Mark Ponyboy Peters

-- Chapter Thirty-one -- After leaving the inspector’s office and returning to the squad room, we found ourselves being greeted by a room full of expectant faces. Actually, it would be more accurate to say it was an almost full room of expectant faces plus one face which now seemed to have a scowl permanently etched upon it. ‘So, what’s the plan?’ Craig Andarakis asked us, almost as soon as we walked through the door. ‘Do you have any leads on this Corcoran guy?’ ‘Very few,’ Helen

-- Chapter Thirty -- ‘You’re awful quiet,’ Helen said to me as we made our way across town. ‘What’s up?’ ‘What? Oh, nothing much really. I was just going over a few things in my head.’ ‘Such as?’ ‘Adam said yesterday that it has sure been one hell of a week. He definitely got that right!’ ‘Yeah, it really has only been a week since you came on the scene, hasn’t it? It just seems like forever.’ ‘That’s very funny. You should have your own stand-up act . . . they stil

Wow! What a list! How am I going to get through even half of those and still have time to actually write? LOL Thank you to Myr and everyone involved with compiling this! What an effort! And thank you to those readers who took enough of a look at some of my stories to have six of them appear in their respective categories! I truly appreciate your support! Happy New Year to all!!!

@Summerabbacat awww shucks. Thank you.

Thank you @Summerabbacat ... at least your hayfever didn't play up this time! MP

@Philippe oh, even here it pays to look both ways every time! We have some shit drivers! LOL

@Philippe yes, it is basically a massive Pride parade ... the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, is the official title. Happy New Year ❤️

-- Chapter Twenty-nine -- Turning to face Nick’s mother I found a rather anxious looking neighbour looking my way, who had no idea what was happening. ‘Nick’s okay,’ I told her. ‘He’s down near the beach.’ ‘What’s he doing there? Why isn’t he coming home?’ ‘It’s a long story, Wendy, but I promise I’ll explain it all to you as soon as we get back. Adam and I will go and get him . . .’ ‘Who is Adam?’ she quickly asked, just as he appeared at

@Summerabbacat thank you for your thoughts on this one. I think there will be some more of the characters from the other T'ville stories as we go along ... though I will need to be careful I don't give too much away out of those other stories! And you might find this useful..... The number 555 is a telephone prefix (not an area code) primarily reserved for fictional use in North American television shows and films to prevent people from calling real, active numbers. Only a specific range of these numbers are designated for this purpose, while others serve limited, actual functions. Use in Media (Fictional) The main reason for using the 555 prefix in media is to avoid bothering real individuals or businesses with nuisance calls from curious viewers. Using real numbers has historically led to problems, such as people incessantly calling the number from the song "867-5309/Jenny" or the "God" number in the movie Bruce Almighty. To solve this, the range of numbers from 555-0100 to 555-0199 has been specifically set aside by the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) as "fictitious" numbers for use in entertainment. You're welcome

@weinerdog well, I just figured the 555 numbers would be the easiest way to go, as folks already know they get used for "entertainment purposes"!!! lol Oh, so there's a thought ... a Traditions / MGM crossover! Hmmm! LOL

-- Chapter Eleven -- ‘About what comes next.' Yes. That’s what he’d said just before he drifted off to sleep last night. And then I spent most of the rest of the night tossing and turning as Charlie’s words seemed to rattle around in my brain for most of it. What exactly did he mean when he’d said that, I wondered. I truly hoped that I wasn’t reading too much into his response, and that there was nothing for me to worry about, but that didn’t stop my mind from

@Summerabbacat I suspect she will be the type to dump him first ... the first time he can't get it up!

@Calvin nailed it!

-- Chapter Twenty-eight -- Tom and Beth were already on the boat and waiting for us when we finally made it back to them, and I’m sure they could see that we were all in a foul mood when we arrived there, after my having relayed the details of my conversation with Helen to the others. ‘Is everything okay?’ Beth asked as I climbed on board. ‘What has happened?’ For a moment I didn’t reply, instead just watching the two boys go about the business of untying the bo

Ohhh . . . you're a hard man @Summerabbacat

-- Chapter Twenty-seven -- ‘I don’t get it,’ replied Jimmy. ‘Why would you even want to keep his photo?’ ‘It’s not a matter of wanting to keep it, Jimmy. That photo was only sent to me this morning. It was taken by the kid who lives next door to me. The bastard was at my apartment and was asking about me.’ ‘Oh, shit. That can’t be good,’ Shane remarked. ‘You’re not kidding, mate.’ ‘So what are you going to do about it?’ Jimmy asked.

-- Chapter Twenty-six -- ‘Are you okay?’ I heard Adam ask, attempting to drag me back from wherever it was I seemed to have drifted off to. Looking around me, it soon dawned on me just where I was – standing outside Doc Shortis’ surgery – and that I was holding my phone in my hand, with a menacing face looking directly at me on the small display screen. It wasn’t quite the well groomed stalker I had seen earlier in the week . . . this guy now had a few days growth o

@Ivor Slipper perhaps play may be delayed due to a sticky wicket?

@Ivor Slipper for the moment. Players have taken a tea break.

The week before Christmas didn’t feel like Christmas at all. It felt dry. It felt like heat. And it felt like yet another new start in another new town, as sixteen-year-old Cameron Lewis watched the removal van back into the driveway of his family’s new home, being guided into the yard by his bank-manager father. This seemed to be the pattern of the last ten years or so, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it would ever actually end. He was tired of making friends, and losing friends.

Christmas in Australia, in yet another new town. It's hot and dry and there's not really much to look forward to, or so sixteen-year-old Cameron Lewis thinks. But then he stumbles upon a neighborhood game of cricket in a dusty, vacant lot. This might be just what he needs?

-- Chapter Twenty-five -- ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ Helen replied when I mentioned the idea of scouring through the CCTV footage from Bondi railway station. ‘And if you think it was him who you also spotted at the Opera House, maybe their external security cameras might have picked him up there also.’ ‘Yeah. All we need is a hard copy from one of those cameras and not only can we compare it to the photos I’ve found here, but we can also circulate it around the city. Maybe

-- Chapter Twenty-four -- When morning came, slowly seeping into my consciousness, I felt, rather than saw, that it was grey and damp, just as it often is here on the coast, thanks to the mists and clouds rolling in from the sea. As the mornings would wear on, however, these would usually lift, leaving a day that was clear and bright, and filled with hope and promise. I don’t know what it was that woke me, but in that state of semi-consciousness that comes with the transit

-- Chapter Twenty-three -- If you believe what they say – about what happens to our souls after we die – then I suspect that Adam and I weren’t alone as we walked past the gardens and along the gravel paths, before finally standing at the foot of Martin’s grave. It was a still summer afternoon and, in the fading light, looking down upon the grey granite headstone, it appeared to almost be glowing. Some say that we either go to heaven or hell, based on our deeds while walki

@Summerabbacat my sentiments exactly! 100% MP