bigcloset

Too Pretty To Be A Boy -2- Mr. Lajien

Ch.2

I sat beside my mom in the car, and an awkward silence filled the air. I really didn’t know what to talk about, but I could tell that, like always, Mom was trying her best.

“So, what’s bothering you? I can tell there’s something in your mind,” my mom said, her eyes on the road, catching me by surprise. Does she know? I mean, my mom is very smart, and it’s impossible to trick her.

“Relax honey, I don’t know what's going on, but I...

Another Country -7-

I hadn’t known how Mom would react to my showing her my chest, purple nurples and all. “Hm,” she said flatly. “I bet that did hurt.”

I glanced down. The left one still ached and might be turning red, if not exactly purple. I nodded and pulled my shirt back down. What did she think she had seen?

“This has been going on for some time.” A patented Mom non-question that demands an answer.

I made an effort to steer things. “Huh? No, Chud isn’t really a bully.”...

Pete's Vagina -63- Locker Room

The crispness in the air said winter was not too far off, and I thought again about Christmas and what I might get for Lee. And Jake, too. School always seemed oddly quiet this early in the morning, with the eastern sky painted gold and the usual west wind bringing the smell of evergreens off the mountain.

No one around to see me park in the nearly full lot reserved for varsity athletes, and no one greeted me as I crunched across the gravel to the gym.

We had our regular 7:30 a.m....

Fatboy -3- Slutch

Everyone forgot about Slutch. "Story a' my life," the man muttered after zipping himself up. He'd walked out to the entrance of the small, graveled parking lot and pissed on the signpost that held up the crudely painted directions, "Turn here - Dance - Cafe - Pool." It was a tiny and misdirected revenge since as much of it splashed on his boots as discolored the signpost -- and the roadhouse did not actually belong to Fatboy.

Being forgotten really was the story of his life. His mother ...

Curse of the Fountain -10- by Melanie Brown

The Fountain of Youth

By

Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2025

Part 10

“Cheerleader? Really? When did you try out?” asked Mom, continuing the conversation as we walked into the house.

I frowned and crossed my arms. “I didn’t. I’m a conscript.”

Mom sat on the couch next to me and put her arm around my shoulder. “What do you mean, honey? Cheerleaders aren’t drafte...

Girlery -16- Princess Phil

Phil blamed the translator, who had told him that the scroll contained a spell for discovering for oneself a girlfriend of perfection. How was he to know 'discover for' and 'transform into' were the same in ancient Akkadian? But since 'Girlfriend of Perfection' should have read 'Princess Concubine,' life hadn't turned out too badly. Living in the palace with servants was great, at least when she was allowed to leave the bedroom. And her only real job was kind of fun, too.

Too Pretty To Be A Boy -1- by Mr. Lajien

“Are you sure you want to do this?” My dad asked me for the fifteenth time already. I can’t blame him, though. I wasn’t very sure of my decision, but I had to do this. I have had enough of Dicky and Peter. My asshole, older half-brothers, they hate my guts. I don’t even know what I have ever done to them. And yes, we’re half-brothers.

You see, my dad, Harry, had been married before marrying my mom, Lilian. He had my three older brothers from the lady he married before she di...

Another Country -6-

I came at our house the back way through the alley, but Mom was there, chopping at some weeds with a long-handled hoe. The back gate made of pigwire stood wide open. At least I didn’t have to get off my bike to open it.

“Bobby,” she said as I rolled past her. “Grab the garden rake and help me here.”

“Sure, Mom,” I agreed. “Lemme lock the bike up first.” I rolled to the clothesline umbrella, which had a stout iron pole sunk in concrete that I wrapped my bike chain...

Curse of the Fountain -9- by Melanie Brown

The Fountain of Youth

By

Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2024

Part 9

“Your name is Nell?” asked Joey as we walked away from the office area.

I grunted a laugh. “Wasn’t my idea.”

Joey chuckled. “Yeah. None of us get much of a choice. I think you’re the first Nell I’ve ever met. My name’s actually Joseph, but everyone calls me Joey.”

I grinned at him. “Well, Joseph, take me to my locker.”

Joey laughed. “You can call me J...

Fatboy and the Nineball -2- Deputy Dan

Maylene back in the small office behind the kitchen did not call the Sheriff's Office in De Queen but dialed instead the direct cell phone number of Deputy Dan Weathers whose responsibility was the communities along State Line Road in the northwest corner of Sevier County.

"Eyuh," Weathers answered after digging his cellphone out of the little holster on his uniform belt. He was parked in the shade down by the lake, sitting on the hood of his cruiser, bending the metal with his fat ass ...

Dawning: A BCTS Story Challenge

The darkness never changes, but sometimes it smells different. After 400 years, whether my eyes are open or closed matters because it’s how I communicate.  One if by land, two if I see….

I can’t really smell anything anymore; all I have is memories. The scent of early morning rain on the cool desert sand, the odor of sweat on the back of a long-time lover’s hand, the reek of aviation fuel on the ground below the flight path of an airplane bigger than the sky.

Do they ...

Curse of the Fountain -8- by Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2024

Part 8

“Where’s Aunt Bea?” exclaimed Riley when she bounded through the door.

Looking up from the pot I was stirring, I said calmly, “She had to return to the bowels of Hell.” I went back to stirring. Mom is insisting I help with dinner.

As Billy shut the door behind them he said, “Awww. And I was so looking forward to having dinner wi...

Fatboy and the Nineball -1-

One time, Fatboy played nine-ball for his life with some outlaw bikers from California in a roadhouse on the Oklahoma line. A woman named Maylene Wheeler owned that roadhouse and she was maybe Fatboy's cousin and maybe his ex-wife or maybe both.

The roadhouse sort of put one in the mind of Maylene herself--sturdy, roomy and handsomely curved. The original building had been a No. 4 military surplus Quonset hut, thirty-two foot wide and eighty foot long with a seventeen-foot ceiling in th...

Curse of the Fountain -7- by Melanie Brown

“I’m serious, Bea.”

 Beatrice looked at my curlers and laughed. “You look serious.”

 I stood up and shouted, “Will you forget the fucking curlers? If you had properly notified us of your coming, this would have been taken care of before you arrived. And of course, I found the Fountain! How do you explain me?”

 Beatrice smirked. “Hiring a kid actor isn’t hard.”

 Scowling, I said, “Like we knew you were coming. You stupid cow! We...

Fatboy and the Nineball

One time, Fatboy played nine-ball for his life with some outlaw bikers from California in a roadhouse on the Oklahoma line. A woman named Maylene Wheeler owned that roadhouse and she was maybe Fatboy's cousin and maybe his ex-wife or maybe both.

The roadhouse sort of put one in the mind of Maylene herself--sturdy, roomy and handsomely curved. The original building had been a No. 4 military surplus Quonset hut, thirty-two foot wide and eighty foot long with a seventeen-foot ceiling in th...

Stranger Romance - by Maryanne Peters

Maryanne's latest collection cover preview above hints at the aura of mystery and oddness of her heroines in this volume. A little fantasy, a little suspense, but as always, you can look forward to Mostly Happy Endings to all of the short story romances from her pen

Double Down - Masks 25 - by Stickmaker

Even televised wrestling matches with normal humans can have serious accidents. Staged matches for charity between supers could produce many casualties. What happens if the organization behind them tries to keep these quiet?

Oh, and what went on in that frozen lab, on an island, in a lake, in a federal park in Washington State, sixty+ years ago?

Is Vic going to find out? And is Invicta aware this is an exhibition for charity, or is she going to be trying to make this a Death Match...

Curse of the Fountain -6- by Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2024

Part 6

I stretched out luxuriously in bed. It’s Sunday, and no shopping expeditions are planned. I can just relax. I plan to stay in bed until noon. That was the plan until I smelled bacon frying. Does Mom ever sleep?

Mom stuck her head in our bedroom door. “Wakey wakey. Eggs and bacy!” shouted Mom. “Breakfast is almost ready!”

As Riley rolled out of bed, she exclaimed, “Mom! I wanted to help!”

I didn�...

Pete's Vagina -62- Rotisserie League

Pete’s Vagina

62. Fantasy League

I fell asleep eventually. After my experience with  Megan, I knew what sort of things would get my motor running without involving anything too icky,  but I didn’t have enough gas in the tank to do any real self-exploration.

I dreamed, waking up several times to try to consider what I dreamed about but falling back to sleep before anything much penetrated.

Several dream vignettes inv...

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You can now gift my Patreon membership to friends, family, and anyone else you want to invite into our space!

Your gift helps grow our community and support my work, while giving you and your friend one more thing to talk about. Plus, you don't need to deal with shipping or wrapping.

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Curse of the Fountain -5- by Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2024

Part 5

“I don’t want to get my ears pierced!”

The girl holding the ear-piercing gun thingy stood silently, unsure of what to do.

Looking very annoyed, Mom sternly said, “Just sit still and let her pierce your ears. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. You won’t be able to borrow any of my earrings for starters if you don’t.”

I looked sideways at Mom from my chair. �...

Another Country -5-

I got onto Aviation Boulevard and followed it out to the side street where we lived in a tract full of ranch-style homes built in the 1950s. The lots were bigger than more modern areas of town, with deep backyards and detached garages.

It was barely noon, and Mom wouldn’t expect me home for hours. If I showed my face, I could expect her to find some chore for me to do, so I turned left on Harmony instead of right and headed for the playground around my old elementary school. That’s ...

Aria -4- Reformer's Fire - by Emma Anne Tate

Cami deals with crises, a realization and a loss in this final book of the Aria series.

Curse of the Sacred Fountain -4- by Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2024

Part 4

“Hey, sleepy-head.”

“Mrrmmphgh.”

“You need to get up, honey. We have lots to do today,” said Mom from the doorway.

I rolled over and was about to say something, but she was already gone. And then I was hit with a sudden need to pee. I slid my legs out of the bed and discovered the nightgown Mom had loaned me was wrapped around my neck. Looking arou...

Another Country -4-

I made it to the restrooms in the center of the park, but no one had followed me. It wasn’t that long of a run but I stood there, just inside, gasping like I had finished a half-marathon and staring at my reflection in the stainless steel mirror.

My face was flushed but pale around my mouth. I could see my chest, and my t-shirt had two wadded-up spots right over my nipples, which still ached from the twisting Chud had given them. I started to lift my shirt but changed my mind and pull...

Curse of the Sacred Fountain -3- by Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2024

Part 3

Billy drove the car up into the driveway of his and Denise’s house. Denise turned around to look at me, seated in the back seat. She grinned.

“Here we are! Home sweet home. When were you here last, uncle… er Nellie?”

I shook my head and snorted. “Well, ‘Nellie’ has never been here, but as your uncle, I was here last Thanksgiving. I think you were expecting me to di...

Another Country -3-

When I reached the basketball courts in the park, Josh was already there, playing Horse all by himself. He had his own newer ball and my old worn one lay against the pole holding the basket up. He took a shot, and the ball went cleanly through the hoop.

If there had been a net, it would have made that sweet sound a good shot makes when the ball’s pebbly hide just kisses the cords.

He must have heard me running because he turned as he reached for the ball coming back at him, and ...

Curse of the Sacred Fountain -2- by Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2024

Part 2

I felt myself slowly growing conscious. It wasn’t so much waking from a long sleep as it was just a growing awareness. I slowly started to notice things, like the too-bright lights above me. Lying in an uncomfortable bed. Realizing I must be in a hospital because of that infernal machine that goes beep—and other annoying things like the inflation of what must be a blood pressure cuff. A...

Another Country -2-

I took a walk around the downtown area. I went as far north as the bike shop and browsed the shiny metal and black rubber of the bikes. There was a five-speed that I just might be able to afford if I got the money I was expecting for my birthday in three months. It was red with a white leather seat and had the sort of road tires you find on a touring bike. It wasn’t for racing or mountain climbing, it was for going a long distance on a highway.

Somewhere far away from Kabarker and the...

Curse of the Sacred Fountain -1- by Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2024

Part 1

“Uncle Neil. I think it’s time to pull the plug on your expedition,” complained my insufferable niece Denise. “You can’t find something that never existed.”

“Nonsense!” I asserted. “I feel we’re very close. I was heartened by the discovery of the remains of Percy Fawcett. It won’t be long now.”

“Yeah, of course,” drawled the equally insufferable husba...