Testing Grounds – Chapter 1

Set in a near-future science-fiction story, a doctor makes a breakthrough in gene therapy that has world-changing applications.  Away from prying eyes, he tests his discovery on an unsuspecting young woman and documents her changes.

 

May 23rd, 2057 11:24 am PST

Like a spy cloaked against its enemies, three small spiked shapes danced unnoticed by the neighboring cells floating in the culture dish.  Dimmed light from the monitor lit Dr. Campbell’s face while he watched the movement of the magnified sample.  Computers hummed in the darkened room, providing power to the algorithms that automatically tracked and recorded the specimens.

Dr.…

The Lady Wore Red – Chapter 4

Lily stood from the couch and looked around the little room.  She listened to the faint howl of the wind outside the house while she ordered her thoughts.  The small tree near her front window clawed the glass in slow patterns, sounding all the world like a ship groaning in high winds.  The living room lights flickered and Lily frowned in consternation.  Now, she thought.  What do I need to do?  Makeup?  Something nice to wear?  Neither thought filled her with excitement but she made her way to her bedroom to find what she could.

Every footstep and creak in the house sounded amplified as the growing storm muffled the outside world. …

Layers Chapter 10

What does one wear when one knows one is going to transform into a massive werewolf killing machine later in the evening?  And, yes, that works as both a “werewolf that is a killing machine” and a “werewolf-killing machine” except not a machine, per se.  I don’t need Thomas suddenly appearing in a puff of disgusting, putrid stench to tell me that “Surprise!  You were a robot all along!  Lolz!”  I can handle a lot of stuff but I think that would be my breaking point.  So, what does a young sexy werewolf lady wear?  Something you don’t particularly care about? …

Layers Chapter 9

Consider the scene.

Elaine stands at the door with a small bag of various things.  I smell salt and vinegar chips, beef jerky and the aforementioned condoms.  Mostly those because the chemical latex smell is somehow mocking my lack of foresight.  Goddamn these hormones and Stephen’s body.  That sexy, sexy body.  Elaine smells slightly anxious and something close to jealous but not quite that.  It’s a complex thing and I’m not sure how to untangle it just yet.  I don’t think it’s entirely bad.  Probably.  I like her outfit and a small piece of me quickly wonders if I’d look as cute as her in it. …

Layers Chapter 8

I used to think my world made some basic, normal sense.  You are born basically the gender you die with (although, no, hah, not really, I guess) and, well, science.  It works.  The science.  There’s nothing strange or unusual in the world and karma doesn’t exist.  Neither do ghosts or witches or things that go bump in the night.

The world was plain.

Now, here I am, in my bedroom with a man and a woman that I turned into werewolves.  I am a completely different person – a woman now rather than a man.  Oh, and a werewolf, as well. …

The Coin

The mid-day rush of people frantically making their way to or from lunch swarmed around Kelly as she dodged along the wide, hot sidewalk.  Her muted apologies (Sorry!, Excuse me!, I’m so sorry!) were smothered by the buzzing of conversations, traffic and the sound of the world around her.  At a little over five feet tall and a tiny bit under 110 pounds, she felt like a (Duck?  Water bug?  Hamster in a hamster ball thing?) fighting the raging current of a monstrous river.  She grinned at the thought of a hamster furiously scrambling in a floating ball before apologizing to a faceless stranger that accidentally elbowed her.…

Layers Chapter 7

Elaine turns to look at the two men across the street. I watch as she closes her eyes and sniffs. A strand of her red hair comes loose in the wind and flutters across her small, freckled nose. I watch her hair move and marvel at the way she looks. There’s a complicated play of emotions running through my body while I watch. She’s attractive to me – very much so. But, I feel this ache deep in my soul that makes me think of some base emotion – something deeper than love. I can’t put it into words exactly but I want to take her and just go.…

Jenny

Craig launched the shortcut to his Chrome browser with a practiced click.  His old, ragged office chair creaked as he leaned forward.  Without thought, he opened the link to his local Craigslist section and went to the ‘casual encounters’ section.  The young man brushed a few oily strands of thin brown hair away from his eyes as he browsed the ‘women for men’ listings.  He picked at a few acne scars absentmindedly with his left hand while he filtered through the ads.  Only once had he had luck with the site – if it could be called luck.  He soon learned that if a dollar sign appeared anywhere in the ad, the lady expected to be paid for her troubles. …

The Magic School Bus: Halloween Special

Chapter 1

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Arnold’s car rolled to a stop on the shoulder of the small two lane road, gravel crunching beneath the tires. The private road in front of him seemed to lead nowhere and even the full moon, fat and pure silver didn’t give him an idea of where it went. His old Volvo shook as it idled. I should just turn around, he told himself. This is such a bad idea. Instead, he turned on the dome light above him to read the email he’d printed yesterday.

 

“WELCOME TO THE 20TH REUNION OF MS. FRIZZLE’S 3RD GRADE CLASS!!!”…

Simple Needs

My daily routine?

 

I get home around 5 or so.  I work at a 7-11 early in the morning and then I take a couple computer classes at the local community college on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  When I’m home, I usually spend a couple hours catching up on a few of the shows I’ve missed throughout the week.  I like the CSI shows and I loved the old Law and Order series.  The newer ones are okay but the old ones are the best.  My absolute favorite episodes are where the elitist assholes try to get away with everything and then fail. …