Stories

Ayden worked hard to make a better life for his son; he was so close to being done with school, then he could get one good job instead of working two jobs and studying at night. Then they could move out of their tiny apartment, into a nicer place, and have a decent schedule. He just wants to give Anthony a better life, all the things a little boy wants and needs, and spend quality time with his son. Of course he'd ask Santa for a dog for Christmas.

Prompt pieces in a high fantasy setting:
Teague Imlach is a young wizard. He's been brought up isolated on the mages' island since he was a toddler and is a bit awkward as a result. Now he discovers friendship for the first time. There is much to unearth from a person's past as you get to know them, especially if they have seen war, the edge of the known world, and lived a full life before you were even born.
And maybe there are different kinds of friendship.

Remembering summer nights and lakeside settings, best friends come together to renew their camping traditions one year after graduating high school. Lee is nervous his drunken coming out via Skype has ruined everything. But an invite and the glimmer of hope they can repair their friendship is impossible for him to turn down, especially after Lee spent a lonely year at college.

Twelve-year-old Simon stands in the play yard breaking his best friend's heart, and is doing it for all the 'wrong reasons' – reasons of fear-based bigotry and homophobia. He must decide whose side he is on, and remembers the school year as a series of ups and downs, and of joys and sorrows. One memory may be able to make him do the right thing after all, if he can accept its message.

Ryan is only eighteen, but he knows what homelessness is like. When the offer came for a job out in the Oregon wilderness, no questions asked, he jumped at the chance. Three grand for two weeks' work sounded too good to be true. And maybe it is. His new boss is... strange. And Ryan has heard rumors that there were others before him, all of them young, hired to come and work at the manor. The funny thing is, none of them were ever seen again…

Zach is forced to move out of his house due to the rules of nature. In his new home, he tackles every day with energy and optimism.

And as he does, he meets the friends he'll be linked to for the rest of his life.

Two friends take the next step, wondering what they have let themselves in for.

Freck and Kyle are both seniors and they’re out and proud. They’re also protégées, as Kyle just turned eleven and Freck is about to turn thirteen, on the day after Christmas. Kyle wants to get his boyfriend something special, but the watch Freck likes is way out of Kyle’s price range. Maybe with help from friends and family, and with a lot of self-sacrifice, he can swing it, but they’ll both learn the greatest gift is one they already share - the love of family.

Brian and Danny are married. But they are stuck in limbo and can’t get past it. Can an Advent calendar, some Christmas ornaments, and a cigarette get them beyond the stasis that has frozen their lives? Will the lights of Christmas shining in the darkness help them find the peace they truly need? This is a Christmas story in eight parts.

Henry is a loner attending an exclusive Silicon Valley boarding school. A mysterious new kid shows up mid term in order to guide Henry on a monumental adventure.