novellas stories and histories

My parents being abroad in the service of Empire, I would have been at a loose end on Christmas Day had Doyle, that most good-hearted of fellows, not invited me to celebrate with his household.
Not that I was the only invitee. When I entered the Doyle's drawing-room -- green with the time-honoured ivy and berry-laden holly, and bright with many candles -- I found the widow Threlfall among the company, at the request of old Mr Courtenay, though his Christmas goodwill was perhaps rooted in an urge less res...

t/w: Stillbirth.
"Master," I said as I walked into the office. "Mama Kelly gave me your mail, and there was a box addressed to me from someone named Ariel Cooley?"
"Thank you Marie," Master said as I handed him a stack of envelopes and a box that was about as big as all of them put together. "Sit down, and open the box. Let's see what's in it."...

"Let me get this straight. Your ancestor traveled to Lagos with a small cargo and plans to sign a new trade agreement with a local businessman. Instead, he left another relative in charge of signing the deal and ventured deep into Central Africa to search for a lost city in the jungle. Only he returned empty-handed four months later to find the trade deal had collapsed. Is that correct?" Phineas checked while not staring at the display of cleavage in his face from the leaning rich girl....

Chapter 23 -- Hardest Goodbye
Monday January 9
My phone rang while I was taking a shower after my morning run. It was my mom, so I quickly answered.
"How is Dad?" I asked before she could say hello.
"He had a rough night. I just came out from seeing him, and he says he's okay."
"And?" I asked....

Lexi is as feminine as they come. Tan, playful, colorfully dressed, and drop-dead gorgeous, she naturally turns heads wherever she goes. Everyone wants to either be her or be with her. But she only has one best friend, whom she proudly boasts about to whoever will listen, and then eagerly annoys in private whenever she gets the chance....

(Part 3 of 6)
Life at Wise Automation was a far different world than the one Camille Smith was accustomed to. Her days were filled with odd exercises and evaluations, interviews and planned excursions. Squads of green-jumpsuited staff members catered to her needs and guided her from activity to activity. It made her feel like an astronaut in training or the star of a big show....

Chapter Seventeen

Jacob had been back from Nashville for three weeks when Tommy showed up at The Blue Note. He spotted his friend immediately, Tommy's tailored charcoal suit standing out among the venue's casual patrons like a peacock among sparrows. Jacob nodded a greeting from the stage, continuing his set without interruption, though he wondered what had prompted this unexpected visit....

(This story is the property of its author, H. K. Smythe. Any unauthorized reproduction or reprint without the express authorization of the author is strictly prohibited.)


I Can Only Love You Twice

Raymond Simpkins
Our story starts off like a lot of others, a wild first three years of college and then settling on a lover for the last year. We got married right after graduation and began our careers in Dallas. Danielle worked in Campaign Design for an advertising firm, while I worked as a...

When my grandmother heard I was going on a date, she sent over a car that week. It was apparently one my mother had used when she was my age, in Stamboul. It was some monster of a sports car with a massive engine burbling behind you when you drove. Naturally, when Constance saw it arrive she was jealous and called the Governor, so it must have been pretty good for a thirty year old car....

As Sally kissed her again, Camilla shivered even as she felt hot and flushed. She was dizzy as the enigmatic woman's lips pressed their soft moisture onto hers. Gentler and sweeter than before, yet just as stirring. Closing around her own, Camilla tasted strawberries despite her wine.
Sally drew back, her tongue licking her bottom lip before she nibbled on it with her teeth. Camilla sat still, wine still in hand, paralysed. As she watched, Sally stood and rounded in front of her. Bending at the waist, he...

Chapter 89
The palace proper was not what Mitchell had expected, but then he realized that he'd never been to any palace before, so he had nothing with which to compare it. The fact that it had been essentially abandoned for the last two years probably wasn't helping much, either.
Once the gate clicked shut behind them, and they made it through the fifteen-foot-thick wall, everyone paused to take a breath. They were, for the moment, safe. Exhausted to a man, all sported wounds of varying severity. The...

The New Guy
Mike Ledur
All rights reserved.
Part 1
It was a small two-bedroom apartment in a quiet neighborhood. Inside, it was impressively clean and orderly. One of the bedrooms was used as an office, with a set of golf clubs in the corner. One bookcase there was devoted to programming books, and the other to several other subjects - golf, vintage movies, and daily life in historical times. The living room, with white walls like the rest, wasn't spacious, but it was comfortable, with a sofa, a...

WARLORD Chapter 4
I'm not sure if Peony said anything important, after she led me to the chamber they'd given me in Hyacinth. It was barely distinguishable from the one in Dahlia, and I really didn't care: I was out like a light the moment my head touched the sheet.
I woke up disoriented. One thing was for sure: I'd been asleep for a long time. I had that groggy, dry-mouthed reluctance to get up. Just five more hours, I thought......

May 7, 2025
The weather was a perfect combination of autumn like coolness and sunshine, as the RAF's newest high tech fighters flew in tandem with Spitfires and other vintage aircraft, all for the purpose of celebrating the 75th anniversary of the world's triumph over Adolph Hitler and his Nazi machine. On this day, Great Britain's leaders and newly crowned king celebrated the nation's Greatest Generation, of which, few now remained....

First and foremost, apologies for the long delays. Thanks to everyone who has read, commented, and helped proofread the story thus far. Big props to AuroraIncident, Boots, and adub for sticking with me through the multiple iterations of each chapter. 
As always, I believe it's best when the story passes through several sets of eyes before I hit that submit button. The more feedback I can get, the better. So if any readers have an interest in helping refine the story (or even if you're sitting on ideas that ...

( This tale is a bit darker than most of my others. It's post-Civil War and my thoughts on what occurs after such events to those folks that lived through it. Thanks again for Your comments and votes, I'll need them for this one. )
The hard shining sun made the skies pale some from the rich glowing blues Jacob had woken to. It was that time in spring that the blue birds boldly cried out their location as they moved from oak to evergreen in search of a mate while butterflies danced together above the new ...

Their exchange on Saturday morning both calmed Chris's nerves and exacerbated his stress further, in a weird, paradoxical fashion. He left feeling dirty, but not in the way he expected to.
Truth be told, he's still not sure what he's looking for. Baring his soul felt far too intimate, but realistically, likely less intimate than baring his genitals. He never had an epiphany after either instance, so he's still flying in the dark....

"Hey, I know we've been hanging out for a while and stuff, but would you like to go out this weekend?" Steven said, as I put books in the bookcases in his room in the condo. "No, just the two of us."
He paused for a reply. "Yes my sister put me up to this, and Honesty is welcome to come along, but I'd rather it be a one on one. Maybe she and Marie can do something together at the condo, so they can get to know each other better as well."...

Chapter 14 ULTIMATUM
Gertie collapses and taken into critical care
As soon as Gill reached her Standhope Winter Bank office first thing Monday morning, she heard from her secretary Kelly that Jake was back in the bank and was in the print room, but he hadn't taken off his coat so was likely to disappear soon....

Seeds of darkness
A cheerful fire crackled in the large stone ringed hearth before them, there was food, ample cool water and even fresh goat's milk. The situation was exactly as Sven had described. Kario and Jhary had joined Aurianne, but there was mostly silence around the camp fire. The trio were still half afraid that Bennett and his cohorts would suddenly appear at any moment in ambush. Aurianne tried hard to let this wariness go. Yet she couldn't completely....

*18 July 2000*
The oppressive Calcutta heat hit Bharath like a wall as he stepped out of the Dum Dum International Airport. At twenty-two, he should have been accustomed to heat, having grown up in Chennai, but this was different--thick with humidity that immediately plastered his designer shirt to his back. He tugged at the collar, already regretting his decision to dress formally for his arrival....

*19 July 2000*
On his way back to the apartment, Bharath stopped at a small market to pick up some essentials. As he was selecting fruit, he noticed a girl around his age watching him with open curiosity.
"You're new here," she said in Bengali when he caught her eye.
"Sorry, I don't speak Bengali yet," he replied in Hindi....

Chapter Fourteen

In the end, Lydia left with all the songs they'd selected--twelve including "The Father Song." She'd stayed in town for two weeks, finding a local studio willing to accommodate Jacob's need for privacy. Together, they'd produced the Father Song into something they were both proud of. Their collaboration had been seamless, each bringing their strengths--Jacob's raw emotional honesty and melodic instinct, Lydia's technical precision and performance experience....

Chris is lucky that the incident occurred on a Friday evening, because he's not sure he could have stomached going into work and acting like nothing had happened. Also, because he now has a nasty hangover, getting any work done like this would be a near-impossible feat.
Hazel has a Saturday morning ritual that he knows better than to interrupt, which is perfect for his purposes, as he knows he can't face her anytime soon. He'll have to find a way to escape and talk with Avery while he's at it. His to-do ...

I woke up in a fit, smothered in between a pair of breasts, held tightly in place by one person, with my back to another.
At first I thought Mama Kelly or Anne had gotten her hands on me in their sleep again, and Grace had her back to me until I managed to pry myself loose.
Once free of the mysterious person's grasp, I sat up, and got a better view of the situation. The room was dark, and I couldn't really make out anything in great detail, being reliant on the city lights to provide what light they c...

Canberra - October 2003
If Camilla hadn't been desperate for news of Jeremy, she may have thought twice about letting a stranger into the apartment. However, it seemed like such a godsend that she might finally learn of his whereabouts that she thought she had to do it.
She buzzed the woman in and waited until she climbed to two floors. There was a knock at the door, and Camilla checked the spyhole before opening. Before her was a woman of medium height, with long black hair and a pale complexion. She...

Chapter 22 -- Something in the Water
Saturday January 7
Everyone was headed home today. While Brook packed, I went downstairs and made cinnamon rolls, a giant frittata using a lot of the leftovers, hash browns, and bacon.
Lexi was the first one down because she didn't have to pack. She made a pot of coffee and opened a bottle of fresh orange juice....

Author's note:
Jenny's story progresses slow but steadily and leads to a first small showdown while setting the stage for future events. This chapter contains suggestive erotic themes but minimal nudity or lewdity.
All comments, critics and thoughts on the story are again very welcome. I wish you a good read....

***All persons depicted in sexual activity are over the age of 18***
Mid-September
Year 5 of Us
Tuesday
"I've found them!" Lacey said as we were finishing lunch.
"Found who?" I was the first to ask the question, but everybody else joined in.
She was looking at her phone, smiling. "Our new dogs!"...

Wantrao's troops went in with a will. They literally ran towards the gate and the front wall, carrying their ladders. Wantrao was at the very front. The enemy archers began to fire, and the first soldiers fell. I have no idea why I did it, but I counted the troopers as they went down. It was horrible. I had to skip from thirteen to sixteen as three fell at virtually the same moment. Mercifully, I was able to shut off the voice in my head after twenty-two....