BendtedWreath

I'm sorry for your loss. I bet she had an amazing garden.

When you become Adrift in your fantasies, you can sometimes not realize what's warm, real, and within reach. I really enjoyed this one!

How many hours had he spent down at the docks when he should've been in school? - Haha! “Merda!” - Language! Now there was only them, the boat, and the one remaining sealed jar of fresh water that had somehow survived the chaos. No oars, and no food – not that there'd been much left. - Well, shit. They put it into action the following day, knowing time was against them. Both he and Giuliu put everything they'd got into it. And it led to them being stranded in a boat, without food, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. - Damn. After a heartstopping few seconds, he found the oar, still floating. Where was Giuliu? - I'm not panicking right now. Not one bit. Without knowing how he’d gotten there, he rolled over, covered his friend's body with his own and kissed him. - Let's go! “You don't get to weasel your way out of this, Luca. Not when I spent years hoping you'd notice me. But hey, what chance do I have against your fevered imagination?” Bitterness was creeping in. - Bro, it's not what you think! This was great! Another of my favorites this season!

This is yet another favorite of mine out of this year's SA entries. Well, well done!

That is, unless you want to be known as someone who doesn’t finish. Believe me, if you’re a bachelor or bachelorette, that doesn’t bode well if that saucy rumor were to spread. - Haha! I will find you, and I will steal your shoelaces. - 🤣 Okay, think Seth Rogen, but if he ever became serious enough to narrate a season of “Planet Earth” or some other fascinating animal-slash-nature documentary series. - HAHAHA I turned on my Bluetooth headphones, selected “Epic: The Musical” on my Spotify playlist - Ruthlessness is Mercy Upon Ourselves...Ourselves! I instinctively swallowed. Oh, no. Was this some psychedelic tomfoolery afoot? - Just what's in that vodka? 🤣 Also, if you find the asshole who ran me over, steal his shoelaces for me. - Oh no! 🤣 This one read like a fusion of the brainchild of an offspring made of a fusion between @astone2292 x @wildone I'm completely thrown off. Enjoyed the hell out of it, though!

The sub-genre's exactly what you get. A very fun read. Acquaintances gossip behind your back. True friends gossip right in front of your face.

Ben was very quiet./Jimmy was very quiet. - These two are a little too quiet. Jayson picked his jaw off of the table, "No way. Isn't that like cradel robbing?" He motioned at the diminutive Ben./"Hey!" Ben sounded annoyed. - Oh no!! 🤣I feel your pain, Ben #2! This was another short that had me cackling. Thanks for sharing!

I just noticed that about the name. Also:

Caught me redhanded! 🤣

I didn't remember if I had read your work before, so I peeked at this story randomly. Reading the rest will have to wait until after I catch up on SA entries, but I'm already hooked, and not just because there's a Benny in this one. 😂

Some bonds are so strong that even death can't break them apart.

This one was quite imaginative. I must say that the way Neil's feelings were conveyed so openly that even the foreign visitors managed to reconstruct Liam from his memories alone was a real pleasure to read.

This felt more like a first chapter than a completed entry. I hope I'm right.

I'd like to read more. It's a shame what happened to Darren's parents. That felt as sudden to me while reading as it was to Darren, it seems.

I perceived this as a fractured self just after the fracturing. As someone who struggles with the fear and disgust of becoming even a shadow of the violence I've seen, I am unable to relate to this character. But this entry was well-written, nevertheless.

If a few minutes could change a person's life, four hours can skew the whole world or an entire perspective, indeed.

It's hard to remember that there are less loud ignorant voices than softer heartfelt ones. And it's frustrating when the fear keeps the softer voices from speaking out...which is not as challenging as caring for all the voices just the same.

I feel really lucky this SA season to read so many stories with genres I absolutely love. I don't want to give anything away, though. So, I'll just say, this one was one of my favorites.

Jules drove the rutted back roads with knowledge only locals have. - Loved that opening. I have many a friend that drives the local backroads like a maniac. Jules knew he was close to his prey. - Oh, wow. Wonder what he's hunting. The human footprints stopped and were replaced by a set of large, clawed paw prints. - Uh-oh. Looks like a were-bear, possibly. - Whoa! “This is bad, Bobby. It’s feeling like vampire.”/“Shit. Why would they kill the mayor?” - Right? “We should assume both, I think.” - Hell. “Well, the teeth they used to puncture the skin are all somewhat of a different shape. I believe there were approximately eight to ten of them.” - *making the sign of the cross* “All right, you, eat up. I’ll be downstairs preparing stakes.” - Haha! Oh man, I really loved this. I have a couple of guesses, but either way I enjoyed reading it.

This was an excellent read. One I'll likely read again later on. Relatable and heartfelt.

I promised myself when I graduated high school that I’d never come back to this town. Not for holidays, not for funerals, and definitely not for a reunion. - Only two sentences in and I'm already sold. House sold, assets split, boxes packed - I read that sentence a little too fast and saw "Asses split" but even those words fit the mood of that sentence just fine. College led to ROTC. That led to officer candidate school, then a career in the Navy. - Oh, wow. Talk about riding that trajectory all the way. I’d spent most of my adult life dodging nostalgia like it was a trap. Turns out, sometimes it disguises itself as peace. - Well, those were my favorite lines thus far. They hit me right in the chest. My first reaction wasn’t nostalgia. It was suspicion./How the hell did they get my address? - Right? And for the first time since opening the damn envelope, I actually smiled./"Curtis? So you and Jason, huh?” - Nice! Recognition and a smile is good! “He’s an administrator at the community college now. When we were putting the list together, he thought he saw your name in some paperwork. Had to go digging to be sure it was the same Jacob Cooper, and… well, you know.” - That explains that. If I was really going through with this, I figured I needed some intelligence data. Something to run recon on before I walked back into a room full of ghosts. - HAHAHA! He never touched me. Never pushed. Never got caught./Just chipped away, one comment at a time, until I started holding my breath whenever he walked into a room. - What an ass. She had a rhythm to it, like she’d rehearsed. I got a dozen double-takes, a few wide smiles, and more than a handful of oh wow, you look greats./It was surreal.- Haha! Derek Foster./Older. Sharper. More put-together than any man had a right to be after twenty years. - Darn. “Good seeing you again,” I said with a smile that didn’t reach anywhere near my heart. “Let’s make sure we never do this again.” - "See you never." “Yeah,” he said with a small, sheepish nod. “I’m the principal of this high school now.”/I stared at him, then cracked a grin. “You? Enforcing order? I'm honestly shocked the place is still standing.” - That's what I'm saying. Now we get to choose it, deliberately, and with everything we’ve learned. - That's fair. Not what I would have personally chosen, but I'm not Jacob. This was a great read. Very smooth from start to finish. I enjoyed it.

Get swept away into the drama and twists that span two whole generations. I know this writer's unique style, and I really enjoyed reading this entry.

The boy took his girlfriend out to a fancy dinner - Oh, I didn't realize it was a straight couple. I need to stop assuming things. “Maybe six months,” he answered sheepishly. That was a lie. The condom had made the boy’s wallet home for about two years. - Uh-oh. “I hope he won’t mind having two fathers,” Martin said. - Of course not! Martin thought, “Jamie’s going to tell Cal that I’m his birth father, and Cal is going to come out to Jamie. I’m glad I won’t be there, but I would sure like to be the invisible man.” - HAHAHA!! “Be careful,” Martin warned. “Don’t make the same mistake I did.” - HAHAHA!! Not even halfway through the story I knew exactly who wrote it, but I'm not telling.

A peek into a world that feels so deeply established as it it always existed? Fantastical characters thrust into high stakes peril? Love and loss? What more could you ask for if you're a fan of dark fantasy?

She poured herself a glass of clear orange wine. - Might have to stop by the liquor store on my way back home and pick up a bottle myself. “I’m going North to find the man I love.” Jonah braced for the inevitable reprimand. /Tomas knew of Timon. - The man he loves is named Timon? I have a strong gut feeling I know who wrote this. It can theoretically be one of two people, but I am leaning one person over the other.