

This little mystery may take more than one week to resolve.

Not only are the finds interesting, but what will this lead to?

Chapter 16 – The End of Fall Break. When we woke up in the morning, we had to go out to get something to eat, and Lonny and Clint wanted to try a different restaurant this time. I quickly retrieved my laptop and showed them the links to all of their choices and let them decide where they wanted to go. After looking at several different menus, they chose “The Breakfast Club” and Lonny drove us there. After we’d ordered, Lonny looked at Devin and me and spoke. “I want to thank both

The word "yaffle" primarily refers to a green woodpecker, particularly the European green woodpecker (Picus viridis). Its etymology is imitative, stemming from the sound of the bird's call, often described as a laughing or yelping noise. The word is likely derived from the sound "yaff" or "yaff-yaff," which is then modified with the suffix "-le". The Oxford English Dictionary records the earliest known use of the noun "yaffle" appeared in 1842, in the writings of H.J. Daniel. As a verb, the earliest evidence the OED has is from 1847, found in a dictionary compiled by James Halliwell. is also reportedly used to describe greedy eating, particularly in Royal Navy slang. Examples of "yaffle" used in a sentence: "From the trees, a yaffle's call echoed through the woods." "The farmer recognized the bird as a yaffle, noting its bright green plumage." "Green woodpeckers also live on the reserve, but give out a loud, laughing call, or 'yaffle'." "Over the front door is a large ceramic woodpecker, a 'yaffle' in the local dialect, hence the property's name." "It is called yaffling, and the bird itself is sometimes called the yaffle."

How many of you have had a strong attraction to someone and never let him/her know, because you weren't sure if the feeling was mutual. And if you failed to speak up and eventually drifted apart, how many times have you wondered what might have happened if you had said something. This story is like that. Leoluca (Luca) is attracted to his best mate, Giuliu (Guju). There's a war going on, and when the boys learn that Italy is about to conscript anyone 15 or older into service, they decide to run away. They set out in a small rowboat on the Mediterranean Sea hoping to make it to somewhere they can hide out until the war is over and there is no longer a chance of being drafted to serve. What happens when they're adrift in such a small boat. Will Luca say something? Will Guju figure out how Luca feels about him, and if so, how will he react. To find this out you'll need to read the short story and find the answers for yourself. You might want to have an Italian - English dictionary with you when you do! Nah, just kidding, you'll be fine without it.

I'm glad one of them found the courage to speak up, or this story would have been a real bummer. We just need the SA to write at least one more chapter to let us know if the made it to land somewhere, if they were conscripted, as if so, did they both survive the war. Did they become a permanent couple, which it looks like they both wanted, or did something else happen. Please, SA, let us know what happen to Luca and Guju.

Liam and Neil are going on one last camping trip before Liam moves to take a new job. Neil is heartbroken, because even though he and Liam are best friends, Neil has been attracted to Liam for a long time, although Liam doesn't know it. Neil tries to make the best of it, but during the night, something totally unexpected happens. This might not only be their last night together, but it might end up as their last night period. To find out what occurred, read this captivating and action packed short story that will keep you guessing about what's going to happen next, and I'm sure that you'll be glad you took my advice.

This one definitely kept my attention the entire way. A final camping trip before Liam leave turned into much more than he, Neil, and even I expected. When Liam ran out of the tent and the ensuing rapid descent down the mountainside had me thinking this was going to be a tragedy, and of course, with no happy ending. Then when Neil started down to rescue him, I was sure it was going to be a double tragedy and their bodies wouldn't be found for months, possibly even years. However, I didn't expect the solution that the SA came up with, and thank god these aliens weren't like the aliens in the Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man". I'm glad it turned into a true love story with a romantic ending. Thanks for this fascinating short story, SA.

Damn, not all spider eyes are in the same location, same size, or same number of eyes in the various sub-species of spiders.