August stories Poll #2 - Sisters

3 polls again this month because...why not? 😊 Please vote for your favorites in each category! It's one vote per patron in each poll.


Ngatea
The English girl laughs a lot, and I’m not all that funny. We’re in a bar, so maybe she’s just drunk, but she doesn’t seem drunk, you know? She just seems like she’s having fun.
Her name is Seren, and she’s pretty without having to try too hard. Girl next door kinda thing, you know? I haven’t made an effort tonight, just showed up at the bar in T-shirt and sh...
2022-07-16 13:07:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Parkdale
Ever since I met Danny, I thought he looked handsome in stripes. He disagreed; he would always return the shirts I bought him.
He won’t return clothes now. He wears whatever I pick out for him. He’s much more agreeable now.
Most of the time, anyway.
“Brrr, are those wipey-wipes cold? Mummy’s sorry, sweetie. Gotta make you all cl...
2022-07-13 12:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Three days ago, I woke up wet. Lying in the dark, my skin damp, I was filled with dread.
I’ve wet myself. I have the virus.
These kinds of thoughts are automatic these days.
When I turned on the light, I understood that it wasn’t me. It was Sam. My full-grown husband with the most immature of accidents.
It was the first symptom of the APP virus.
“I’m screwed,” Sam said, his head in his hands. “My life is over.”
I stripped the...
2022-06-27 22:06:41 +0000 UTC View Post
I must be honest; following the latest APP protocols feels like stepping onto the glass floor at the top of the CN tower.
I’m reminded of what my big sister Diane said all those years ago, when I was afraid to move beyond the scuff plate. “Come on, Tim, don’t be such a scaredy-cat! If it can handle the weight of 35 moose, I’m pretty sure it can handle you!”
How did she know about the moose? She read it in the guidebook.  ...
2022-06-24 12:00:11 +0000 UTC View Post
So I got carried away with our first June flash tale, which means it's taking a little longer to finish it. On the plus side, the double-length tale will be released in full on Friday.
2022-06-21 19:23:57 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you to our Helpers for great story ideas, and thank you voters for choosing from our 3 categories.
Our 3 winning ideas for July:
Amber doesn’t expect to spend much time with her friend Dawn anymore. Not since what happened. But she makes an effort to visit – just a coffee, she won’t stay long – because what happened isn’t Dawn’s fault.
“It must have been such a shock,” Amber says, looking with pity at Andrew as he sits on the floor and plays with baby toys.
Dawn laughs. “A little bit!” She passes a mug of coffee to her friend. “Hold it by the handle, it’s hot.” She continues, “Yo...
2022-06-17 11:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
3 polls this month because...why not? 😊 Please vote for your favorites in each category! It's one vote per patron in each poll.
2022-06-15 12:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostAndrew doesn’t hear her. He’s too busy enjoying the sensation of the material against his genitals, so thick and soft, secure and reassuring.
“Good boy. You’re gonna like it even more when you have a tinkle. See? I told you I wasn’t a monster.”
This gets Andrew’s attention. He shakes his head, even as he sighs with pleasure. “Don’t tinkle,” he mumbles.
Millie giggles. “Oh, I think you will. Everyone does, because these are magic undies, and...
2022-06-15 10:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
3 polls this month because...why not? 😊 Please vote for your favorites in each category! It's one vote per patron in each poll.
2022-06-14 12:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post3 polls this month because...why not? 😊 Please vote for your favorites in each category! It's one vote per patron in each poll.

Andrew looks at Millie with wide eyes and realizes that he doesn’t understand any of this. The calm from before has been replaced by something more tiring. He could curl up into a ball and hibernate. He could do with a nice, long nap.
Millie smiles. She puts her hands to his face, stroking his skin with gentle fingers. “Aw, look at you. There you go, sleepy head.” She winks at him and then says conversationally, “Sometimes it takes a while, I’m left twiddling my thumbs, and so...
2022-06-13 11:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
When Andrew enters his office, he sees that Millie is there already. She has a Sweeties box beside her, probably filled with personal belongings. The woman must know that she’s about to be fired.
“You got an idea why I called you in here?” asks Andrew, taking his seat behind the desk.
The plump brunette gives her head a little shake. “No, boss.”
Seriously? Andrew looks down at his hands, as if inspecting hi...
2022-06-10 11:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Our APP Virus month kicks off in style this Friday, with our exclusive tale, "Button"... 😊
2022-06-08 02:22:26 +0000 UTC View PostIt’s a Sno Cone food truck day, which Brooke prefers. Churros are okay, but she always used to say, in her opinionated teenage years, that churros were just Mexican donuts in the wrong shape.
She doesn’t make that observation today. Partly because the churros truck isn’t here, and partly because it’s something that fifteen-year-old Brooke might say. And even though that’s exactly who Brooke is, it’s not who she’s pretending to be.
Holding her...
2022-05-30 18:24:53 +0000 UTC View PostRoutine is so important, when you have small children. They take comfort in regularity, and at the same time, they will test the boundaries.
Every school day afternoon, after naps and rest time, Mom takes the kids to the park. Depending on the day of the week, there’s a food truck offering ice-creams, or churros, or shaved ice. A reward for good boys and girls, for spelled words and completed puzzles.
This is the routine, and today should be no different.
“What then?” ...
2022-05-28 16:12:29 +0000 UTC View PostThere’s plenty to worry about.
It doesn’t take long for Steve to get dressed. He’s not distracted by thoughts of dinosaurs, he’s not wrong-footed by second grade spelling words.
The crackle is back. Moments after returning to his bedroom, Steve picks up on the pillow’s crackle. He holds it to his ear, like a kid listening for the ocean through a sea shell.
But he’s not a kid, not really. He’s eighteen years old and under some kind of spell.
The crackle pr...
2022-05-27 22:49:02 +0000 UTC View PostEighteen-year-old Steve goes through to the living room, to find his fifteen-year-old sister on the ground working with Mom on a puzzle designed to challenge preschoolers.
“Where’s the kitty’s tail at?” Mom asks her daughter. The puzzle piece is obvious, and yet Brooke is delighted to find it, smacking it with her palm. “I got it, Mommy!”
“You sure did, clever girl. Now, see if it fits.”
Steve looks over the pair, pillow in front of his remaining hardness. Hi...
2022-05-24 22:42:40 +0000 UTC View Post
There's still a May exclusive tale to finish of course, but I wanted to say 1) thank you for the excellent APP virus ideas and 2) thank you for voting! Here's our 3 winning ideas for June:
Los Olivos, California
Like always, John has done all the work. He has cooked the pulled pork, made fresh guacamole, sliced the salad veggies. He even set the table – or tables, one for the grown-ups and one for the kids – and he has put bowls of sour cream and shredded Mexican cheese on both.
He has done all of this, even though he will not be thanked.
“You feeding an army?” His older sister Becky laughs as soon as she sees the ...
2022-05-20 11:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Maynard, KY
“For the life of me, Hayley, I don’t understand how you could possibly imagine that is appropriate for a family photo.”
Mom is saying all the right things, but her daughter doesn’t blush like she used to. It’s as if, at nineteen years of age, she’s finally gotten a mind of her own.
Hayley pushes her shoulders back. “What are you saying? That black lives don’t matter?”
Mom glances at Dad – Jump in any time...
2022-05-17 20:38:16 +0000 UTC View PostAfter breakfast, it’s Steve’s job to clear the table, a small chore that helps make his family run more smoothly in the morning, so that Mommy can get Brooke dressed and ready for the day.
It’s a school day, but school is at home, and Mommy is the teacher. So there is no yellow bus to catch, there are no friends to catch up with at recess. And that’s okay, because they get more learning that way. Other children can be a distraction, other children can be bullies. Steve can look ...
2022-05-15 19:08:26 +0000 UTC View Post
For our June tales, special helpers decided we should have 'APP Virus' stories and then came up with some excellent ideas. And I'm delighted to reveal our 10 ideas for your consideration.
Please vote for your favorites - you can vote for as many as you like, and this poll is open to all!
2022-05-15 13:51:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Steve wakes up to the sound of interference. Like an old-timey radio crackling between stations. He lies there for a few seconds, eyes closed, wondering about his ears.
He sits up, and the sound fades. He frowns, looks around his bedroom. There’s his Legos, most of them tidied away in a box, but the fire rescue and police chase kit is on the ground.
It was completed last nigh...
2022-05-08 10:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostIt’s just for pretend. It’s just a game, like when Kyle played soccer in the back yard. And it’s an easy game, too. Kyle just has to do as he’s told. He just has to be a good boy for Mommy.
And just as Mommy promised, the game is fun, the game reduces the embarrassment over the birthday party to the faintest glimmer, barely even noticeable.
Guests arrive, parents with their little boys and girls, and the mommies and daddies all agree that Kyle looks perfect in his Paw Patr...
2022-04-30 18:36:50 +0000 UTC View Post