Adventure
The Jungle Ride, Chapter Three
Girl-formed no longer but wearing the furious yellow fuzz of a fighting-mad duckling, Miss Ugly flew at the brute, testing his gilded helm with the broadsword she bore in her stubby wingtip. Gachna staggered, his concentration broken so that Maureen’s chains fell slack and she gratefully exhaled, but nor was he slow to parry with his gauntlets Miss Ugly’s sounding ivory blade. Then in a dreadful metallic cacophony new links of lead burst afresh from the shadows, striking like snakes at the warlike waterfowl even as she drove down her frenzied thrusts and passes.
By Doc Sherwood13 days ago in Chapters
The Jungle Ride, Chapter One
“Hey, look! The jungle ride!” sang out Maureen. They’d just rounded the dodgems in the funfair’s roofed-under section, and it came as some surprise to Maureen’s seniors that she should have opted not for these. Her choice by comparison looked the sort of thing she’d have immediately dismissed as kids’ stuff.
By Doc Sherwood13 days ago in Chapters
US–Iran War: A Path Toward Ending the Conflict
US–Iran War: A Path Toward Ending the Conflict The tension between the United States and Iran has once again brought the world close to a dangerous conflict. Over the past months, military actions, economic pressure, and political disagreements have escalated tensions across the Middle East. However, recent diplomatic efforts suggest that both countries may be searching for a way to end the conflict and avoid a broader regional war.
By Wings of Time 14 days ago in Chapters
Crystal Banaba - 7
“What kind of tests?” Rachel asked. “Well, we take the annual physical just like everyone does, but it also includes balance and coordination tests. And after 65, we take a comprehensive cognitive test every six months, to see how our wit and memory works and to detect deterioration.”
By Lana V Lynx14 days ago in Chapters
Summer Romances, Chapter Three
By the time the camp was drawing into sight, Juniper could tell it was already as she’d feared. Flashsatsumas was entitled to his privacy, and in an ideal world she’d have done nothing but respect it. The problem was that right now they weren’t in any world, but rather somewhere they could only safely stay by maintaining a precarious balance of which Flashsatsumas’s powers were part. That wasn’t a mix into which you wanted to introduce desire. The tiny taster of the same which had come Mini-Flash Juniper’s way that morning had been reminder enough that all other powers bowed before it, those of rationality and self-restraint first. From the looks of things, Flashsatsumas hadn’t stopped there.
By Doc Sherwood14 days ago in Chapters
Summer Romances, Chapter Two
Mini-Flash Juniper and Pat had wandered down to the surfline, beyond which the dark sea rolled its mysteries. One such for the former was that she’d suddenly thought of an old classmate, for no reason she could determine. It was enough to wonder why Mini-Flash Piloshiki of all people should have sprung to mind thus, but if she’d been here for real, Mini-Flash Juniper would have known. That was how it worked for the Special Program. Besides, it would have been news to Juniper if any of her party besides herself was even acquainted with the Mini-Flash in question, so putting it down to the unsettled nature of her thoughts she smiled at Pat, who seemed to have noted her momentarily absent look.
By Doc Sherwood14 days ago in Chapters
Summer Romances, Chapter One
Pat hit the brakes and Mini-Flash Juniper disembarked, in perhaps a little more of a flurry than was typical for her. This she quickly put down to never having clambered from the pillion of a supercharged quad-bike before. Behind her the tyres had etched the course of her breathless ride in a die-straight double-line stretching back to its vanishing-point, and Juniper as she composed herself felt the engine’s reverberations still sounding from the wide lonely landscape. There was damp sand under the toecaps of her school shoes, and white clouds raced above the sea.
By Doc Sherwood14 days ago in Chapters
Pakistan Offers to Host Iran-US Talks as Middle East Tensions Rise
Pakistan Offers to Host Iran-US Talks as Middle East Tensions Rise Tensions in the Middle East are once again rising as conflict dynamics involving Donald Trump, Iran, and Israel continue to shape global geopolitics. Amid this uncertainty, Pakistan has stepped forward with a diplomatic offer — proposing to host dialogue between the United States and Iran in an effort to reduce tensions and restore regional stability.
By Wings of Time 15 days ago in Chapters
When the Sky Fell Back to Earth
On a bright September morning in 1986, downtown Cleveland looked like it was preparing for a celebration that would be remembered forever. Volunteers filled Public Square with nets, smiles, and helium tanks. Children laughed. Cameras rolled. The plan was simple and beautiful: release an ocean of colorful balloons into the sky, break a world record, and raise money for a good cause. What could possibly go wrong?
By Izhar Ullah15 days ago in Chapters
Songs of the Silver Wizard
COMPENDIUM "And what did we learn?” “That you can’t cast a fireball in a wooden hut.” “No, that's what happened. What did you learn?” Headmaster Sefodarus sighed when Thaddeus greeted his follow up question with a blank stare. “Thaddeus, you must learn that you cannot go about destroying timbers and expect the house to remain upright. At some point, you must build.”
By Matthew J. Fromm15 days ago in Chapters
