Short Story
MIDNIGHT MAGIC - ch 3. Top Story - March 2025.
MIDNIGHT MAGIC – ch 3 Julie (*)(*)(*) Morena walked through the front door with a bag of fish and chips for supper. Before she could ask, Mia placed her finger against her lips to indicate they should speak quietly.
By Margaret Brennan2 years ago in Fiction
Selections from the Grand Bazaar
Wealth was prolific in Vargos, even amidst the dizzying levels of poverty that existed beside it. There was the wealth of the corporations and those who served them. There was the wealth of those who carved out a niche in the black market. There was even the wealth of those who simply got lucky, escaping poverty through sheer dumb luck and minor chance.
By R.R. Stephenson2 years ago in Fiction
The side effects of love:
The comfort of love can be as harmful as the softness of water, which is known to drown many lives. Because something is good doesn’t mean that it’s free of toxic effects. There’s no barrier to prevent the toxic thoughts, feelings, and actions of people from seeping into the way they love, causing love to have toxic side effects.
By VoiceOfAnOutlier2 years ago in Fiction
The Last Knock. AI-Generated.
It was just past midnight when the knocking started. Three slow, deliberate raps against the front door. I jolted upright, my heart hammering in my chest. Who knocks at this hour? My husband, Ethan, lay still beside me, his breathing deep and unbothered.
By Ahmet Kıvanç Demirkıran2 years ago in Fiction
Selections from the Grand Bazaar
“Hey! Get below deck and make sure that crate is sealed and ready for delivery. I’m not getting aethered by the Reds because you couldn’t handle your duties. Let’s go!” Captain Mwangi spat. He was tense this morning, and more so than usual for a drop-off with the Reds, even though half of his trips to Vargos involved delivering cargo to them.
By R.R. Stephenson2 years ago in Fiction
Lilith's Blessing 12
12. Days later, Constantine and Iulia ate fresh fruit, kinds they only saw in picture books. The contrast between the treatment of prisoners baffled the couple. Zuveans threw people into cells with only a bucket and hardtack bread. The Kushites fed them three times a day. The room had a bath and shower, fully stocked. Iulia took a bath the first night. He’d never seen her so relaxed.
By Travis J. H. 2 years ago in Fiction
A Love Unyielding Interdicted Letters of 1812
Introduction In a time when war divided nations and duty overshadowed desire, two suckers defied the constraints of society. These letters, changed between Lady Eleanor Harrington and Captain James Ashford in the spring of 1812, reveal a passion as fierce as the battles waged across Europe. Torn between love and duty, honor and defiance, they risked everything for a future that was promised. Would love triumph, or would the world crush their dreams beneath its merciless heel? Letter I: Lady Eleanor to Captain James Ashford March 14, 1812 Ashford Estate, Wiltshire My Dearest James, I dare not write, yet my hand betrays me. The essay upon this runner is a rebellion against my father’s wishes, against the veritably laws of society that mandate my fate. And yet, what's proprietary when my heart beats for no man but you? It has been five months since you rode from Ashford, your livery still crisp, your voice still warm in my observance as you rumored pledges beneath the old yew tree. But time is a cruel pincher, James. The downtime came and went, and with it, my father’s tolerance. He speaks of duty, of honor — words that should bring comfort, yet they burn like ice upon my skin. I'm going to be wed. Lord Halewick is a man of means, a man of rank. My father sees in him a future of stability, of security. But when he spoke the words, when he told me that my place is beside a man who can offer me the world, I wanted to scream — the world means nothing without you! I contended, James. I wept. My father, ever bent , simply turned his reverse. Tell me, my love, is there hope? Can I endure this trial knowing that nearly, beneath foreign stars, you suppose of me as I suppose of you? Write soon, I will reply to you. Let me have but a tale of your voice upon the runner. Yours, eternally, Eleanor. Letter II: Captain James Ashford to Lady Eleanor March 29, 1812 La Rochelle, France My Eleanor, How cruel fate must be, to strike me with a crack deeper than any blade could offer. You, promised to another? I read your letter beneath the dim lantern’s gleam, my fritters pulsing as they traced the essay you set upon the runner. Were I a lower man, I would curse the welkin for this injustice. War is a brutal thing, Eleanor. We march through slush- soaked fields, our thrills heavy with blood and earth. The cries of the wounded rest me in my sleep, and yet, the topmost agony I've known is this the study of you in another man’s arms. Still, if only I could challenge Halewick to a dogfight and claim you as my own, If only I could storm Wiltshire as I do the adversary’s lines. But what honor is there in egoism? You earn further than a man whose love comes with the reek of gunpowder and death. Yet, my darling, do n't despondent. I shall return to you.However, defy every law that binds us, also so be it, If I must ride through the night. Love is no lower cause than honor, and for both, I shall fight. Hold presto, my Eleanor. Do n't yield to your father’s will, nor to fear.However, there's nothing we can not overcome, If you love me as I love you. ever yours, James. Letter III: Lady Eleanor to Captain James Ashford April 10, 1812 Ashford Estate, Wiltshire James, This may be the last letter I ever write to you. My father has set the ban, and the marriage is but weeks down. My fate is sealed. I scarcely breathe as I write this, my hands pulsing. It's as if I'm an internee in my own home, the walls of Ashford ending in around me. The maids bruit when they suppose I can not hear, aching ganders thrown my way like moths to a starving beggar. They know. They see the anguish in my eyes, the way my voice falters when my father speaks of Halewick’s wealth and lands. But what's wealth without love? What's comfort if my heart withers inside me? still, I would take my steed and flee this very night, If I were stalwart. I would ride through the moors, through the winding roads that lead to Portsmouth, where I might supplicate passage on a boat to find you. But I'm no heroine of novels, James. I'm a woman bound by the cruel chains of duty. Yet there's one thing left within my power. Come for me. If you mean what you wrote if love and honor are one and the same — also let me see you before it's too late. Let me believe that love is stronger than fate. Eternally, Eleanor. Letter IV: Captain James Ashford to Lady Eleanor April 20, 1812 Portsmouth, England Eleanor, Hold presto. I'm coming. James. Final Letter: An Unsent Note April 30, 1812 Ashford Estate, Wiltshire My Dearest James, I do n't know if you'll ever read this.However, if war has taken you from me, also let these words be my final prayer, If you have fallen. I stood at the balcony moment, my gown heavy with lace, my robe as suffocating as the life laid out before me. The clerk spoke of duty, of the sacred bonds of marriage, but I heard nothing. My heart pounded in my casket like a war barrel, my knees quivered beneath me. I searched the church doors, soliciting — soliciting that you would come, that I would hear the thunder of hooves upon the ground, that you would break through the crowd and pull me into your arms. But you did n't come. I'm Lady Eleanor Halewick now, bound by name, but my heart remains untouched. It's still yours. It'll always be yours. still, I would have run, If I had been stronger.However, I would have defied them all, If I had been stalwart. But I'm neither strong nor stalwart, and now, it's too late. Do n't come for me now, James. Do n't let my weakness be your ruin. Live. Fight. Love again, if you must. But know this I shall love you until my dying breath. Yours, indeed in anguish, Eleanor. Epilogue Lady Eleanor Norway saw James Ashford again. Some say he was killed in battle, others that he sailed for America, agonized and lost. The variety remains a mystery. What's known is that Eleanor lived the rest of her days in Halewick Manor, her eyes always turned toward the horizon, staying for a man who noway came. And yet, in the fine corner of her jotting office, hidden beneath forgotten papers, one letter remained — norway transferred, norway read, but filled with a love that time could Norway abolish.
By Confidence Amos 2 years ago in Fiction
Cybersecurity Compliance: A Comprehensive Guide
In the world of business today, the digital world poses a threat as well as an avenue to exploit. Cybersecurity compliance is one of the most important aspects organizations must look to during and after they conduct their business. Organizations have to comply with rigid guidelines and frameworks to protect sensitive information and ensure that there is no compromise to operational security. Cybersecurity compliance guarantees that a business conforms to the numerous established security protocols, rules, and industry standards that are put in place to ensure that they have sustained robust data protection and reduced exposure to cyber risks.
By Epicsoft Technologies2 years ago in Fiction
Whispers of the Forgotten
Whispers of the Forgotten The house stood at the end of the street, draped in years of neglect. Ivy curled around its pillars, and the wooden door creaked with a sorrowful wail as Mira pushed it open. The scent of dust and aged paper filled the air, making her cough. She had always been drawn to abandoned places, fascinated by their untold stories. But today, she was here for something more.
By Mirhadi Tahsin2 years ago in Fiction
