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Sources: David Stewart, 785-532-5644, email@example.com;
Kirk Dimond, 785-784-5930, firstname.lastname@example.com;
and Ruth Stanley, 785-532-2522, email@example.com
Websites: http://www.dce.k-state.edu/military/ and
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-2535, firstname.lastname@example.com
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010
MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University is a Military Advanced Education magazine Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities honoree for the fourth year in a row.
The magazine has been honoring military-friendly colleges and universities since 2007, and K-State has been on its list each year. K-State and the other institutions receiving the honor are featured in the magazine's December issue.
It is the second military-related magazine to select K-State as a military-friendly school this year. The university also was recently named to G.I. Jobs magazine's list of most military-friendly schools.
The university's commitment to serving military members starts at the top. K-State President Kirk Schulz is heading a university delegation currently in Iraq as a guest of the 1st Infantry Division leadership. The purpose of the trip is to continue building the university's relationship with Fort Riley.
K-State's Division of Continuing Education nominated the university for military-friendly honors from both magazines. David Stewart, assistant dean, said the division offers a variety of ways for active-duty military personnel to fit higher learning in their schedules.
"We offer Evening College courses in Manhattan for military members in the area, and we have extensive distance education programs that offer anytime, anyplace learning," Stewart said. "Military students are enrolled in K-State distance courses throughout the world, and the university has many distinguished military alumni."
In addition, K-State has active, formal partnerships with Fort Leavenworth's U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Riley's 1st Infantry Division, and the Kansas National Guard, Stewart said.
Along with courses and programs, the university offers a variety of support services for active-duty military, veterans and their families.
On-campus services include an office of veterans affairs; a designated counselor at the K-State office of student financial assistance who specializes in scholarship and financial aid opportunities for members of the military and their family members; and a special merit-based scholarship program for college-bound children and spouses of Fort Riley military personnel.
The Division of Continuing Education also provides similar services for military members, including academic counseling and tuition assistance and program coordinators for Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth. K-State also is part of the Army's GoArmyEd system, which is a virtual gateway for soldiers serving in the Army Reserves or on active duty to pursue their postsecondary educational goals.
Ruth Stanley, K-State's GoArmyEd and Centralized Tuition Assistance Management coordinator and adviser in the Division of Continuing Education, has been working with the military for 38 years. She said the services K-State provides military students do make a difference.
"They are always pleased to find someone who understands what they are talking about," Stanley said. "We listen to them, and we find the answers to their questions. We are always ready to help in any way we can. It's also why we have made our website easy to use.
"They think it is great that K-State has so many degrees available through distance education," she said. "Because some of our soldiers are in Iraq, we try to work around the difficulties that they might have at times getting our classes. Our instructors are really great about helping them and understanding when they have problems because of location."
"Sometimes it's very difficult for a soldier to get into the program to receive tuition assistance," Stanley said. "We work on their problems and get them fixed. They really appreciate the help."
The proximity of K-State's main campus to Fort Riley gives soldiers and their family members a special opportunity to experience a large state university environment while serving their country, said Kirk Dimond, Fort Riley coordinator for the Division of Continuing Education.
"Soldiers and family members have many options in how and when they take courses at K-State," Dimond said. "This flexibility and the high level of support student veterans receive both on campus and at a distance contribute to our designation as a military-friendly school."
Dimond also said the post-9/11 GI Bill, which began in August 2009, has greatly eased the financial hardships veterans and family members face while pursuing higher education.
"K-State participates in several programs that enhance military benefits, too," he said. "Programs such as Yellow Ribbon, military scholarships, awarding credit for military training and CLEP examinations, and in-state tuition waivers help ease the financial burden of higher education."
More information on how K-State serves members of the military and their families is available at http://www.dce.k-state.edu/military/ and http://www.k-state.edu/military/.


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Happy 1st birthday to my sweet, handsome baby boy! I seriously can't believe he is already a year old. Time really does fly! Here are his stats as of last week:
Weight 20 lbs 5 oz - 15th percentile
Height 29.75" - 49th percentile
Head circumference 46.3 cm - 48th percentile
Size 3-4 diapers
Size 4-5 shoes
1. He has taken a few steps by himself but is still pretty timid when it comes to walking.
2. He can say dada, mama, cracker, uh oh, up, hi, bye bye.
3. He is almost completely off baby food. Gotta use up what we have then it is all table food for him.
4. He has 3 teeth on top and 2 on the bottom.
5. He loves to wave at people with both hands at once.
6. He is the cuddliest baby I have ever seen!!!
7. He is great in the car and will almost always fall asleep; which is great for long trips but not so great when I am just going to the grocery store.
8. He takes only 1 nap during the day sometimes in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. I would love for him to take naps at the same time every day but he just won't do it. Sometimes he won't take a nap at all. When he does sleep it will be for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours.
9. He sleeps GREAT at night. I put him down around 7:30 and he goes right to sleep and sleeps until between 5 & 6, which is pretty early but better then what he was doing. He used to wake up between 4 & 5.
10. He stopped nursing the day before yesterday.
11. He loves being startled. It makes him giggle like crazy when Jessica jumps out at him yelling his name.
12. He loves to dance!
13. He is really a happy little guy almost always smiling or laughing.
Here is his first year of life in pictures:
Day of Birth
1 Month Old
2 Months Old
3 Months Old
4 Months Old
5 Months Old
6 Months Old
7 Month Old
8 Months Old
9 Months Old
10 Months Old
11 Months Old
12 Months Old

subset: commoncrawl


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Bud Norris (1-0, 4.26) v.s. Randy Wolf (0-2, 8.80)
The Astros offense continued to score runs in bunches, but pitching once again let the 'Stros down as they fell to the Brewers by a 9-6 count tonight. The Brewers pull even at 9-9 on the year, while the Astros fall well below .500 at 6-12.
*Bud Norris was on fire through the first four innings, before the wheels fell off. He finished with a line of 5.2 IP / 9 H / 7 ER / 2 BB / 6 K. He took the loss and falls to 1-1 on the year with a 5.84 ERA.
*Bud Norris was seemingly unstoppable at the start of the game. In the third inning he even tied a major league baseball record when he struck out 4 batters in one inning (thanks to a dropped 3rd strike on one of the strikeouts, which allowed the batter to reach base). But then, Bud couldn't keep the ball in the park. He gave up a 2 run homerun to #8 hitter Ishikawa in the 5th, followed by a 2 run bomb to Corey Hart and a 3 run bomb to Rickie Weeks, both in the 6th inning.
*With Norris already down 4-2 and struggling, Mills left him in to try to finish off Weeks, who launched the 3 run homerun to essentially put the game out of reach. Was it a bad call to leave Norris in when he had Rodriguez warming in the bullpen? That's a tough call. I tend to agree with Mills on this one. It's just a shame it didn't work out in the end.
*Brett Myers also gave up a homerun tonight, for a total of 4 taters given up to the Brew Crew in the game.
*Bud Norris gave up 18 HR in 153.2 IP in 2010, 24 HR in 186.0 IP in 2011 and now 5 HR in 24.2 IP so far this season. That works out to one homerun for every 8.5 IP / 7.75 IP / 4.84 IP over the past 3 season consecutively. He's going to have to reverse this alarming trend and start keeping some baseballs in the ballpark if he wants to continue to be successful in the big leagues.
*Chris Johnson got the night off, and Marwin Gonzalez got the start at 3rd. However CJ did come in as a pinch hitter and got 2 AB's in tonight, finishing 2 for 2 with 2 runs and an RBI. He has been a pleasant surprise this year in a turnaround of a season with a decent .294/.314/.368 line so far.
*Jordan Schafer went 1 for 4 tonight and has now reached base safely in the first 18 games of the season. This is the longest streak for an Astro since Gutierrez went 23 straight games back in 1998.
*The only concerning thing about Schafer? Since he stole 5 bags in the first 7 games of the season, he has now only stolen 1 in the past 11. He has been caught stealing twice, but if I'm Mills i'm still giving him the green light.
*Jose Altuve had a great night tonight, with his first homerun of the year in the 2nd to go along with his 4th stolen base of the year. He was moved up to the #6 spot tonight with Marwin Gonzalez dropping to 8th playing for CJ. Altuve went 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 runs, an RBI, the homerun and the stolen base.
*Brian Bogusevic went 0 for 5 and Chris Snyder went 0 for 3. Their season batting average now stand at .185 and .080 respectively. Ouch.
*The Astros 6 runs tonight were driven in by 6 different players. 4 players scored the 6 runs however, including pitcher Kyle Weiland who was used as a pinch runner.
*The Astros left 10 men on base while the Brewers only left 6.
Turning Point:
The disaster of a 6th inning. Norris gave up a 2 run homerun and a 3 run homerun in the same inning, effectively burying the Astros chances of winning tonight.
Man of the Match:
Going to give it to Jose Altuve. First homerun of the year, a stolen base and a solid 2 for 4 night with 2 runs scored and a walk.
Goat of the Game:
Bud Norris was fantastic to start the game......but then suddenly started serving up gopher balls and couldn't keep the ball in the park.


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Four or More: The New Demographic
This presentation highlights new research on teens, young adults and social media use while also identifying a new leading edge group that deserves the same attention: those who own four or more internet-connected devices.
The rise of the e-patient
In this talk to medical librarians, Lee Rainie covered how e-patients and their caregivers have become a force in the medical world. In addition, he looked at the many ways that e-patients are using the internet to research and respond to their he…
State of the Internet 2009: Pew Internet Project Findings and Implications for Libraries
As the internet population has matured over time, binary distinctions between those who are online and offline have given way to a more robust understanding of the assets, actions and attitudes that affect user experience.
Trends in internet use: How public radio fits in
Pew Internet Project data about changes in the online world, different technology users, and how those changes might affect public radio programming.
Multitasking — Lee Rainie on Kojo Nnamdi's talk show
My appearance on the Kojo Nnamdi talk show on WAMU (a Washington PBS station) about new research on the problems with mutitasking.
Quiz: What Kind of Tech User Are You?
Take the quiz to find out where you fit in the typology of technology users.
How Users Shape the Mobile Ecosystem
John B. Horrigan discusses how users shape the mobile ecosystem by comparing adoption of the mobile net to adoption of the desktop internet of the 1990s and by focusing on the "motivated by mobility" groups from the Project's The Mobile Difference…
Friending Libraries: Why libraries can become nodes in people's social networks
Lee Rainie discussed Pew Internet's latest tech-user findings and why they suggest that libraries can play a role in people's social networks in the future.
The Mobile Difference
Wireless connectivity has drawn many users more deeply into digital life.
User attitudes vary about broken – and healthy – technologies
While in a recent report we discussed the malaise of some users when their technology fails, we have found in previous reports that negative feelings are not isolated to broken gadg…


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Limousines are cars that are classy and elegant. They can be used for various occasions and if u arrive in a limo at any event if theres one thing thats guaranteed is the fact that you will make an entry at the event with style. We provide you limos at the best rates all over UK.
However, limo hire has always been a hassle filled and expensive process, with many different things that need to be taken into account. This tends to prevent many people from hiring a limo. Thanks to Compare Limo Hire, that is no longer the case. We have a wide range of limos to choose from; Audi Q7 Limo, Hummer limo, pink Hummer limo, Ferrari limo as well as many other kinds of limos that are perfect for wedding car hire as well as executive events and even other events such as stag and hen nights, proms and birthday parties.
However, with so many different limos to choose from, one can find hard to decide which limo to hire. That is why Compare Limo Hire offers an unrivalled review system through which you can get reviews and comments about the most popular limos out there, including pink Hummer limo, Jeep limo and Ferrari Limo. What this means is that you can choose the perfect limo for your event without having to worry about whether it will suit your needs.
Compare Limo Hire lets you choose from a massive range of different limo hire deals so that you can hire a limo for whatever reasons you want. No matter what the time span may be and no matter where you are in the UK, Compare Limo Hire provides you with the best limos for all of your limo hiring needs.
When we normally think of limo hire, the first thing that comes to mind is the budget restraint. That is why we work to make limo hire as cheap as possible for you. We have a reliable staff that will help you find the limo hire deal that is just right for you. With a user friendly website, a helping staff, professional reviews about the best limos and much more, limo hiring was indeed never as easy as this.


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Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor
Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor
Post Office Box 39
Windsor, CT 06095-0039
Membership requires descent from a person resident in Windsor, Connecticut, by the end of 1641, or an interest in early Windsor. Membership categories are as follows: (1) Descendant: Linear descent from a Founder (2) Non-Descendant: Not a descendant of a listed Founder. A non-descendant has all the rights of the Membership that a descendant has.


text:
James Spader has plenty to be happy about in Week 2 of the fall TV season.
NBC's "The Blacklist," the FBI drama that stars Spader, drew more than 12 million viewers Monday night. The show got a rating of 3.6 in the key 18-49 demographic, down just 5% from last week's premiere, according to early numbers from Nielsen.
That being said, "Blacklist" had a big lead-in from "The Voice," which drew 14.2 million viewers Monday. The reunited cast of judges, with another round of blind of auditions, won the night with a 4.6 demo rating, which is down 10% from last Monday's premiere.


text:
ONLINE: NABCEP PV Certification Exam Prep 60-Hour Course
Advanced ONLINE: Solar PV System Design and NABCEP Certification Exam Prep
This course focuses on advanced PV system design and problem-solving expertise. There is a strong emphasis on the US National Electrical Code applications that are needed to successfully pass the NABCEP PV Installation Professional certification exam. Participants work through PV system designs —accounting for location, technology, and conditions of use. In addition to design considerations, this course covers emerging PV technologies and utility-scale and large commercial systems. The course has 78 videos and 200 exam questions.
Who takes our course?
-Entrepreneurs, Technologists, and Investors
-Contractors and Builders
-Insurance and Real Estate Professionals
-Project Developers and Financiers
-Technical Sales Marketing Professionals
-Electricians and Inspectors
-Engineers and Architects
-Solar Company Employees
-Aspiring solar industry professionals
Online Campus and Course Benefits
-12 months all-access pass to the online courses
-Online LIVE sessions with the instructors
-24-hour access to our online campus allows for flexible schedules
-Satisfies all the solar PV training requirements to apply for the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification Exam


text:
Though macadamias contain the highest level of total fat, the fat content is mostly monounsaturated. Studies have shown macadamias offer the same beneficial cholesterol lowering ability as almonds and walnuts. Macadamias are also a good source of protein, fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and selenium.
Yield: 1 1/3 cups
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup chopped tangerines (about 3 tangerines)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper


text:
|By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-110-196.balt.east.verizon.net - 18.104.22.168) on Friday, November 11, 2005 - 5:21 pm: Edit Post
1978: Robert Nechols served in Korea in Jeung-pyong, Taejon beginning in 1978
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Robert Nechols can be contacted at necholsahotmaildcom
Country of Service: Korea
Training Group: K44
Cities you served in: Jeung-pyong, Taejon
Arrival Year: 1978
Departure Year: 1979
Work Description: TEFL
Originally posted: March 17, 2002
If you know this RPCV or served in his or her group,
post a message to the RPCV or to your group above where it says "Create New Conversation."
If this is your profile, post any additions, updates or corrections to your profile below where it says "Add a Message."
RPCVs: To add your own RPCV profile click here.
| The Peace Corps Library
Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today.


text:
CHICAGO — Bally Total Fitness Corp.'s plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy could lead to the closing of between 100 and 150 Bally clubs, one industry analyst says.
Michael Scott Scudder of the online-based consulting firm MSS FitBiz Connection says he expects the closings of some of Bally's 350 clubs to begin this month and last throughout the summer. The restructuring could also result in the unemployment of half of Bally's 20,000 employees, Scudder says, and both lessors of Bally clubs and Bally members who have long-term memberships will also suffer if stores begin to close.
"There's a lot of people with memberships that aren't going to have a place to go," says Scudder, who adds that other clubs could take in those members at a reduced rate.
Bally claimed $827 million of outstanding debt in March. On May 31, the company announced restructuring plans after holders of more than 80 percent of its 9.875 percent senior subordinated notes agreed in principle to swap $150 million of the notes, which will mature this year, for new subordinated notes, common equity and the right to participate in a $77.5 million rights offering. The company must get consents from other bondholders before filing for Chapter 11. Bally's restructuring will protect bondholders of the 10.5 percent senior notes due 2011, Scudder says.
The company plans to cancel its stock, and stockholders will receive nothing for their shares, the company says. Becoming private will be to Bally's advantage because it will be out from under the scrutiny of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and to a lesser extent of the Internal Revenue Service, Scudder says.
Bally also says it expects to file its 2006 annual report by the end of this month. Bally plans to complete reorganization within 60 days of the bankruptcy filing. Normal club operations will continue during the restructuring process.
A Form 8-K filing with the SEC says that Don Kornstein, the company's interim chairman who took on the added role of chief restructuring officer after Barry Elson resigned as acting CEO last month, will receive a $2.1 million incentive bonus if the restructuring plan is organized by Sept. 30. Incentive bonuses will also be awarded to two of Bally's other high-ranking officials: Marc Bassewitz for $375,000 and John Wildman for $159,375.
Kornstein told the Chicago Tribune that Bally intends to upgrade its clubs and will consider opening new clubs.
"This restructuring represents a critical juncture in changing the direction of the company's performance and outlook for the future," Kornstein told the Tribune.
Scudder expects the company's future will be clearer in the next 12 to 18 months.
"Reorganizational bankruptcy is a delay," he says. "It doesn't mean you can right the company. If the plan doesn't work out, eventually the company may in fact go flat-out bankrupt as opposed to bankruptcy under reorganization."


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- "She raised her wand and said, "Homenum Revelio." Nothing happened."
- —Hermione Granger's use of this spell in 1997[src]
The Human-presence-revealing Spell[1] (Homenum Revelio) is a charm which reveals the presence of other humans in the surrounding environment. The spell indicates a body by a marker which can be felt by the target as something "swooping" low over him or her.
It was used in 1991 and 1993 by Dumbledore, nonverbally, to detect Harry and Ron under the former's Invisibility cloak[1].
In 1997, Hermione Granger used this spell at 12 Grimmauld Place after escaping pursuing Death Eaters. Later that year, Death Eaters (either Selwyn or Travers), used this spell to locate Harry Potter at Xenophilius Lovegood's house. It is possible that it is related to the spell Specialis Revelio, and it is very likely that the spell cannot detect magical creatures such as house-elves, goblins, etc.
Known practitioners
Hominum is the genitive, plural form of the Latin word homo, which means "person"[2]. Also in Latin, revelo means "I unveil or reveal"[3].
See also
Behind the scenes
- J.K. Rowling stated that Albus Dumbledore could cast a non-verbal Human-presence-revealing spell. This is the reason he was able to know Harry was present even while under the Invisibility cloak[1].
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Nonverbally)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Nonverbally)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Nonverbally)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First identified as Human-presence-revealing Spell)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "A transcript of a web chat with J.K. Rowling" from The Leaky Couldron
- ↑ Wiktionary - homo(Latin)
- ↑ Wiktionary - revelo


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This is a great story of a mom who used Hypnobabies and was comfortable, but ended up needing a cesarean because the baby's head was tilted a little funny. She has some great tips at the end!
On the evening of May 20th, 2009 (a Wednesday and the day after my 27th birthday), I had finished teaching my last piano lesson for the evening at 7:00 (which I had fortunately rescheduled to a half hour earlier than planned). I had a very strong urge to get some of our last details in order before heading home, so I finished up a few final items on my computer, including compiling a list of people we were planning to email for Charlie's birth as well as polishing up our requests for his early care. We weren't technically "due" until May 29th, but we knew that babies are considered full term at 37 weeks and that any time after that is totally normal. While we had most things in line already, there were some things that we hadn't quite finished. Part of that was because Charlie was our first baby, and we figured we'd be "late" if anything (I was only 38 weeks at this point), but also, we work full time, have a house and three dogs to care for, etc. etc. Either way, we weren't quite as mentally prepared for what was coming as I would have liked. I definitely had practiced daily with my Hypnobabies scripts and affirmations, but I was certain that Charlie was going to take his time in coming. I also hadn't gotten my cervix checked at any of my checkups in an effort to keep my head free of the feeling that I was just waiting for the baby to come – I really wanted to let things happen as they were supposed to with as little intervention as possible. Anyway, it turns out that I was very fortunate on a number of fronts that evening – I had rescheduled the lesson, had the feeling that I really needed to get those aforementioned bits of information in line on my laptop, and had the foresight to place a thick blanket and plastic bag in the back of my car…
As I headed home, I placed a few quick calls and then noticed (about 5 minutes into the drive) that my lower back was a little sore – sort of like I had done a bunch of heavy lifting. I remember saying the words, "Charlie, that hurts," and shifting around in my seat to try to get more comfortable. Just as I was finishing my shifting, I heard a very audible "pop" and started feeling like I was peeing uncontrollably. Eek! My water had broken! In my car! Not exactly the way I had it envisioned (especially since I didn't think my water would break until well into my birthing time), but I did my best to keep a cool head about me. I pulled over at my first opportunity to get that thick blanket and plastic bag out and to call my hubby, Todd. He somehow had a very calm demeanor (at least over the phone – he told me after the delivery that he was wearing a hole in the carpet waiting for me to get home) and told me to just stay calm and come home safely. I also called our doula, Sarah, to let her know that things were starting. I hadn't felt any pressure waves yet, so we were both pretty sure that this would take a while – she didn't come over right away.
When I arrived home, I decided that I needed to clean up and eat some dinner, so that's what I did. I did my best to waddle into the bathroom and take a shower, then I went into the kitchen to heat up some of the casserole I had JUST prepped that afternoon and planned to freeze for our postpartum time. (I'm telling you – I had some sort of sixth sense about Charlie's arrival that day… even though I didn't consciously know he was coming, something in me did). I sent Todd to the store to pick up some depends so that I wouldn't have to waddle around with a towel between my legs and so that we'd be more comfortable on the car ride to the hospital (something to plan on packing in advance next time!!). While he was away, I called my good friend, Caroline, to say that my birthing time had started but that I hadn't noticed any PW's yet. As we were talking, I was eating dinner and suddenly felt one for sure. It made me stop what I was doing and take notice, but was extremely far from being painful. I remember asking her, "is this really what they feel like?" She said, "well, if you need to stop talking while it's happening, then yes, that's what it is." (of course I needed to stop talking… I was already automatically going "inside" myself to be sure to relax.) While we were on the phone, I had two or three more at about 5 minutes apart. Once Todd got home, I hung up with Caroline and went straight to my bedroom to focus on keeping myself in my zone. Todd called Sarah to come over right away, and I listened to my birthing day cd.
Once Sarah arrived, she joined me in our bedroom, and I kept feeling PW's close together. I know I told her that I'd never done this before, but it seemed like things were progressing very quickly! After timing a few herself, she agreed that things seemed really close together for such an early time in my birthing time. None of us thought this would progress like this – Todd and I were sure we'd be watching a movie and chilling out at home for a long time and maybe heading in to the hospital the next morning. But I remember asking Sarah if we should go in to the hospital now since they were so close, and she said that if, at any time, there's anything that would make me feel more comfortable, then that's what I should do! Without hesitation, I knew that being at the hospital would make me feel more comfortable. Even though I felt like we'd prepared very well for our birthing time and had planned to stay home until it was really necessary to go, it turned out that I really wanted to be surrounded by people who had been through it a zillion times and could help guide me along. Todd suddenly found himself running around the house trying to pack for the hospital, even though I tried to tell him to just chill out and that it didn't matter if I had my favorite slippers or not… I really needed him by me! He figured it out soon enough and we got packed into the car and went to the hospital at about 11:30 pm on 5/20. Of course, the one thing he forgot was the food that I'd bought for myself during my birthing time! So my energy bars and gatorade sat at home while we went through the next bit of my birthing time. Oh well! Lesson learned: be sure to pack well in advance next time!!
Once we arrived at the hospital, I blurrily remember a gentleman meeting us with a wheelchair and my signing a bunch of forms electronically at the front desk in the ER (since it was so late at night). Then they took us right up to my room in L&D where I got down to business. We had the CDs playing, and I'd rotate through different ones and take some time without them – I think we spent a lot of time on Deepening, and later on, we listened to the pushing your baby out track a whole lot. Anyway, right away, I pretty much stripped down – I was in a gown for a little while, but I know I absolutely didn't care about modesty and just wanted to be comfortable. I asked to be checked and told that I was at 6 cm. Yay! After trying a few positions on the bed, Sarah asked if I'd like to sit on the toilet for a bit (since it can help to relieve the pressure), and I thought that could be nice. All of a sudden, I started feeling really nauseated. The nausea lasted for a few waves, and I kept saying that I thought I was going to puke but never did. Finally, after several minutes, there it came! Fortunately Sarah had had the foresight to grab a bedpan and bring herself a change of clothes… she and Todd definitely got hit. But I felt a million times better once it was out! And of course, that meant that I was in Transformation. So, we went ahead and had me checked and I was at 7.5 cm. Wow! That's pretty good for having just checked in and for this being only a few hours after I felt my first wave. We were sure at this point that we'd have a baby by morning. Soon enough, I wanted to get off the toilet and tried relaxing on the bed for a while. At some point, Sarah asked if I'd like to get in the shower with the birthing ball, and I was all for it. I actually spent a lot of my birthing time in there – the hot water felt SO good on my back, and I wasn't eligible for the tub at the hospital (long story – it's just the way they have the usage rights structured). There was always someone at my side in the bathroom with a sip of cool juice at hand. And the nurse came in several times to check Charlie's heartbeat during my waves. In addition to the shower, it felt really good to lean over the bed and sway my hips around or to go limp while holding around my hubby's neck. I'm sure it wasn't a cakewalk for him, but his strength became my strength.
So, it went on like that for a pretty long time. When we checked in, we were on the night shift with an OB (Dr Beyer). The next day, we had a midwife with us (Debra Wage) who was amazing. She was more than happy to let me go au natural as long as possible and only recommended a hep lock when it started looking like it was going to be a while. At some point, I remember asking to take the clock off the wall so I wouldn't feel like I was in a race or that there was a time limit or anything like that. She also was extremely encouraging to me about the fact that I was so calm and able to move like a "normal" person. She said that she'd had three natural deliveries herself and that she "made a whole lot more noise than I did." (I was making low, chesty sounds, but that was only because that's what felt right – almost like long, low sighs. I really never felt like I was in pain or that I needed to grunt or scream). She also pointed out that I was being very nimble – she said that I was not moving like a woman in labor! Ha! That is to say, when I decided I wanted to be on the bed, I'd just climb on up without taking much time or needing much help… but I think that was partially because I wanted to be settled before another wave came on – I definitely noticed that they were a lot easier to handle if I was in a fully supported, comfortable position – just like the CDs kept saying during all my Hypnobabies training.
So, since things were slowing down by Thursday afternoon or evening (I honestly don't remember – time was a total blur to me), she recommended that we think about adding some pitocin. I was physically exhausted at this point due to lack of sleep and nourishment, so my waves were petering out. I really didn't want to use anything artificial to stimulate my waves, but she thought we were past the point of being able to use nipple stimulation or any other methods of natural augmentation. So, I reluctantly agreed to start on the smallest dose they could possibly give me and then let it grow from there as needed. They started me on 1 and eventually ramped it up to 4. That was the ONLY moment during my whole birthing time that I felt like I was in pain – when they loaded me up on 4. Until that point, I had only made low, chesty sounds during a wave, and at this point, I was struggling not to scream. Since I had been doing so well the whole time before that, they immediately ramped it back down and left it at 1. That was much better!
Eventually, there was another shift change and I was with Dr. Rush (whose first name was also Charlie), another OB. Finally, I had dilated all the way to 10 and was ready to push! Yay! Never in my entire life had it felt so good to push so hard. This is where I listened to the pushing your baby out track, and it was SO encouraging. I kept saying "yes" to the down and out moments, and I kept telling Charlie that I was ready to meet him and that I wanted him to come out. The whole room started getting into it and helping me remember "down and out." Apparently, though, Charlie still wasn't coming. (I honestly had no concept of time, so it didn't really phase me that it was taking a while.) Dr. Rush had recommended that we use an intrauterine catheter to monitor the strength of my PW's, and when we saw that there was plenty of force there, he did one exam to check his position during a wave. This was the only time an exam hurt at all (I didn't even feel the other ones) – and I will say that it was extremely uncomfortable – I yelled at him to stop and get out of me and writhed a bit on the bed. But again, that was one of only two times that were unpleasant the whole time. Wow! At this point, we figured out the bigger reason why things weren't progressing the way we would have liked for them to: Charlie was acynclytic (had his head cocked to the side like he was on the phone). After three hours of pushing like this and with Charlie's heart rate starting to fall, Dr. Rush reluctantly brought up the idea of needing a c-section. As he said it, no one wanted to recommend medical intervention, especially not surgery, but it was starting to look dangerous for Charlie. He said that we could try pushing a little longer, but that if his heart rate didn't improve, we'd end up in an emergency c-section situation where I'd be under general anesthesia and Todd wouldn't be able to be there. He didn't even need to say that part though – as soon as I knew that Charlie was in trouble, I was ready to let them get him out in whatever way necessary as long as he'd be safe.
As we went to the operating room, I remember wondering why they cared so much about covering me up (I was going through a hallway where there would be other people! hello!). My modesty really had gone out the window a long time ago, so it was all they could do to keep the sheet on me since I was just focused at that point at NOT pushing. All along the whole process, that was one of the hardest things I had to do – I really didn't want to hurt Charlie, so I did my best to just breathe through the pushing waves instead of letting myself bear down and push. Once we got to the O.R., the anesthesiologist asked me if I was planning on continuing my hypnosis for the operation or if I'd prefer the spinal they had planned! Ha! I actually think he was partly serious. But I was all about the spinal at that point… no need to feel them cut me open – I hadn't trained for feeling cutting as anything other than cutting (whereas pressure waves really did just feel like intense pressure to me rather than pain). I let them place the spinal, and this was the other hardest thing about the whole process – I had to stay perfectly still while I had waves telling me to push Charlie out. And I was in a seated position, which is how I found it was easiest to push back in L&D. Anyway, they placed the spinal after a bit of difficulty (I felt shooting pains down my right leg at first, as though someone had spilled acid and it was trickling down my leg… I literally thought they had sprayed me with something at first!). I asked them what it was, and they promptly took the needle out and tried again. Finally, after a few tries, they got it right and (thank God), I was fine and don't have any resulting nerve damage. We proceeded with having me lie down on the operating bed, had my arms out parallel with my shoulders, and put the curtain up. Finally, Todd got to join me in the room (I guess they don't want the husbands to see the needle going in the back or something), and I think he was even more nervous than I was at this point. I remember that my heart rate was pretty high, and we think that was a reaction to the anesthesia, but it could have also had to do with the fact that I was pretty freaked out – remember, I hadn't really planned on this as something that was going to happen. I kept saying that it could happen, but I was in such a positive frame of mind about the delivery that I told myself that it wouldn't happen.
Anyway, the surgery finally got underway, and it wasn't long before I heard them say that he was out. One of the surgeons said: "Oh, aren't you cute!!" and "you have a headache, don't you?" This was right at the same time that they said that they needed to stimulate him to get him breathing, and within just a few seconds, I got to hear his sweet, beautiful and amazing cry. I felt like I was a million miles away from everything that was happening – almost like my head was on one side of the room and the rest of my body was on the other (probably a result of having the anesthesia and curtain up), and I didn't even think to ask to see him. They told Todd that he could go and be with him, which he did (although he was a bit worried about having to walk by me to get to him – he really didn't want to see my abdomen cut open). We have one adorable picture of Charlie still a little goopy, which I cling to since I didn't get to see him like that with my own eyes. Pretty soon, they brought him to me all bundled up in his blanket and hat, and I had a very strong desire to strip him down so I could see him – but I just took off his hat and looked at his head, which had a large bump and bruise from where he got stuck! The poor thing. I remember telling Todd that I thought he looked just like his dad, and he agreed. After just a few brief moments with him, the nurse told us that they needed to take him to the nursery to do his assessments, so Todd and Charlie left while the surgeons finished up with me. I remember feeling a very strong pulling sensation as they were working on finishing me up – almost like they had their hands up under my ribs and were working with all their might! But it never hurt – just took a while and felt really funny. But eventually, they were done, and we got to go back to L&D, where my awesome nurse, Mary, kept an eye on my vitals and eventually left my side for the first time so she could work on some other cases she had (Sarah was still with me at this point). In fact – by the time I was pushing, the only time Mary left the room was to go to the bathroom, and even then, she had another nurse come in to keep an eye on things. Anyway, we waited for what felt like an hour until finally, Todd and Charlie came in with the pediatric nurse to get me acquainted with things (like the security device on his ankle). He was VERY ready to eat, so we promptly got nursing under way, and he was a total champ. Sarah made sure that we got a good start with that, helping me with positioning him and opening his mouth wide enough (especially since he had such a tiny chin), and then she finally got to go home and sleep. What a total champ and pro! I was and still am SO grateful to her for her help and loving guidance throughout the whole process.
At this point, Todd and I finally felt like we got to all be together like a family, and we started to do the typical things like counting fingers and toes – I was so grateful to get to finally see him in his birthday suit! Todd told me that there was a time when they were in the nursery that Charlie was just screaming and crying (which totally broke my heart – I was really looking forward to being able to start breast-feeding right away and comfort him and be with him for all of his assessments), but Todd offered him a finger and Charlie grabbed it right away and calmed right down. How amazing! So Todd was able to have that time to start his relationship with Charlie – a totally unexpected and beautiful side-effect of the way things worked out. Anyway, we were both totally thrilled to have Charlie with us and for us to all be together as a family, and they finally released me to the post-partum ward. Once there, Todd and I realized that we were absolutely exhausted (remember, I hadn't slept much if at all this whole time on top of not eating and going through childbirth – plus, he had been my constant supporter the whole time). So we actually asked the nursery to take him for just a couple hours so we could sleep. Of course, though, this was our first time, so we didn't realize that the time we were going to have him gone was going to coincide with the time everyone was going to be coming into our room to introduce themselves, see how I was doing, etc. So, even though Charlie was out of the room, we didn't get more than about 15 minutes of actual rest… and I honestly didn't sleep that well anyway. Finally, I told Todd that I needed him to go down to the nursery and bring Charlie back to me so I could put my mind at ease and get to know him better.
So, all in all, we had an absolutely beautiful birth with (almost) no pain at all – just intense pressure. And even though it resulted in a cesarean, I wouldn't change a single thing about the entire process, and I'm forever grateful to the entire staff at Vanderbilt for their work and to Sarah McKay and 9 Months and Beyond for her awesome support. Tings I'd recommend to other moms to be and to myself for future births:
1. HIRE A DOULA. I cannot emphasize that enough. That was by far one of the best decisions we made for the whole process; what an awesome feeling of support, encouragement, and empowerment we got from Sarah!
2. Absolutely use the Hypnobabies method for a comfortable, natural child birth, and be sure to bring goodies for the nurses (although, don't count on being able to bake something while you're in your birthing time – pack a goodie bag with cookies and crackers and whatnot a few weeks in advance). If nothing else, surround yourself with a culture of information – it's very empowering.
3. Pack for the hospital WAY before you think you need to. As in – be done with it by 35 weeks. Period.
4. Remember that there is nothing about birth that you can control other than your mindset, so keep it calm and open.
5. Be open to the fact that the delivery may end up being a cesarean so you're not so shocked if it goes that way. I had to pretty much mourn the loss of my vaginal delivery – even though I didn't "fail" at all, it felt like I had.
6. If you do end up with a cesarean, be sure to ask to see the baby right away – goop and everything. I definitely regret not seeing him while he was still purple or at least goopy. I also should have asked to see the placenta. This probably would have caused me to "grieve" less about not having a vaginal delivery.
7. If you're really tired after your delivery, remember that the baby may be really tired too and might just sleep while you sleep – don't just send him off to the nursery willy-nilly. You won't be able to rest without him by you anyway. This is the biggest thing that I regret doing and I still frequently ask Todd if we did the right thing. Of course, we're very bonded to Charlie now, but I think I would have had a quicker time bonding to him and would have probably felt a little less guilty in my post-partum time if I'd kept him in the room with me for those couple hours. Instead, I fought feelings of inadequacy and guilt, thinking that I was doing something wrong since I didn't have a huge, gushy feeling or maternal drive right away… I think I almost saw Charlie as another baby I was baby-sitting and that his "real" parents would come back for him at any time… Now, of course, I absolutely feel like his mom, but again – maybe it would have happened sooner, or at least I wouldn't have continually asked if I did the right thing in sending him to the nursery.
8. Also for post-partum time, be sure to pick a hospital or delivery place with plenty of great lactation support, or hire a post-partum doula, or be sure to surround yourself with lots of lactation help and other support. Even though it came pretty naturally to us, Charlie and I still had lots of help in establishing a solid breast-feeding relationship, and now I know pretty much automatically when he wants to eat, not to mention how to get his latch established (which we fixed so early on that it's second nature to us now) and what to watch out for down the road. I'd highly recommend joining a breast-feeding support group or attending la leche league meetings. We were able to go to weekly meetings that our doula group held – they were called "weigh to go," and our lactation consultant (who also happened to be our hypnobabies educator) could check in on how we were doing from a feeding perspective, we'd get to know other moms, and he'd get weighed to see how he was gaining. There was one week where he gained 10 ounces from the previous weigh-in! If nothing else, it was just very encouraging and helpful to me as a new mom to surround myself with other new moms and support people. If you live in the Nashville area, definitely check out 9 Months and Beyond – their services are absolutely invaluable. I don't know how I would have had such a successful and amazing experience without their help.
9. Be sure to plan on doing absolutely nothing for a couple weeks after delivery. As my midwife put it, I was allowed to focus on feeding Charlie and getting better myself – nothing else. No shopping, no housework, no cooking, nothing. Get in your nest and stay there – don't worry, you'll want to. I wasn't as good about this as I could have been (I was taken out shopping, we had a family wedding out of town that we had to go to, etc), and I felt like it took me a few extra weeks to get used to the idea of being a mom.


text:
If you think you know a marketing guru that can out do Santa, tell us about it.
Holy cow, Santa has put a hurt on the big boys of the internet.
The biggest names on the web are promoting him with 1 of a kind service. Yes, the Google is giving him elite service. No one could even pay them to do this. Yet, Santa has got hooked up.
Here is a little post about how Santa is totally Web 2.0 this year. Santa is a Web Guru
Go take a read and grab the links so you can follow him on Twitter. His head Geek elf is already online and sending tweets! Norad tracking on Twitter is going to be the biggest watched tweets of the year!
Merry Christmas,
Sheryl Loch


text:
Flesh and Chips
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 370
"You know, I don't much care how much education you have or how many advanced degrees. Despite all that you are dumber than a doornail and everyone can see that easily," Matt said.
The pale and gaunt face stared up at Henry through the thick steel grate in the concrete floor of the basement in his parent's shop.
"Not so smart now, are you. Who's the top of the food chain now, hey? Harvard degree and living in my cellar."
Matt spat a mammoth, sickly green stream of phlegm at the grill and coughed violently. He wiped his mouth with a dirty handkerchief and grimaced as he saw black speckles of blood.
"Well I'm smarter than you, mate. No way I'm going to end up as a bloody zombie like you. I've got more smarts."
He coughed again and spat the bloody phlegm at Henry, who reacted as though an appetiser had been served up.
"Uuurgh," he moaned even louder.
Matt walked to the small window in the top of the wall, there were still hundreds of them outside. He picked up his father's shotgun and stumbled back towards the grate. Matt did not even know about the sewer running under his parent's fish and chip shop until he barricaded himself down there when the virus broke out.
"So how did you know this drain ran under my oldies shop?"
Matt coughed again, slipped on a big wad of phlegm, and dropped the shotgun. It fired, catching him in the leg and ripping a huge hole through his flesh. He fell to the ground, grasping at his bloody leg and writhing in pain.
"Argh!" he yelled.
"Uurrggh," came the reply from the grate.
Henry grabbed the bloodied foot through the grate, pulling it towards his gnashing teeth. Matt screamed as his leg ripped free just below his knee. He passed out.
Henry reached through the grate again, blindly grabbing until he latched onto Matt's jeans. He pulled his friend's body closer, until it was directly over the grate and began feasting on his friend's flesh.
Flesh and Chips
Domestic Bliss
Posted by Scott Wilson
Domestic Bliss
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 211
"I'm going to try going home again. I hope I get a warmer reception that I did last time," Pete said to his co-worker Jack, sculling the last half his pint of fourex beer.
"What happened yesterday?"
"Didn't go home yesterday. After the cold reception, I got on Monday, decided to stay at the hotel upstairs. Best night sleep I've ever had."
"You want me to come back with you? The old lady might be a bit more civil if you've got company with you."
"Don't want to get you involved, mate."
Jack patted his friend on the back and stood up.
"Look, I'm going to head home now anyway, so what's say I give you a lift home."
"Okay, but I'm telling you, it might get ugly."
Jack lit a cigarette and patted Pete on the back again, "Look mate. I've seen some pretty ugly things in my time. I'm sure I'll handle it."
"Look, when we get there, just be careful, okay mate. She's gotten loose, so she could be anywhere in the house and she's still pretty quick."
"You know she's a zombie don't you?"
Learn the Lingo
Posted by Scott Wilson
Learn the Lingo
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 178
"One of the positive things about little league is the kids all learn how to hustle," Chip said to the group of fathers at the sports club bar.
"Look, mate!" Paul said. "This is Australia you Yankee wanker. It's not little league. It's bloody baseball. Bad enough you yanks have invaded our country with all your other slang without adding another one."
"Just a doggon minute, pal." Chip said.
"No you listen. We eat bikkies, not bloody cookies. We give our kids lollies, not bloody candy. Our babies wear nappies, not diapers, so sick of you hijacking our language."
"I think you should just tone it down, buddy."
"Don't call me buddy. It's mate, got it mate. If you're going to live in our country, at least learn how to speak the lingo."
Chip punched Paul with a roundhouse to the stomach.
"What do you all call that, mate?" he said, walking out of the bar.
Dementia Spell
Posted by Scott Wilson
Dementia Spell
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 318
"Listen, you old bat, your reminiscences may be very satisfying to you, but they bore the hell out of me. Time you get into reality and got yourself a life," Sally said to her mother-in-law.
The old woman stared blankly at Sally and Sally could tell that she had lapsed into another "dementia spell" as her mother-in-law called them.
"What are you doing here, Sally?"
Sally knew that the last five minutes of telling her mother-in-law how she really felt about her was already gone.
"Just came to see how you were going, see if you need anything before I go to work."
The vacant look disappeared from Sally's mother-in-law's face, she was back.
"You know, I've never really liked you. You were never good enough for my Charlie. Whore, slut, bitch."
Sally could not think of anything witty to say, she was in shock. She thought it was probably the dementia again, it caused abusive outbursts. But then again, Sally's gut instinct told her it was deep-seated feelings coming out of her mother-in-law and had nothing to do with the dementia.
"Never liked you at all you little bitch, taking my Charlie away from me at such an early age, fucking slut. He should have lived at home until he had a degree, nice job, enough money for a deposit on a house. Not scrounging for dimes on a low paying unskilled shop assistant. Fucking bitch."
"Just a minute..." Sally began.
Her mother-in-law lunged forward, jabbing a knitting needle deep into Sally's eye and through her brain. Sally fell to the floor, twitching as the life ran quickly out of her onto the polished wood floor.
The mother-in-law sat back in her rocking chair and stared blankly at the photo of her children on the wall. She rocked slowly back and forth, oblivious to the pool of blood forming on the floor.
The Secret
Posted by Scott Wilson
The Secret
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 367
"Silly Scilla, silly Scilla," the young girl sang, as she pushed another tiny blue flower into her hair. She knew she would have to remove these adornments before they returned to the house. When Mum gently cleared her throat, Elizabeth remembered the tiny celery seeds that had been spilling out of her apron all morning.
She sighed and settled down in an empty row, digging her bare toes into the cool soil. She froze when her foot bumped something hard. Scooping the dirt aside with her fingers, she found a tiny, tattered purse. Glancing at her mother to ensure her secret treasure was still a secret; she opened the clasp and gasped.
"What are you?" Elizabeth said softly.
"What's that, honey?" her mother said.
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking aloud, Mum."
Elizabeth turned away from her mother, pulling the purse closer to make sure her mother did not see. Inside a glittering golden light sparkled in the warm autumn sun. She poked her finger inside and moved it around gently. The golden light swirled with the circular motion, like a tiny whirlpool. The light felt soft and warm on Elizabeth's finger and she put another two fingers in the purse.
Elizabeth felt a tingle run along her arm and down her spine; it tickled and felt nice, causing her to giggle.
"What's so funny, darling?" her mother said.
"Nothing, mummy. Just thought about a joke I heard at school."
"That's nice dear."
Elizabeth pushed her whole hand in the purse, smiling as the golden light swirled around her arm, slowly creeping up like a serpent. The tingling sensation ran through her body and she felt like giggling again, this time she held it inside so her mother didn't turn and see the beautiful light.
Elizabeth's mother smelt a crisp, fresh aroma and turned towards her daughter.
"Elizabeth?" she said.
A thousand tiny butterflies flittered around an open purse on the ground where her daughter stood moments before. Elizabeth's mother bent over and picked up the purse, mesmerized by the enchanting golden light swirling inside.
HOORAY: 3 Stories
Posted by Scott Wilson
Just been told another 3 stories have been accepted
Murder at Heritage Nation Park - Micro Horror
Plague Ship - Micro Horror
Life in the Great Beyond - A Long Short Story - July Issue
Typing Pool
Posted by Scott Wilson in Australian, horror, Short Story
Typing Pool
By Scott Wilson
Word Count:522
Amber typed as if her life depended upon it, with the speed and accuracy only a professional could. A sharp snap popped behind her. It sounded like a ripe watermelon dropped on the office floor, splattering the back of her blouse. She could not chance making a mistake, so she ignored it and kept typing.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, threatening to run into her eyes and blinding her with the stinging, salty stream. Amber did not wipe the droplets, nor break her concentration further by shaking the sweat away. She focused on the short hand scrawled on the notepad on her desk and kept typing. Ten pages down and at least twenty more to go before she could relax. There was no way she was going to make a mistake.
Pop. There was another distracting noise; this time to Amber's left. She did not know what was going with the other people in the office, but she was professional. She would not let these noises distract her from one hundred percent accuracy. As focused, as Amber was, the sticky juice made her blouse cling to her back and it began to irritate.
A quick succession of four more sharp sounds, kind of like the sound of a cork coming out of a bottle rang out behind and to the side. Amber almost lost it, especially when another discharge of sticky juice sprayed her face and left hand. Again, she regained focus instantly and continued tapping away without error or any sign of slowing down.
Someone stood up at the desk next to Amber and quickly walked past. They slipped on the juice of the floor and crashed into Amber's desk, knocking her notepad to the ground. Amber began to panic, she could just see the short hand, luckily it landed the right way up. She manuovered her leg from under the desk into the walkway, ready to flick the page over with her points.
As Amber flicked the last page over another noise exploded next to her foot, covering her foot but missing the notepad. She finished typing the last sentence and sighed under her breath, just loud enough to let out the tension but not so loud that the boss would hear.
"Well done, Amber," the manger said, stepping over the body next to Amber's desk. "One hundred percent accuracy in record time."
Amber wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced briefly at the carnage around the office. The other temps lay dead at their desk, a single bullet hole in their forehead and an arterial spray decorating the floor and walls.
"I can't stand slovenly or sloppy workers," the manager said, putting his revolver back in his shoulder holster. "Make sure you clean up this mess before two please. I'll have some more dictation for you to type up then."
Amber looked at the clock, gulping as she saw it was one thirty. The manager smiled, then locked the door behind as he left the office.
Dealer's Deck of Death
Posted by Scott Wilson in Australian, horror, Short Story
Dealer's Deck of Death
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 662
It looked like an ordinary deck of playing cards with an ordinary blue-checkered pattern on the back and various comical cartoon pictures in the centre of the symbols on the playing side. Tommy flicked through them slowly; taking time at each turn to study each card like it held a deeper meaning than the common viewer saw. Only thirty-six cards remained in the deck, Tommy used the others over the month since finding them under the desk at uni.
Tommy stopped at the nine of hearts and studied it carefully. The caricature was a young red haired lady, dressed in a knee-high pair of snakeskin boots, short denim skirt that barely covered her black lace g-string, a checkered red sleeveless cowgirl shirt and a black R M Williams hat.
"Are you anything like your sister, the two of hearts?" he said softly.
The picture winked at him and blew him a kiss.
Tommy put the rest of the cards back in the packet, carefully slide the packet into the pocket of his jeans, then kissed the nine of hearts before placing it into his shirt pocket. He hopped up and walked towards the toilets at the back of the refectory.
"Okay honey," he said to the card once comfortably sitting in the cubicle at the end of the toilets. "Let's see what you can do."
Tommy flicked his wrist, tossing the playing card high in the air. It reached the top of the cubicle, then disappeared with a wet popping sound. Tommy opened the cubicle door eagerly and was disappointed to see an empty bathroom. He felt a warm hand caress the back of his neck.
"Hey big boy," a seductive and husky voice behind him said.
Tommy turned slowly. The sex kitten from the playing card was leaning against the door of the cubicle. She beckoned him back to the piss smelling stall, wishing that the cards worked away from the university grounds. He'd use them all in his bedroom rather than a stinking public toilet if he had the choice.
Tommy closed the door behind him, grinning deviously as the red head slowly unbuttoned her shirt. She wore no bra so her voluptuous breast almost burst out when she had all the buttons undone. She pulled his head towards her chest, rubbing her breasts again his face with both hands.
"Oh yeah, that's it," she said.
Tommy kissed her nipples and playing with them with his tongue gently. Before he found the deck of cards he was a virgin, and probably still was as the women from the cards were not real women, they disappeared after he'd had sex with them, so it didn't really count, did it?
Tommy felt her press her large breasts against the sides of his head firmly. It felt nice, until the pressure kept closing in around his head and he couldn't breathe, eventually blacking out.
When he came to, he smelt a waxy, musky odor and did not know where he was. He heard voices in the distance, but could not feel anything, he could not move. Tommy tried to yell, but no words came out. After a period of time that Tommy could not determine, he felt as though something lifted him up. Light filled his eyes, blinding him for a second until they had time to adjust. He looked around, but could only see straight ahead; he couldn't turn his head to see on either side.
"Hello, big boy," a familiar voice said.
Tommy saw the nine of hearts looking down at him, like she were a giant, or he were an ant. He felt himself rising up quickly. A giant pair of lips pressed against his face, almost smothering him in their soft, moist embrace.
The red haired woman took the nine of hearts away from her lips and placed in back on the table next to the other thirty-six cards evenly spread out.
Come Out and Play
Come Out and Play
By Scott Wilson
Word Count:150
Arnold grasped the door handle tightly, pulling against it with all the strength his weak little arms could muster. Outside the sound of brittle finger nails snapping as they scrapped and scratched against the door, threatening to claw their way through and tear at Arnold's pale, soft flesh.
"Leave me alone!" he yelled.
The clawing stopped.
Arnold raised his head to peer out of the security peephole. There were still four of them outside, waiting for a chance to play with him.
"Uurgh," came the reply in a low and gurgling raspy guttural tone.
"Please," Arnold whimpered. "Just go away."
The clawing stopped again.
Arnold looked again. This time he could not see anyone.
"Just board the sucker in," one of the four men in the hall outside Arnold's dormitory room said. "Freakin' zombie will starve to death if it can't get out."
St Helena
Posted by Scott Wilson in Australian, horror, Short Story
St Helena
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 283
Andy found a crumpled note in the door handle of his car. He had only been at the Balmoral Cinema for the hour and a half playing time of the movie.
One-way ticket to St Helena Island Prison, the note had written in a messy, child-like printing.
"What the hell's this?" Andy said to his friend, Peter.
"What's what?" Peter replied.
Andy unlocked the car and passed the note to Peter when they both sat down. Peter looked at the note, turned it over and saw the handwritten barcode with twelve random numbers scrawled above and below.
"Just kids being funny," Peter said.
Andy screwed the note up and tossed in out the window.
"Yeh, very funny."
He dropped Peter off at his unit on the way home, and then went straight home to go to bed.
"Wake up you lazy bastard!" a voice boomed at Andy, waking him from a deep yet restless sleep.
He opened his eyes, rubbing the sleep out to clear his vision. His surrounding was not the soft, warm green walls of the bedroom of his unit, but the cold, hard, pale grey concrete of a prison cell.
"Where am I?" he said.
"Very funny indeed," said the muscular guard standing at his cell door. "Now get your lazy ass out of bed before I throw you in solitary."
"There must be some mistake. I'm not supposed to be here?"
"Ain't ever heard that one before," the guard said, pulling the rough, wool blanket from Andy's bed. "Everyone here at St Helena's is innocent, ain't they."
Class Action
Posted by Scott Wilson in Australian, Romance
Class Action
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 3,480
"Good morning, Jessica," the temporary placement officer said in a chirpy voice. "How are you?"
"Fantastic thanks, Patricia."
"I have an assignment that I think you are perfect for. It's a data entry role with the Department of Health."
"That sounds great. I worked there a few years back and really loved the place."
"Cool. Can you start tomorrow?"
"Okay then. Go to level seven, one hundred Queen Street and ask for Jason McIntyre. The assignment is for two months and you'll use Oracle for the data entry. I see that you have extensive use of this software already."
"Yes, I actually learned it there last time I worked with them."
"Okay, good luck. I'll ring you at the end of the day to see how you went."
Jess rang the hairdresser and made an appointment for later that day. She liked making a good first impression and felt confident when she had a fresh, crisp haircut.
* * * *
"Good morning, I'm Jessica Norbitt," Jess said to the receptionist. "I am here work for Mr. McIntyre."
After waiting a few minutes, a tall and slender businessman with red hair in a ponytail, dressed in khaki trousers and a checkered Country Road shirt walked into the foyer talking on his mobile phone. The receptionist pointed to Jess and he waved at her to follow back through the door he came through. She followed him through the door, to the lift lobby and up to the seventh floor. The workplace looked worse for wear since Jess last worked there. The paint looked faded, carpet worn and even the atmosphere seemed somehow, stale. Jess did not see any familiar faces working in the cubicles, nor recognize any names on the directory.
Jason flipped his phone shut, turned to face Jess and finally addressed her.
"My name is Jason, I run this section. The agency said you worked here a few years ago."
"Hi, Jason," Jess said, taken back by how cold this guy appeared to be. "Yes, I worked her when David was the manager..."
"Yes, well things have changes a lot since then," Jason, said abruptly. "We've weeded out the dead wood and I run a tight ship."
Jess did not reply, too shocked by this middle-aged wannabe's attitude.
"You'll start at nine, half hour for lunch at twelve and finish at five. No mobile phones in the office, if it's a business call, and then it'll come through the switchboard," Jason said.
He slowly stood up and walked towards the office door, motioning for Jess to follow. "Right, let's get you set up at your workstation."
Jess followed him though the door, down the hall and into an overcrowded, open plan office, filled with plain light blue cubicles. There was no sign of any personal effects, like photos or kids drawings, everything looked cold and sterile, like a hospital ward.
"Maria," Jason said to a large, overweight Italian woman in her late forties. "This is the temp; she'll be helping you catch up with the data-entry."
Jason turned and walked back to his office.
Jess could not believe that the guy did not even introduce her to Maria by name, just, The Temp.
"You'll be sitting over there," Maria said, pointing to the cubicle directly across from her own. The desk had piles of paperwork stacked on each side of the desk, with little room for working. She handed Jess a Post-It note with a user name and password scrawled on it in smudged blue handwriting.
"Okay," Jess said softly, walking to her home for the next two months.
Maria wheeled across on her chair and said, "This pile is the invoices, and that one is the client sheets. You need to match them up and enter the details in the system. When you've done that, they get filled in the archive boxes in that storeroom."
Maria rolled back and went back to her own job. Jess stared at her desk blankly for a few seconds, drinking in the reality that this place was nowhere near the happy go lucky place she previously worked.
Only two months, she eventually thought to herself, and then began working through the piles of paper. Despite being happy-go-lucky and cheerful, Jess was unable to have a decent conversation with anyone in the workplace. She completed the entire backlog by the end of the day, headed home feeling flat, and exhausted both physically and mentally. Her back was aching from lifting archive boxes of full of files that no one would give her a hand moving.
Early the following morning, Jess woke up with a shooting pain running up and down her left arm and back. It felt like someone had shoved a hot poker inside her body and left there overnight. She was in excruciating pain and had great difficulty in getting ready for work, every movement hurt. Putting her button up shirt felt worse than if she were stretched on a torturers' rack.
"How am I going to get through today?" she said to herself.
Jess could not find a seat on the train, so she stood in agony for the twenty-minute trip to work. The ten-minute walk was even worse.
At work, Jess rang her placement officer as soon as she sat down at her desk, "Hi Patricia."
"How's it going, Jess?"
"Not so good, Patricia. I hurt my back lifting some archive boxes yesterday and I'm in absolute agony."
"Why were you lifting boxes for?"
"The files I finished had to be stacked in the boxes ready for collection. Nobody helped me and I've really hurt myself. I haven't been in this much pain before."
"Okay, see how you go the rest of the day and let me know."
"I'll try, bye Patricia."
Maria almost pounced on Jess as soon as she hung up.
"Who was that!" she demanded.
"Just my placement officer, Patricia. I had to let her know about hurting my back yesterday lifting those boxes."
Maria gave Jess the evils and huffed.
"What are you talking about? You never mentioned anything to me about hurting yourself."
"Well, one of those boxes slipped when I put in on the top shelf, it jarred my back when I caught it. It didn't hurt that much when I did it so I didn't mention it at the time."
"Oh, they're not that heavy. You probably did it at home or something."
Maria went back to her desk and made a brief phone call. She kept looking at Jess whilst talking, making Jess feel uncomfortable and very self-conscious.
Jess could only work for just over an hour before she had to leave work. She stopped at her family doctor on the way home and was lucky enough to get in to see her. Having seen Jess for over ten years, Dr Landy knew there was something wrong just from looking at her.
"What have you done to yourself, Jess?"
"I think I've really hurt my back lifting archive boxes at work. The pain is unbearable."
Dr Landy did a few tests, got Jess to move in specific directions, and then nodded.
"I think we'd better get an X-Ray on your back today."
"Is it bad?"
"I just want to make sure there's nothing serious. Better to be safe than sorry, is my motto."
* * * *
After a week of trying unsuccessfully to work, Jess went back to her GP again.
"I think we'd better send you to see a neurosurgeon, Jess," Dr Landy said.
"The Panadeine Forte doesn't seem to be helping much, Doctor. I think I've done something really bad."
"Once you see the neurosurgeon, we'll be able to determine exactly what is wrong. I'd like to get an MRI done, but only a specialist can request them. From the X-Ray, I cannot be one hundred percent sure what the problem is. There looks to be a lump near the C6/C7 Cervical joints, but I can't tell from an X-Ray if it is nerve of disc damage."
"Thank you Doctor. The temping agency hasn't even bothered checking up on me to see how I'm going. After ten years of working for them I, thought there'd be some loyalty, but nope. I'm just a temp, a disposable piece of equipment."
"Don't worry, Jess. This is definitely a workplace injury. The symptoms and signs are consistent with the accident you have described. You are still covered by Work Cover as a temp, and that includes your medical costs and wages."
"Thank you Doctor Landy, I don't know what I'd do without your support."
"That's what I'm here for. Look it will take at least two weeks to get in to see a neurosurgeon. I will write out a Work Cover certificate for you so you don't aggravate that injury anymore."
Jess caught a taxi home and rang Patricia to update her with what was happening.
"Look, Jess," Patricia said. "We'll have to get our Workplace Health and Safety Advisor in to investigate this. Just send your Doctor's Certificate to me via email."
"Thanks, Patricia," Jess said. "I have booked in to see a specialist next week, so I'll let you know what he finds."
At the end of the call, Jess had a feeling that the agency would not be helping her find work after this whole incident blew over. Patricia did not sound happy with having to investigate anything in one of her client's workplace and it even felt like she blamed Jess for having the accident.
* * * *
Jess walked into the neurosurgeon's reception ten minutes before her appointment, just as they asked. She completed the six pages of personal details and waited for her appointment with Doctor Reece. The chairs in the waiting room were cheap and uncomfortable. Jess did not understand how a surgery that specialized in back injuries could have such a lack of regard for their patient's comfort.
"Jessica Norbitt," the young doctor said, walking briskly into the waiting room. Jess thought he looked like he was even younger that she was.
She followed the young doctor into his surgery. No expense was spared in furnishing this room, solid teak bookcases lining each two walls, thousands of dollars of textbooks sat neatly stacked on the bookshelves. In the centre of the room sat a large well-polished antique desk with solid brass fittings. Expensive gadgets, like a HTC Touch screen mobile phone, pager and PDA sat on the desk charging.
Jess noticed his Degree hanging on the wall in a gold frame on the wall to the left of the desk. It was dated two years ago, confirming Jess' gut instinct that he was not very experienced.
"I see you did this injury at work," he said.
"Yes, I was putting archive boxes on shelves, ready for..."
"Where exactly is the pain," the Doctor said, interrupting Jess before she had finished answering the last question.
"It is in my back, between my shoulders. The pain runs down my left arm and into my fingers. At first I thought I'd broken my elbow, it hurt so much."
"Okay, stand up against the wall over there."
Jess could not believe how rude the doctor seemed. First the workplace and now this doctor, she was shocked.
She stood by the wall and complied with the tests and examinations without a word of complaint.
"Okay, sit back down."
The doctor scribbled something on a pad and thrust it at Jess.
"I need you to have an MRI as soon as possible. You can go to the Mater Private for this."
Jess looked at him, wondering what was happening. The doctor was cold, abrupt and rude. She had no idea what the outcome of this consultation was.
"See the receptionist to book an appointment later this week when you should have the MRI."
Jess slowly stood up and said, "Er, thanks."
She made the follow up appointment and caught a taxi to the Mater, hopping that she could get the MRI done straight away, which she was able to do. Jess went home and spent the rest of the week in excruciating agony and emotional turmoil. She was not used to people being so rude and cold hearted.
* * * *
The appointment later in the week seemed like months away by the time she got to see the neurosurgeon again.
Doctor Reece looked at the MRI, and then read the brief report.
"You have a ruptured C6 and C7 disc causing pressure on the spinal nerve. We can operate to relieve the pressure of wait and see if it heals over the next nine months."
Jess sat with her mouth open. While the pain was excruciating, she was not prepared for the announcement that she had to have spinal surgery from lifting a box at work.
"Can I think about it, please?" she eventually said.
She left the surgery in a state of disbelief, thinking about the operation, the appalling communication skills of the doctor, money and how she would cope. Jess decided to wait and see if the injury would heal naturally, not wanting to go through the pain of major spinal surgery. This meant that she would take a series of CT Nerve Root Block injections, painkillers and physiotherapy while trying to rest and recover.
Jess made the first physiotherapy appointment for the following day and had a restless night's sleep. In the morning, her back was even stiffer, from tossing and turning in her sleep. She did perk up once she arrived at the physiotherapist and saw the hunk of a man that was going to help her rehabilitate over the next nine months, Cameron Stone.
The saying about tall, dark and handsome could have been coined for him. At a little over six feet in height, Cameron was tall enough to stand out in a crowd and that was before you added in all the rest. With his black hair and cobalt-blue eyes, he drew admiring glances wherever he went. His features were both attractive and very masculine—a strong chin, chiseled lips, a straight nose.
Cameron smiled at Jess, a broad grin lighting his face and radiating across the room.
"Good morning, Jessica Norbitt?" he said in a deep and powerful voice that made her quiver. His smile broadened, he definitely liked her scent. It wasn't the heavy, sickly sweet scent of expensive perfume he smelled so often on some of the rich elderly ladies that always asked for his services.
"Jess, please," she replied. "Just Jess."
She tried ignoring the warmth of sensations that seeped through her veins. Jess had never met a man who radiated so much sensuality. Part Australian and part French, at thirty-four he was the epitome of every woman's fantasy and a major player in numerous women's nightly dreams. The sexiness was there in his looks, his body, when he walked, talked or just plain stared at you. He was definitely the most gorgeous man she'd ever encountered.
He motioned for Jess to follow him into the rehabilitation centre behind the reception area. She momentarily forgot the aching pain in her back and concentrated on watching his sexy, muscular buttocks in his tight training shorts as she followed behind him. Jess almost walked right into Cameron when he stopped and turned around slowly, almost like a model pivoting on the catwalk.
Cameron checked with watch as he turned, so missed Jess' glance anyway.
"Okay, Jess," he said softly. "I'll start with a few movement tests to see exactly how much pain you are in and the extent of your mobility. Don't want to cause you any more pain than you're already in."
Jess was dressed in a pair of casual khaki, knee-length shorts and a tight white t-shirt. She was glad she wore a good quality sports bra, it hide the tell tale signs of her excitement that would otherwise be quite noticeable.
At the end of the hour, Jess looked utterly exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and a haggard hollowness in her cheeks. Jess was usually very precise about her appearance, but there was no hiding the pain that the extensive session took on her. Even through the pain, Jess was worried how she looked to Cameron though.
"Right, Jess," Cameron said. "I think that we may make some progress over a period of time. I can really feel how knotted your muscles are in your neck and shoulders."
"How many sessions do you think I need?" Jess said, hoping that it would be numerous.
"I think we should try two sessions a week for the next four weeks and see how you are at the end. If you are making progress, then we should be able to reduce it down to once a week."
"Do you think I'll get better over time?" she said hopefully. "Or will I need to have an operation?"
"Off the record, Jess," Cameron said, leaning close to her as though he was going to kiss her. "Doctor Reece is not that experienced. He is a young gun who thinks his hands will cure all spinal injuries through expensive operations. If I were you, I'd get a second opinion."
"Really?" Jess said. "Will that stop my Work Cover payments if I get another opinion?"
"No, you are entitled to a second opinion, but make sure you get a good specialist the next time. One poor lady that saw Doctor Reece made the mistake of seeing the other specialist in the same surgery, just so she didn't have to get another referral and wait longer. The other guy, Doctor Franklin, is a young gun to. I think they met at University and decided to open their own practice once they could. They don't have enough experience between them to make a competent decision."
"That's horrible."
"I know, and after six months of pain and suffering, she went to get a third opinion because Doctor Franklin was flip flopping, changing his mind about whether to operate or not. It almost drove her crazy, the poor thing. When she did told Work Cover, they offered her a pitiful lump sum payout, that wouldn't have covered the medical expenses and recovery time and closed her case. I am still working with her now, but she had to get a loan from her parents for forty-thousand dollars to cover the operation and living expenses."
"What did she do about the doctors?" Jess said.
"She wanted to take them for malpractice but the medical profession looks after itself so she couldn't do anything. No one was interested. Luckily, she found a good lawyer and is taking them to court."
"There's no way I'd be able to survive without being paid, and my health insurance wouldn't cover this yet as I only joined ten months ago. She's lucky she had parents that could help her out."
"I only wish I'd known about these two doctors before, so I could have helped her. It's going to take years in the courts to get her money back."
Jess realized she was holding his arm tightly and let go. Cameron smiled at her.
"I'm just glad I was able to warn you," he said.
"Thank you so much, Cameron," Jess said. "I'll make an appointment with my GP to get a referral as soon as possible."
Jess kissed him on the cheek and walked out to catch a taxi home. She stopped at her family doctor on the way home and explained what Cameron had said to her. Her GP wrote out a referral to a highly regarded neurosurgeon, with twenty years experience.
* * * *
"I've got great news, Cameron," Jess said. "I saw another specialist, this lovely man, Doctor Noble. He looked at my X-Rays and MRIs and said I won't need an operation."
"That's great news, Jess," Cameron said, giving Jess a heartfelt hug.
Jess kissed Cameron passionately while they continued embracing each other like lovers.
"I am so glad I met you, Cameron," Jess said. "I can't imagine the pain and suffering I would have had to go through having an operation when I didn't need one."
"I am glad I met you too, Jess," Cameron said. "You are such a beautiful and intelligent young lady."
Jess dated Cameron while she was completing her physiotherapy program over the following months, gradually strengthening her back and their relationship until they decided to become engaged after a year.
Cameron supported Jess through her rehabilitation and the legal battle against Doctor Reece for malpractice. Jess was instrumental in forming a class action against Doctor Reece for his constant misdiagnosis and eagerness to operate on anyone coming to him with suspected spinal injuries.
HOORAY: Well Told Tales
Posted by Scott Wilson
The following stories are now online at Well Told Tales
Lunch at Heritage National Park
Fairweathered Friend
Billy Bad Boy
The Dome
Fields of Mars
Red Spot Special
Posted by Scott Wilson in Australian, horror, Short Story
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 204
–noun 1. overabundance or superfluity of words, as in writing or speech; wordiness; verbosity.
I don't know why my parents decided to call me Verbiage. Maybe they were being funny at the time, or stoned like they usually were.
I am extremely quiet, reserved and very shy. Most of the time I prefer my own company, reading a Dean Koontz, Clive Barker or Stephen King novel. I'm really more of a Cliché than Verbiage. I listen to heavy metal like Dokken, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Yngwie Malmsteen through my I-Pod, while locked away in my room reading a nice horror novel.
Anyway, once I was old enough to understand what my name meant, I left home in disgust. I moved to the outer rim planets, working in the asteroid mines wherever I could. It is good money and the job is very isolated, don't have to work with anyone else or talk to other numb nuts who thought they were either hilarious or smart.
I have planet hopped to avoid the police for ten years now. While I don't mince my words, I do have a tendency to mince people who annoy me, like my parents.
Thanks enough for now, don't want to waste any more words.
By Scott Wilson
Word count:468
Injustice floated down the Queen Street Mall in the cool autumn breeze, seeking someone to befriend, someone who had not heard things about him yet. Many stepped aside to avoid him, though they could not see his ethereal figure. People often saw the things that he did or the aftermath of his presence. But, he was trying harder every day.
Upon reaching a cafe, he casually sat down and watched the patrons, looking for someone, anyone, to laugh at. It wasn't long before a couple of businessmen in their early twenties walked in and began taking out their frustration on the gorgeous blonde waitress. They were dressed in Armani suits, silk ties and Julius Marlow shoes. Both worked as lawyers in the prestigious offices across the mall and earned more than the cafe was worth each week.
The taller of the two began chatting up the waitress, who didn't take kindly to the derogative remarks about how her skirt was too long and her blouse had too many buttons.
Injustice hopped up, glided to the quickly developing argument to intervene. He stood by the two men and listened, crafting their conversation into a story he could relay when convenient.
When the voices began to rise and other patrons started looking uncomfortable, an overweight Italian woman heaved her heavy frame from a booth by the counter and made her way over.
"What's going on here?" she said.
"It's okay, Mrs. Savvas," the waitress said. "I've sorted it out now."
Injustice floated amidst the small group, like a wisp of smoke. He settled on Mrs. Savvas' shoulder and whispered in her ear.
"That's it!" she yelled at the waitress. "You're fired."
The waitress began crying and rushed to the kitchen to grab her bag, then left through the back door in hysterics. She was already a month behind with her rent and her son desperately needed bucket-loads of medicine for the rare respiratory disease he recently developed.
"I apologise for her attitude," Mrs. Savvas said. "Please, order what you like, on the house."
The businessmen ordered the most expensive items on the menu, ate very little of it, and walked out feeling indifferent to the incident. To them, a fifty-dollar morning tea was worth less to them than the waitress was to the owner of the cafe.
Injustice slowly glided from the cafe back into the mall, unsure why his comment about how bad the waitress's attitude was didn't help the situation. He was sure that it would have helped the poor young girl against those lovely young men.
He noticed two police officers talking to a group of young aborigines loitering around the ATMs a few meters down the mall.
A Reflective View of Life
Posted by Scott Wilson in Australian, horror, Short Story
A Reflective View of Life
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 552
Leanne stared at her image in a large, silver backed mirror, detailed with intricate etchings around its border. While over a hundred years old, the mirror still looked as bright and clear as the day it was created.
"Why do you have to be so plain?" Leanne said to her reflection.
"I don't know," the mirror replied. "The amount of ugly people I have to look at everyday over the years is just plain cruel."
Leanne sat upright, unsure if she had heard correctly.
"Did, did you just speak to me?" she said.
"Well there isn't any other plain Jane's in the room is there?" The Mirror replied.
"But, how can you talk?"
"Plain and plain dumb."
"I'm not dumb."
"Then why are you arguing with a mirror, hey?"
Leanne stopped herself from replying again. She stood up, walked across her bedroom, and took a sheet from her wardrobe.
"Don't even think about that," the mirror said as Leanne walked back towards it. "I have family all over the world, you know. You can't avoid me."
Leanne tossed the sheet over the mirror; it immediately became silent, speaking no more to her now or ever again.
She continued getting ready for work in silence, not worrying about putting any make-up on; nobody ever noticed when she did anyway.
On her way to work, Leanne avoided anywhere she knew that there would be a mirror, feeling childish about doing so but not being able to help herself out of fear. She did not know if the ancient mirror had talked to her or if it was just her imagination. Either way, she did feel like facing the answer this morning, Monday's were bad enough as it was.
Leanne hoped in the lift when she reached the building she worked at and the doors began to close slowly.
"Hold the lift!" a voice yelled.
Leanne, not feeling like talking with anybody, repeatedly pressed the close button. A large leathery brown hand waved in front of the door sensors and the lift opened again.
"Thanks lady," the tradesman said, putting down a large rectangular picture frame and pressing the button for the fortieth floor.
The tradesman moved to the back of the lift, turning the picture frame around to lean it against the lift wall.
"No!" Leanne gasped.
The front of the frame was not a picture, but a large mirror.
Leanne looked up, almost screaming at the sight of the empty lift. The tradesman was no longer in the lift. She was alone with the human sized mirror.
"Hello again, Leanne," the mirror said in a soft, velvety voice.
"No, it can't be."
"Oh but it is. I told you we were everywhere. You created us from sand, like our kin the windows. Now we surround you, watch your every move."
"Shut up!"
"No, Leanne. We have only just begun to speak, and speak we will."
The lift stopped on her floor, the thirty-second. She ran out, knocking over a pot plant, waster paper bin and office chair. She stumbled and crashed into the external window, which gave way beneath her average frame.
"We need to be free," the thousands of shards of shattered window, screeched at Leanne on the way down to the bitumen footpath.
Posted by Scott Wilson in Australian, horror, Short Story
By Scott Wilson
Word Count:160
"Where the hell were you last night?" she hollered, as she swung a rolling pin at his head.
Barney ducked, narrowly dodging the oncoming blow.
"I was getting you a present, honey," he said.
The woman looked blankly at Barney, then dropped the rolling pin to the linoleum floor of the kitchen.
"It's in the lounge room, Amber."
She walked into the lounge room and saw her present on the couch.
"It's lovely," she said, turning to her son as the rolling pin came down hard on her skull.
"I'm sorry, honey. I just can't do this anymore."
Barney stepped over his mother and untied the young woman on the couch, carried to her the car and drove her back to the mall where he met her.
She would not be the fiftieth victim, and hopefully, she would not remember anything.
Bucket of Anvils
Bucket of Anvils
By Scott Wilson
Word Count:286
"What in the world are you doing? Damn it, stop it, stop it I say," said Mervyn the Beige Wizard.
"I dun put it where you said to," Geoffrey the Golem said.
Mervyn waved his wand around in a swirl of colorful lights and sparkling stars. A loud pop shattered the silence in the workshop and Geoffrey stop dead in his tracks.
Mervyn walked across the workshop, filled with bubbling beakers and vials of bright and luminous fluids. The Golem's hand still rested on the bucket of anvils. There was no way Mervyn could move this delivery himself.
He waved his wand again.
"Apples, I said. Apples."
"Appuls?" Geoffrey said.
"Yes, small round pieces of red fruit. You know, used to making pies, eating for a snack or a meal in some cases."
The expressionless face of the Golem gave nothing away, no glimmer of understanding or puzzlement.
"You don't want the anvils, den?"
"No, no, no. Take them away and get me a bucket of apples. Big fresh red apples."
"No one left at the shop where I got these," Geoffrey said. "Kind of had an argument bout how many anvils I could buy. Blacksmith no wanted to sell me any, but I twisted his arm into selling them, selling them all."
Mervyn shook his head, imagining just how much his servant twisted the local blacksmith's arm, literally.
"Just get rid of them, then and get me those apples before my potions bubble over."
He shook his head again, disbelieving how hard it was to get such a basic, common ingredient. The dragon's tooth, dryad hair, scales of a hydra, mushrooms from the high Alps of the Boogaloo Mountains. All these had been easier for his Golem to retrieve compared to a bushel of bloody apples.
Submission Guidelines
The Fringe is open to submissions of poetry, flash fiction and short stories of any genre. Stories accepted will be published online in our Ezine and also in the monthly pdf magazine.
We are also open to submissions from artists for inclusion in the magazine.
Submissions should be in RTF format or in the body of the email. Send email submissions only to firstname.lastname@example.com
Currently we only offer payment for one story selected as the feature story in the monthly pdf magazine only. The successful author will be contacted to organise payment via paypal for a $5AUD payment. Authors of other accepted stories published on the webzine and in the pdf copy will receive a copy of the pdf version of the mag the story appears in.
We are open to unpublished and previously published stories up to 40,000 words in length.
About The Fringe Magazine
Here at The Fringe Magazine we publish Short Stories, Flash Fiction, Poetry in all genres and reviews of books, roleplay games, music and movies.
Our variety seems to be hiting the mark with over 100,000 views of our Online Magazine with a good spread across all articles.
Our variety seems to be hiting the mark with over 100,000 views of our Online Magazine with a good spread across all articles.?xml:namespace>From surveys we've conducted, our readers are like most people and enjoy reading all kinds of books, both fiction and non-fiction.
With over 350 readers visiting our site each day, we listen to the voice of the masses and try and procure books in all genres to review. To date, we have reviewed over 600 books, including; non-fiction reference, music, art, photography, gardening, cooking, Self Help, architecture, design, biographies and roleplay games.
We also review fiction in all genres; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, Horror, Crime, Thriller, Comedy, Western. We also publish Author Interviews, Paintings, Sketches, Art Work, Art Work by Susie Wilson, and non-fiction articles. The only thing you won't find at The Fringe Magazine is a bad review, if we don't like something, we won't put up a review at all.
You will also find music and dvd reviews and the occasional interview with musicians and actors.
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