"I
really hate this job."
Without
looking up from the magazine she was paging through, Claire offered a
noncommital noise of acknowledgement. She and Arianna had worked at
the tiny gas station for two years, and every time they worked
together, it was the same complaints.
"It's
bad enough I have to drive almost an hour to get here every day,"
Arianna continued, scrawling on a blackboard with a piece of chalk.
She was writing up the day's specials (the snacks that had expi

"So what do
you think?"
"Chad's not
your type."
Clarissa studied
herself in the car's rearview mirror; she was a pretty brunette, with
cherry-red lipstick and lashes that would melt the heart of any man.
She wore a state trooper's uniform, complete with a snug, fitted tan
blouse and equally snug tan pants. Her hat was perched on the dash
of the patrol car. Sitting in the passenger seat was her partner, a
ravishing blonde named Elsie. The young lady had her hair cut shor

Two indistinct
figures approached the Reincarnation Machine.
"I hope I
don't get lizard again," one said, inserting a coin into the
slot. The metal disc began to fall, bouncing past pegs which
directed its course.
"You might
luck out and get insect," the other one replied, a dry humor in
its tone.
"Oh, that
would suck," the first complained. But the coin bounced past
insect, and careened towards the more exclusive options.
The second inserted
its own coin, whi

The
truck pulled into the diner's parking lot, and parked badly near the
edge. The engine went silent, and from the cab emerged a huge, bulky
fellow with greenish, scaly skin, webbed feet, and a wide mouth full
of sharp teeth. His name was Brock, and he was a swamp monster. He
stretched as he stepped out, cracking his neck three times.
The
truck was a large eighteen-wheeler. The side read 'Sweet Treat Ice
Cream; Emergency Treat Deployment Vehicle". And as the swamp
monster reached the

"What
do you think?"
Brock
stood up for a moment, glancing out from the bushes. "It might
just work..." he rumbled thoughtfully. Before he was spotted,
he ducked back down behind cover.
"It
might be our only chance!" Hrothnik whined, wriggling his
tentacles. It should be noted that Hrothnik was a horrible,
woman-eating monster. He had a long, tube-ish neck capped with a
large, fleshy maw. His body was a long, lumpy oval-shaped mass of
monstrous flesh, and fou

       
“Oh, by the way, try not to leave
the cooler open again.”       
Jessica suppressed a frustrated scream and meekly nodded.  Her
manager smiled, and disappeared into the back, the door closing
behind her.  With a deep breath, Jessica put a palm to her
forehead, and she swept her dark hair back slowly.  As she let
go, it fell back to frame her face, cascading over her
shoulders.    

"There
is no finer garment in the world than yoga pants."
Hrothnik
the worm-monster made his pronouncement with a smacking of lips,
quite a loud noise from a creature whose face was 90% lip. That
face, or what passed for one, was the open end of a long, tube-like
body. He had four wriggly tentacles, which squirmed with excitement
at the thought of yoga pants. The tentacles and the tube-like body
both disappeared into the bushes, where some sort of indescribable
body lurked, mercifu

"Okay,
okay. How about this. Argyle or plaid?"
The
tall green monster spread his hands, grinning widely. His was a
frightening grin, full of sharp teeth, with lips wide enough to fit
two abreast (if they were skinny). The monster himself stood twenty
feet, with scaly green skin and webbed feet that hinted at an aquatic
disposition. His name was Brock.
Across
the path, hiding in the bushes opposite, was a true monstrosity; four
tentacles flanked a long, wormy body with a round ring of f

With
a bright flash and a soft pop, the strobe lights fired.
"Oh,
that's perfect. Hold that pose..." the photographer said
excitedly.
Kailey
did as she was told. The young model was sitting back on her
haunches, her hands held up in her platinum blonde hair. Her full,
luscious lips were pursed in a tiny, sexy pout, and her lovely lashes
looked ready to bat at any moment.
The
bright light and the soft pop came again.
"Love
it!" the photographer declared, looking at the back of

The
Sultry Secrets Lingerie Shop on 5th Avenue was a lovely building;
nice, elegant marble walls set with large glass windows, each with a
tasteful, lacy garment on display. The building was easily thirty
feet tall inside, with nice, lofty ceilings, and the shop was divided
into sections with long, billowing violet drapes, hanging from the
ceiling; the overall effect was much like a harem. The whole store
was filled with the dull throb of bass; dance music was a constant,
upbeat backdrop to th

“Where
do you think you’re going dressed like that?!”
Blair
finished gluing the last bit of lace edge to the heart-shaped
invitation on the kitchen table. The voice was familiar, right down
to the tone and words used. It was almost a ritual by now. “I’m
going to school, mom,” she said, not bothering to look up.
“Well,
put on a sweater, then. I’m not going to have my daughter parading
around with her bra showing!”
Blair
looked across the kitchen table at her mother, batti

Warmth and
sunshine were the order of the day. It was bright and sunny, with
not a cloud in the sky; the sort of day to call in sick to work. A
pleasant, carefree air seemed to infect the world, giving everyone a
bounce in their step and a smile on their face. It was the sort of
day that Becky, the Ice Cream Stand manager, absolutely hated.
“I mean,
why does it have to be so damned pleasant?” she growled.
She was a very attractive young woman, wearing a pair of tight blue
jeans, cinched

“There are flies in
my ice cream, miss.”
“They’re supposed
to be there.”
“…They are?”
“You ordered frog
surprise? It comes with little licorice flies in it.”
“Ohh, licorice…”
Becky smiled at her
customer; it was a practiced smile, one that didn’t really touch
her pretty hazel eyes. The server was pretty, with dark hair framing
an elegant face, and her body was slim, with delightful curves in all
the right places. She wore a red golf shirt, not quite the unifor

It was a pleasant
afternoon, Penny decided. It was sunny, which was nice; it had been
raining for the last few days. A flock of white fluffy clouds were
drifting through the sky, making their lazy way to meet the branches
of the nearby trees. The leaves were waving back, rustled by a
gentle breeze. There were birds out, and they were probably singing.
The girl couldn’t really tell, since the ice cream stand’s music
was so loud as to drown out any outside noise, but she liked to think
th

“Are you sure I can
do this?”
Heggar’s weathered
face crinkled up in a smile. His eyes, their brilliant azure
untouched by his age, took in the young lass before him with a
thorough glance. The beautiful Princess Cailyn was usually wearing
silks and lace, her hair delicately coiffed and dabbed with scented
oils. But not today. She wore a pair of snug leather breeches and a
laced corset over a white shirt. Her hair was gathered in a loose
ponytail, with a few loose strands framing her

It was a pleasant day
for a car wash. The sun was shining brightly, beating down on the
pavement; heat rose in waves from the asphalt. Surrounding a red
Honda were twelve young ladies, each in swimwear to one degree or
another, scrubbing or spraying the car with the enthusiasm only
teenage girls can muster. They were the senior volleyball team, and
this was their big fundraiser. The proceeds, as they were happy to
tell anyone, went towards their trip to California to compete against
the othe