For Halloween: By long custom, Siberian Prince Mikhail Melikov has been accorded the privilege of being offered a young man for his permanent service on All Hallows' Eve from one of the towns, in succession, in his nineteenth-century Russian princedom. Prince Melikov has received this privilege for centuries. The young, to-the-manor-born Alexei is this year's offering and Prince Melikov has come to take delivery.
Fourteen-year-old Christina would never see her parents in quite the same light after what she saw that night. While some children might have reacted with 'Ew' or 'Gross', Christina thought that they were beautiful. Christina was jealous.
When Henry converts his string of high class brothels into top of the range retirement homes, he uses his 'girls' as carers, employing others with equally damaged lives. His death at 90 - expected but sudden - leaves his grand nephew ill-prepared to take command. The story is set in Scotland, a great wee country well worth a visit!
The Great War ended with a human victory - but only thanks to God's smallest lifeform. The common cold killed the Tripod Builders, but not before they left the world in ruins. Now, George Wells - son of a British author living in exile in New York - finds himself caught up in a deadly conspiracy centered on the surviving Red Martians and the hope of a nightmare future which might only be averted with all out war.
A Story from 2003: Don abhorred St. Patrick's Day and all the crap associated with it. However the day of the local parade he got called to the office. When he attempted to leave, all the exits from the parking area were blocked because of the parade he had done everything to avoid. As it turned out, things happened that had him reconsider his views. A young red headed Irish dancer had him mesmerized.