The Tar Pit by MagicianX Everyone had a theory. Some said it was a trap. Michigan Falls High School, they insisted, was actually a secret, sinister cabal of shadowy doom-agents. This was only the most recent in a chain of schemes to exterminate the student body. When asked what the other schemes had been, dark aspersions were cast upon the nature of the cafeteria's Turkey Surprise. According to the Science Club, it was an experiment concerning natural chemical processes, and how they might be ad

The Blackmill Guillotineby MagicianXHer victim lay before her, helpless. The surface beneath it was clean, polished steel; the knife in her hand glittered, honed to a razor's edge.A hand gripped her shoulder. "Remember the technique," said Carlson. "A single stroke downwards. And above all...""Don't cry," said Jasika. She adjusted her grip on the knife's handle. Fixing her eyes on the victim -- small, plump, unmoving -- she lowered the blade.Her eyes instantly filled with tears. She couldn't hel

Hilary's Homeworkby MagicianXHilary Boralis tried to frown. It might have been successful on some other face, but Hilary's was far too used to smiling. She gave up the attempt and grinned."Alex," she said, stroking her familiar's bob of light brown hair, "I'm trying to work.""I love old AFI," Alex murmured happily. She was sprawled full-length across the couch, legs draped over Hilary's knees, her bare feet hanging off the edge. "Their new stuff's okay, but this is just such classic punk. Awesom

Gregarious Gatorsby MagicianXQuigley was a growing boy.Pa always said so, and he knew these things. It was important to have a healthy appetite, which was why they had come hunting today."Quite a catch there, son," said Pa, nudging Quigley with his elbow. They were crouched low, concealed by a swaying curtain of thick vines. "How's about it?"Several moments passed before Quigley could answer. He was mesmerized by the sight of the shoreline, and the two young humans lounging in the sun. "We can r

Fantastic
Chef, by MagicianX
***
“I
can’t believe you managed to get tickets!” said Molly Dawson,
shaking her head. She had been repeating this phrase quite often for
nearly a week, and it was beginning to wear on her sister.
“I
told you, I bought them a long time ago,” Rina said patiently.
“They’re not hard to get if you plan for it.”
“Yeah,
and that’s the part that I can’t believe. When do you
ever plan anything?” Molly locked her car door, and began to follow
the stead

Really Fast Food, by
MagicianX
***
Someone had drawn a chalk
line across the sidewalk, marking the starting point in vivid pink. A
few yards in front of this, they had used the same color to write,
"Do your best!" and accompanied it with a large,
round-cheeked smiley face.
As she stretched her legs
on the sunlit grass of Meadow Lake Park, Chloe Carter read and reread
this message several times in rapid succession. Depending on who had
written it, she reflected, the intent might be ver

Grandpa
hated peas.
“I
hate peas!” said Grandpa, scowling heavily at the large tureen. “I
hated peas when I was two years old, and I hate ‘em now. I ain’t
eatin’ any peas.”
Maggie
sat at the corner of the table, and watched the wrinkles on Grandpa’s
forehead deepen more with each second the offensive vegetable
remained in front of him. It was rather like viewing the formation of
canyons in high-speed.
“Peas
are what we’re having,” said Mom, setting a plate of meatloaf
besid

A Picnic in the Park, by MagicianX
***
The blue sky gave way to orange as the sun set in Michigan Falls, draping the evening in warm light. It had been the sort of gentle summer's day that lasted far longer than it needed to, and indications were good that the trend would continue unabated. Taking advantage of this, joggers, couples, and children with frisbees had turned out in abundance; many of them had the same destination, and the rolling green hills of Meadow Lake Park were dotted with patr

From the very start there had been music. It had been on a day many years past, some unspecific summer afternoon in July or August when the air was heavy with heat and the smell of jasmine. Not a gentle day, but summer nonetheless, and that had been good enough.
"You're so quiet," he said to her now. "What's the matter? Thinkin' deep thoughts?"
"Yup. And you --" she poked him in the chest "-- just interrupted them. Thanks a lot, buddy."
In the summer, he had been the quiet one. His family moved

Lee had just finished unloading the last of her things when the witch showed up.
``Yoo hoo!'' she called, waving and smiling widely. After waiting for a truck to pass, she resumed her swaying jog across the street. She moved with a sort of lopsided bounce, making her flowered dress and black hair bob around unpredictably.
Lee paused; she was standing by the back of the truck, clutching a box marked L's Stuff and feeling like she wanted a very long shower. The move had been a tough one thanks to

It was the question that every Pan-Wei employee dreaded, but secretly expected.
``I'm sorry,'' said Marissa, hoping she had heard wrong. It was conceivable; the ruckus from the kitchen could get pretty loud. ``Could you repeat that, sir?''
The man smiled patiently. ``I said, `How much for you?'''
Marissa swallowed.
``That depends sir,'' she said, seeking refuge behind a barricade of manners. ``We offer many varied dishes, and every employee is rated differently according to what you'd like to

``I am so sorry,'' Katie said earnestly, once room had quieted down. ``That sort of behavior is just inexcusable. I really can't apologize enough.''
``No apology necessary,'' assured the customer. He was a handsome black man, and he flashed what looked like a practiced, confident smile. ``Buteris she going to be all right?''
``Yeah, she seemed
kind of upset,'' said a girl, who Katie guessed was the man's daughter. She looked to be in her mid-teens, and had a slender, pretty face, and brilliantly

Jamie and Zoey Aaron's mother told them forcefully that they were thrilled and overjoyed to be chosen as a monster's dinner, but neither of them really believed it.
``Isn't there someone else he could eat?'' Jamie whispered to her sister. She was clutching a handful of her long hair, twisting it nervously between her fingers. It was a nervous habit that drove everyone but Zoey crazy.
``Mom says he wanted us,'' Zoey whispered back. She took Jamie's hand in her own and gently pried the twisted kno

The morning was warm, so she dressed light: two sweaters, a parka, sweat pants, two pairs of socks, and her thick, insulated snow boots. In the half-lit kitchen she made tea, operating with the speed of habit. As usual, she was the only thing in the house stirring so early; her parents slept until seven, and on a Saturday, her sisters would lie in as long as possible.
She savored the quiet times before daily life began, when she had time to move slowly, and think each thought fully and to her ow

Somewhere along the line, there had been a rather grave lapse in communication. Of this, she was certain.
"We won't be home until late tonight," the woman was saying. She looked up from the scarf she had been knotting around her neck. "There's the usual list of numbers on the refrigerator, of course--police, fire department, poison control center. You know the drill, I'm sure."
"Right," she replied, nodding automatically. Aside from the obvious variation, this was no different from the dozens of

Everyone agreed that it was about determination, about resolve. In the end it came down to a single-minded concentration on the goal. Or the gold, if you were prone to alliteration. Focus on the goal (or the gold) and nothing else; block out the heat, the pain, the noise of the crowd, and you could win it.
Anyone could win it. Underdogs pulled victory out of the fire every year. The favorites dropped out in mere seconds, all their training and practice turned to ash in the face of real challenge

On the morning of September seventh, there was nothing that could have been claimed to be out of the ordinary. It was a Wednesday, which meant that everyone was firmly settled into their middle-of-the-week mindsets; the gloom of Monday and the dull acceptance of Tuesday had both passed as they were expected to, and now there was the beginning twinkle of the prospective freedom only a weekend could bring. Friday was on the horizon, and both the teachers and students who spent their time at the Mi

On the morning of October twentieth, there was nothing that could have been claimed to be out of the ordinary. It was a Thursday, which meant that everyone was steeling them self for that final, desperate charge toward the gleaming prospect of Friday. Just past Friday lay the shimmering promise of the weekend, when everyone could take a long, well-deserved deep breath, set aside the stresses of the arduous week, and finally relax.
On this particular Thursday, the sky was overcast, murkily grey,

Grimden was quite excited when his three hundredth birthday rolled around. He always enjoyed the parties his friends threw for him, but for a monster such as himself, three-hundred years was a very special occasion; he had been present for his brother's party about seventy years ago, and it had been the topic of conversation during poker games ever since.
``I can't believe I still have ninety years until I get a party like that,'' said Grimden's best friend, Samantha. She tossed a chip onto the

Mary-Alicia stared for a while before deciding that, yes, there definitely was a girl in the case. Her eyes were closed, and she was covered in a sticky, reddish-brown something that looked awful but smelled great. It was making her mouth water.
``She's naked,'' said Luke happily, also staring at the girl. Mary-Alicia gave him a light swat on the back of the head.
``Don't be immature,'' she scolded, although the girl certainly was naked. She was hanging from her ankles, and her breasts were poi

Mandy made an exhaustive study of the topic. She researched all the rules and regulations, read accounts of past victories and failures, and even watched videos of past competitions. Further digging unearthed the detailed recollections of former contestants, as well as their personal advice on how to achieve glorious success.
Or at least, this was what she set out intending to do. She got bored after about ten minutes, then made up her mind and went downstairs to announce the decision.
"I have d

The game was starting, and Mr. Cohen was beginning to get anxious.
``Where are those girls?'' he asked, again craning his neck to see out the window. He had been doing this every few minutes for the last hour, and it was starting to get on his wife's nerves.
``Will you stop fidgeting?'' she asked impatiently. ``They'll be here in plenty of time, so just relax. Honestly, I've never seen you pay so little attention to a pregame show.'' She plucked a handful of peanuts from a bowl on one of the tab

``You're going to wear a raincoat, aren't you?''
As soon as her mother spoke, Alex knew she was in for a first-class session of nagging. She could hear the over-protectiveness seeping in around the edges of the older woman's voice, preparing to drive away logic and rational thought in favor of endless streams of advice and `helpful' suggestions. Alex had suspected it would be that kind of day as soon as she had gotten up; her mother had been bustling around the small house all morning, rearrangi

There were dark places in the world, alcoves veiled from sight and wreathed in shadow, where sinister transactions were made and even grislier rites conducted. These were the locales for the trafficking of ancient magics, fueled by the trade of souls, hearts, and many an unwilling sacrifice; the lives of men and gods alike were said to have been changed by the events of these secret recesses, where even the richest king and most powerful warlord could be paupered or overthrown if the right price

It was a long time before the ball, still whirling in a gentle spiral, reached the top of its arc and began to descend. It seemed to hang in the air, momentarily indecisive about where it would land. Then momentum and gravity took control, and the little white sphere hurtled forward, annihilating the top window of the house with a crash that went on for years.
Far below, standing motionless in the middle of the street, two figures gazed at the bare shards of colored glass still clinging to the

Both Jennifer and her sister, Liz, were more than a little annoyed when they discovered that a babysitter had been hired. At thirteen, Jennifer was old enough to baby-sit for other people, so she certainly didn't need one for herself. That was the way she saw it, anyway.
``It'll probably be some stupid old lady,'' she muttered, stabbing viciously at the buttons on the TV remote. ``She'll smell like moth balls and treat us like we're four.''
``Maybe not,'' said Liz, who was generally inclined to

The morning thunderstorms, having finally had their say, grumbled off into the horizon leaving behind clean streets and a smell of cool rain. Tattered remnants of cloud still drifted over the Cheshire downtown district, leaden in color, prone to delivering short sprays of mist before lapsing back into inactivity. Along sidewalks and well-tended lawns, the gas lamps had flickered on early, countering the gray-draped world with amber light.
When he passed through the unlit patches, Emmit might ha

Click.
There was something terribly wrong with the fabric of space and time.
Deep in a black, far-flung corner of the universe, a stray neutrino
had collided with an anomalous cosmic event -- possibly a type of
exotic particle, or a black hole with hitherto unknown properties --
and the resulting disaster had warped the chronological flow of the
entire universe.
Click.
Of this fact, Andrea Shell was growing more and more certain. On any
other day she would have said that she was more certain 'by