Stories

There are poems of love and love lost

For Halloween 2016

Three teenager thugs try to steal candy from other kids at Halloween, but will they end up being too greedy?

We hate and we love. It hurts.

Four boys who attend one of New York City's elite specialty public high schools face a unique set of challenges as the year draws to a close. Faced with a lost bet, Asher and Seth have agreed to spend a New Year's Eve together that neither will ever forget, and they've talked their friend, Freck, into hosting a party for the special occasion. In the meantime, Kyle's father makes a surprise offer that will help solidify his burgeoning relationship with Freck. As they count down the final seconds and sing Auld Lang Syne, the four boys will find that their lives have been changed forever.

Calen, the prodigious bardic-mage of Corariel, walks a dangerous road. Possessed of unruly storm magic, he has only ever known the will of those who would spin his powers for personal gain. Galdrian, a would-be knight, never wanted to be a mage. Surprised by the signs of divination magic within him, he suddenly finds himself at odds with even his own family's traditional beliefs. When the two young men find themselves thrust into each other’s company, they are left with little choice but to face their fears together. For the shadows that grip the region threaten more than just their own precarious paths, but the lives of everyone around them.

H'rek's Rioth is mature enough for her first mating flight, but he's not at all certain how he feels about that.

A part of Cia's 'Flash Fiction' challenge for the GA Newsletter, this short 'one-shot' story details the experience of a gay sibling coming home from college to meet his younger sister's boyfriend for the first time. Is he imagining things, or does he see more of himself in this boy than he expected?

Prompt

Sometimes I steal flowers from your garden on my way to the cemetery, but today you’ve caught me and have demanded to come with me to make sure “the girl is pretty enough to warrant flower theft” and I’m trying to figure out how to break it to you that we’re on our way to a graveyard.

For the residents of New York City, the Covid-19 pandemic took most by surprise. Schools closed and teens and preteens, used to seeing each other everyday, found themselves instead with parents and siblings. Online conferencing was a poor substitute for human touch and nothing could replace the kiss of a boyfriend or girlfriend.

Dave had enough to worry about with his mother being as a nurse, but when she was admitted to the ICU at Bellevue, his uncles from Seattle and his boyfriend became his lifeline. He couldn't help but wonder, though, what would become of him if she didn't make it.

Set in the Sanitaria Springs universe and featuring the perspective of Marshall as he comes to term with nearly a full year of dating his surprise boyfriend, the quirky Isaac. Knowing how his boyfriend's mind works - kind of - Marshall sets out to learn from the lessons of their Valentine's Day now that Halloween has rolled around. One thing has become clear to Marshall over the last year - this thing with Zac is real - but is it scary?