Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.
Phases of Moon: Part 60 by J. Alan Veerkamp
Darkness loomed, reaching up from the tree line, turning the sky indigo. The full moon hadn’t made an appearance yet, but its impending rise sent anxious shivers through Jimmy’s soul. Never had he wished for eternal daylight.
Damned early November sunsets.
“It’s getting dark out. We should get ready,” Jimmy said.
Sawyer’s exhale was loud and hollow. “Yeah. You’re probably right. Clock’s ticking.”
Dormant grass crunched under bare feet as they circled the house. They’d spent most of the day inside, feeding Sawyer’s bottomless appetite, and burning off nervous energy in bed. Now they found themselves saying goodbye to the sun.
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Super Trooper #50 (12.1) by Julie Lynn Hayes
Chan’s head throbbed, a pounding rhythm which made thinking difficult at best. The numbers on the balance sheet sitting on his desk refused to add up. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he was also acting as head teller, as the previous one had abruptly quit one day and moved away from Tucker Falls. Announced she was chasing her dream of being a circus performer. Seriously? That meant he had to make sure the tellers each balanced their drawers before leaving. And sometimes that was just easier said than done. Not to mention one of the regular tellers was out sick, and one of the two savings counselors was on medical leave for another couple of weeks. Altogether that meant longer hours for Chan, but what could he do? He had children to provide for.
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Mates Come First: Chapter 5B by Carol Pedroso.
And there it was. Cravin’s face filled with fear, then he dropped his head to his hands with a sob.
“What’s going to happen to me?” The words were garbled by tears but understandable.
Gray sat back in his chair. “That depends on you. Start talking.”
Cravin hiccupped a few times then pulled himself together. “I assume you know who my sister is and that her son is Ian Woodrow?” Mica and Gray nodded. “My mother’s sister, Sharon, came to me some years ago. She couldn’t control Ian, and he was getting into trouble. At first, I told her to go to one of you.
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Seedrah once again came at a trot, bringing my exosuit. We made our way slowly to the hold, and I tried to memorize the symbols on the walls for the journey. It might not be in aid of escape, but I needed to study these aliens. Their culture was very similar to most bipedal races, their interactions and basic mannerisms mostly within the norms.
They had fairly standard emotions and expressed them in ways I could understand. Their culture was gregarious, and they worked as a community. They clearly showed disfavor toward outsiders—or at least humans and the races
Wednesday Briefs 