Chris191070 - Reviewed - Stories

A re-interpretation of a Classic Fairy Tale:

Brad Brooks has become isolated, self-destructive, and beastly to others around him. Beau Cocteau is a petite and kindhearted gay college student with no family and few friends. A chance encounter one night will begin a tale as old as time.

Matt Stevens is a normal sixteen-year-old. He goes to school and makes good grades. Even though he is being raised in an extremely religious home, he manages to do well. Then, unexpectedly, his life takes an abrupt turn late one night when his best friend, Ricky, kisses him while wrestling on the bed. Matt starts to question his own sexuality, and he begins to realize he is gay. His life starts to spiral out of control, leading to many unexpected twists and turns.

Tristan Rader and Gavin Munson met as four-year-olds and almost immediately became best friends. However, their time together ended the summer before fifth grade when Gavin’s father got a new job and his family moved away. As the pair grew older, their paths would cross and bring them together in unexpected ways, only to have fate intercede and cause them to lose contact yet again. Will the journey of life win in the end or will fate triumph? Only time will tell.

This is my entry for the Fall/Winter 2021 anthology, ‘A Winding Path’

Cory and Mark are BFFs who have faced all of life’s milestones together. They’re about to travel a dark path, until realizing the light will shine again on a different day. This story is an exploration of friendship and grief, and may be difficult for some to read.

When my wife died, I decided to move back to Indiana, to spend more time with my grandson. Noticing that Cliff seemed despondent, I decided that a fall hike in Clifty Falls State Park was just what he needed. Suspecting that he was gay, it turned out he was, but his affect was related to something else entirely. We learned a lot about each other and the path we took turned out to be metaphorical as well.

Jordan is a reluctant werewolf in a world that celebrates monsters. Stuck with a curse that can never be lifted, his life seems like it will never improve. Until he finds a young man on the streets in need of his help.

Can this monster help a stranger in his time of need?

One summer well before the Bolshevik revolution, when Russia was a noble country, young Alexei, as was the custom of the time, left the city with his family, for the countryside.

It was a time of discovery, excitement, longing, and also sadness. A time in which he made new acquaintances and fought battles with himself, as the child he still was struggled free from many constraints into a world of dangerous possibilities.

Short pink tales.

Running from his abusive Dad, seventeen-year-old Kyle skips out on his old life and searches for a new one far from his old home. Spanning halfway across the country, Kyle ends up in St. Clement, where he meets a boy who likes him. Getting involved in the gritty underworld of St. Clement; the romance is cut short, and the adventure is turned to terror as both boys are forced to go on the run to stay alive.

Owen's teen life changes a great deal after the overnight success of his music band, Black Fox. But in some ways, his love life specifically, it doesn't seem to move an inch. A surprise encounter at one of their gigs pushes him to take matters in his own hands.

Hands are extremely important body parts for every drummer boy, right?