Bill W

A monster snowstorm and a day off from school, so what would two young teenagers do? First they'd go out and play in the snow, and then after they go back inside, they strip down out of their wet clothes and engage in some typical teenage experimentation. You simply must read this charming short story to enjoy the descriptions of the shyness, joy, and typical teenage angst as the day progresses!

Yes, Mac's parents looked and I'm sure Devin will warn his parents about everything that happened. I'm sure there will be a lot of talking with both sets of parents.

Maybe not a four-way then? How about a take on the old hetero game of wife-swapping, but call it boyfriend swapping, although not permanently, just once in a while for a change of pace.

Ross??? If you're talking about Mac's parents you my be right, but you'll have to check out next week's posting to know for certain.

Huh?

Vibrant comes from French vibrant, from Latin vibrans, present participle of vibrare (“to vibrate”). The earliest known use of the adjective vibrant is in the late 1500s. OED's earliest evidence for vibrant is from 1572, in the writing of John Bossewell, author. A vibrant person shows great life, great activity, and great energy. A vibrant person is alive in the deepest part of his or her soul and flourishes in every season of life. A vibrant color need not necessarily be as saturated as a bright one, it could be much paler but still be pure and very powerful. Fluorescent colors would fit the bill here, but there is another way to think of vibrant color(s).

Yep, the cat's out of the bag, so to speak. Now we wait to see what the blowback from this revelation is going to be.

Yes, Mac's parents were unusually calm after the initial shock and awe about what they saw. And Mac will definitely remind his mom about saving her from that fall, which he wouldn't have been able to do if he wasn't a skinwalker. And I don't believe Devin's parents are going to be upset, since they know Mac's parents and get along with them. I think they'll also trust them as well.

Chapter 52 – The Ute Mountain Reservation When the alarm went off at 5:00 the next morning, we got dressed and met up with my parents. “Did you sleep well?” I asked as we headed out to get in the SUV. “I slept like a dead man,” Dad answered. “Only if dead men snore,” Mom quipped, “but other than listening to him saw wood, I slept very well too after I got the earplugs in.” “I’m glad to hear that because Devin and I slept like babies.” “You mean when you woke up you

Stuart and Cyril are friends, and Stuart uses questionable tactics in an attempt to help Cyril get out of a physically abusive relationship with Fred. Helping his friend is an admirable goal, but was Stuart going to far while doing this? Read the story and make that determination yourself.

It was an interesting story, even though Stuart used questionable means to achieve the desired goal of getting Cyril to realize that his relationship with Fred was an abusive one. I'm glad it worked out and Stuart didn't get into trouble for what he did, and Cyril got help to escape an abusive relationship.

A beautifully written story about a young man, Tommy, who is dealing with clinical depression. He goes through some rough times and is eventually taken off the street by a man with a good heart, Tarek, whom he'd met briefly several years before. The relationship eventually turns into a romantic one, and they have some good times mixed in with the bad times, but neither ever loses his love for the other one. Although this is a sad short story, it deals with the serious issue of clinical depression, which is a hot topic in today's society, and this story may give you a better understanding about this illness.

Tim, this was a beautiful yet sad story. I loved how Tarek first met Tommy, it was so sweet and innocent, and I leapt with joy when Tarek found Tommy again and convinced him to go home with him and to stay there. I loved how their relationship developed and I cringed when the dark side of Tommy began to appear, due to his depression. The ending was devastating and difficult to read, although I could understand both Tommy and Tarek's reactions to what was going to occur. I can empathize with you about how difficult it must have been to write that, because I wrote a story where I made difficult choices as well. The first story I wrote was called "A Tragic Love", which I wrote in reaction to the senseless death of Matthew Shepard. I knew when I started the story that both of the main characters would die before I finished writing the story, although in separate incidents. It didn't help that I'd based those two characters loosely on myself and my best friend from high school, so I was a mass of tears as I wrote the chapter where each one died. I'm sure you experienced the same thing I did and used up a box of tissues as you were writing about Tommy's death. Kudos, my friend, on a job well done.

This is a fantastic story about love, romance, and even jealousy. You will find the characters interesting and easy to relate to, the storyline believable, and the actions and reactions entertaining, touching, and occasionally frightening. This story is well worth your time and effort, so give it a read. You won't regret it.

Cassie, I loved this wonderful and romantic story. I was a little worried when the two couples first met up at the bar, because I thought Max and Drew might have been looking to hook up for a four-way, but I'm glad it just turned out to be more a hookup of friends with mutual interests - Wyatt and Drew liked to dance, Max and Gray didn't, but they found other common interests, such a pool and a friendship with Leon and Neil. I also got a kick out of Gray agonizing over choosing a ring, and I was thrilled at how the proposal played out. Great job!

This is a brilliant story about a relationship that started out loving and turned dark, including how that cycle was eventually broken. The story is powerfully written and you can feel the emotions experienced by the couple, both through the highs and the lows, as well as during the backstory. This tale ends on a positive note, though, giving us all something to smile about. Do yourself a favor and give this short story a read, and I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

Gary, I'm just getting around to reading the stories in anthologies that I didn't get to before and I just found this story. It was dark, and I felt bad for Chester. My step-father was physically abusive to my mother, and whenever someone asked her about a blackeye or bruises on her arms or face, she'd always come up with some ridiculous excuse that no one believed, not even me, and I was only 8 or 9 at the time. That's how I could relate to Chester. I'm glad you worked it out the way you did, with Mark coming to Chester in a dream, repenting, and even explaining the reason he'd committed suicide. I also thought the addition of Jordy was brilliant, especially when he admitted to picking up on the signs with Chester and then explaining about his sister. Leaving it open at the end that there might be a possible relationship there left us all feeling good about Chester's future. Btw, after reading Mark's confession about having killed his father, I immediately began to wonder if he'd buried his father under or near that tree and it was why he was able to connect with Chester there, because he'd already had a connection to the tree and it's how he located Chester there. Strange, but that's what I was thinking. Anyway, great job and I really enjoyed this story.

From lassitude, exhaustion, and fatigue to energetic. @Myr must have had a Red Bull. 🤪

Energetic come from the Greek words ergon (work), energéō (to to be active), and energētikós to English in the 1600s. The earliest known use of the word is in the writings of Alexander Richardson, a logician, in 1629

"Culled" is a truly fascinating sci-fi story! I was riveted to my screen, unable to stop reading until I reached the end. Parker Owens has created a thought provoking and realistic world with characters you can identify with, no matter whether it's to love them or hate them. His dystopian world will have you cheering for the main character to solve the predicament that's confronting him as he attempts to save his lover. If you're a sci-fi fan/addict, then you won't want to miss reading this wonderful and imaginative tale.

Parker, I just came across this story and I have to commend you for writing it. I was glued to the screen and couldn't stop reading until I finished. The world you created almost had a Harry Potter feel to it, with your portals being the fireplaces in the Floo Network, although the portals operated on a teleportation system, similar to the Star Trek transporters. You must have done a lot of research to make the story seem so real and so disturbing with the dark theme, but you pulled it off. And the characters seemed so real that I was as worried about what happened to Kee as Loy was, especially after hearing the Judge's reaction to Loy's problem. Thank you very much, you did an excellent job and I second the comment Carlos made back in 2018. Oh, and by the way, some people suggested that Loy could get rich in 2018 using the knowledge he brought with him, but I wonder how he'd be able to pull that off. He and Kee would not have any records, no birth certificates, school records, no online history, so how would he explain who he was and how he got there. Would people in 2018 consider him a threat, possibly even alien, rather than an asset? He might find out that 2018 isn't as wonderful as he hoped.

If you enjoy well-written sci-fi, where aliens are invading the earth, then this short story is for you. It has a believable and action-packed storyline, with interesting and relatable characters, and it will keep you on your toes as you read along. It's also a romantic story, so you get two-in-one as you read it.

I'm late and just going back and reading the anthologies that I didn't get to before, but I was impressed by this story and enjoyed it very much. Not only did it have a good storyline, but it also had relatable characters, and a happy ending. Thank you so much for sharing this story with us. PS: I would to see how Simon and Fred were doing raising their two sons in this post-apocalyptic world.

A very powerful story addressing a problem in today's society in the U.S. - gun violence. This short story is well-written and forcefully addresses a student's reaction to gun violence and how some of those in power, both political and educational, attempt to stifle the protests and discussions on this subject. Read this story - it might change your mind.

I know this response is very late, but I just read this story and noted your response. First of all, the Second Amendment states the following: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" At the time, any citizen could be part of the militia (and they could remain a member of that militia as a civilian for life), which today might more appropriately referred to the armed forces, so the right of the people belonging to the militia (armed services) shall not to be infringed. The army should have weapons they need to protect the nation, but it doesn't mean those not belonging to that group should have the same weapons. Even Justice Antonin Scalia, the Republican Justice and Second Amendment defender stated: “Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited. [It is] not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” What that means is that being able to bear arms do not mean the right to any weapons, no matter how dangerous. Those weapons should be the purview of the military, or the militia as stated in the Second Amendment.