Buff: A Collie and other dog-stories, by Albert Payson Terhune.CHAPTER ONE: THE FIGHTING STRAINSHE was a mixture of the unmixable. Not one expert in eighty could have guessed at her breed or breeds.Her coat was like a chow’s, except that it was black and white and tan—as is no chow’s between here and the Chinese Wall. Her deep chest was as wide as a bulldog’s; her queer little eyes slanted like a collie’s; her foreface was like a Great Dane’s, with its barrel muzzle and dewlaps. She was as big as a mastiff.She was Nina, and she belonged to a well-to-do farmer named Shawe, a man who went in for registered cattle, and, as a side line, for prize collies.To clear up, in a handful of words, the mystery of Nina’s breeding, her dam was Shawe’s long-pedigreed and registered and prize-winning tricolour collie, Shawemere Queen. Her sire was Upstreet Butcherboy, the fiercest and gamest and strongest and most murderous pit-terrier ever loosed upon a doomed opponent.Shawe had decided not to breed Shawemere Queen that season. Shawemere Queen had decided differently. Wherefore, she had broken from her enclosure by the simple method of gnawing for three hours at the rotting wood that held a rusty lock-staple.This had chanced to befall on a night when Tug McManus had deputed the evening exercising of Upstreet Butcherboy to a new handy-man. The handy-man did not know Butcherboy’s odd trick of going slack on the chain for a moment and then flinging himself forward with all his surpassing speed and still more surpassing strength.As a result, the man came back to McManus’s alone, noisily nursing three chain-torn fingers. Butcherboy trotted home to his kennel at dawn, stolidly taking the whaling which McManus saw fit to administer.When Shawemere Queen’s six bullet-headed pups came into the world, sixty-three days later, there was loud and lurid blasphemy, at her master’s kennels. Shawe, as soon as he could speak with any degree of coherence, bade his kennelman drown five of the pups at once, and to give like treatment to the sixth as soon as its mother should have no further need of the youngster.At random the kennelman scooped up five-sixths of the litter and strolled off to the horse-pond.CONTENTS. FOREWORDI. BUFF: A COLLIE CHAPTER ONE: THE FIGHTING STRAINCHAPTER TWO: “THE HUNT IS UP!”CHAPTER THREE: MASTERLESS! 80 CHAPTER FOUR: THE END OF THE TRAILII. “SOMETHING”III. CHUMSIV. HUMAN-INTEREST STUFFV. “ONE MINUTE LONGER”VI. THE FOUL FANCIERVII. THE GRUDGEVIII. THE SUNNYBANK COLLIESFOREWORDA swirl of gold-and-white and gray and black,—Rackety, vibrant, glad with life’s hot zest,—Sunnybank collies, gaily surging pack,—These are my chums; the chums that love me best.Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,—Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham;Yet senseless in their worship ever new.These are the friendly folk whose god I am.A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,—A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod,They crave but leave to follow and obey.We humans are so slow to understand!Swift in our wrath, deaf to the justice-plea,Meting out punishment with lavish hand!What, but a dog, would serve such gods as we?Heaven gave them souls, I’m sure; but dulled the brain,Lest they should sadden at so brief a spanOf heedless, honest life as they sustain;Or doubt the godhead of their master, Man.Today a pup; to-morrow at life’s prime;Then old and fragile;—dead at fourteen years.At best a meagre little inch of time.Oblivion then, sans mourners, memories, tears!Service that asks no price; forgiveness freeFor injury or for injustice hard.Stanch friendship, wanting neither thanks nor feeSave privilege to worship and to guard:—That is their creed. They know no shrewder wayTo travel through their hour of lifetime here.Would Man but deign to serve his God as they,Millennium must dawn within the

His god is the bottle, until he meets the God of the Bible. His chases this God of the Bible until he finds the true meaning of peace.There are different ways people who are bound by Alcohol stop drinking, but you won't forget this one!This story is a chicken soup of sadness, serious and humor all mixed in with a pinch of sarcasm.**Please review this book**

A short story about abandonment and choices. Whether it is the wrong or right choice, it will inevitably have an impact on someone else.Desperate for a pupil's attention a school teacher has been handed the opportunity to do something unimaginable, something life-changing. But the stumbling point isn't about right or wrong, it is about being selfless.

Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero, commonly known as Quo Vadis, is a historical novel written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. "Quo vadis Domine" is Latin for "Where are you going, Lord?" and alludes to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, in which Peter flees Rome but on his way meets Jesus and asks him why he is going to Rome. Jesus says, "I am going back to be crucified again", which makes Peter go back to Rome and accept martyrdom. The novel Quo Vadis tells of a love that develops between a young Christian woman, Ligia, and Marcus Vinicius, a Roman patrician. It takes place in the city of Rome under the rule of emperor Nero, c. AD 64. Sienkiewicz studied the Roman Empire extensively prior to writing the novel, with the aim of getting historical details correct. Consequently, several historical figures appear in the book. As a whole, the novel carries an outspoken pro-Christian message. Published in installments in three Polish dailies in 1895, it came out in book form in 1896 and has since been translated into more than 50 languages. Quo Vadis contributed to Sienkiewicz's Nobel Prize for literature in 1905. This book has a beautiful glossy cover and a blank page for the dedication.

When Riza Firabern goes through a horrific experience of the death of her wife and unborn child. She is haunted by the ordeal, in more ways then one.When Riza Firabern goes through a horrific experience of the death of her wife and unborn child. She is haunted by the ordeal, in more ways then one. Trapped in her own memories, she’s desperate to escape, but no matter what happens or where she is, the darkness follows.

It’s Volume 5 of TIW Flash fiction shorts…! Everyone, run for the hills!Another fine collection of Iron Writer Flash fiction stories by Dani J Caile, all based on the weekly challenges and elements from the Iron Writer.Turn the pages, if you dare!Earnest dreams of running in The Big Easter Race as the winner gets to deliver all the yummy eggs!No duck has ever run the race,will Earnest give up or will he race?

The Citizens of Haven have finally realized their dream; separation. They have ascended. A new layer has been placed upon the city, sealing anyone they deem unfit down below.In the dark slums beneath the city, something has been set in motion that will usher in a change. Something that will rattle the city of Haven to its core and forever alter the lives of everyone within.Take a very ordinary, very unhappy 14 year old boy, Phoenix. He's bored by school, hates his step-father, feels like he has no control over his life. In fact, the only things he does like are computer games and martial arts.Add a smart, miserable 14 year old girl, Jade. She's the youngest of seven girls; teased and picked on; a misfit; her own mother doesn't get her. All she likes is books and botany.Throw both these kids into a computer game - 80AD - AND into their avatar's bodies. Phoenix and Jade aren't 14 year old kids any longer. They're 17 year old warriors, confused and trapped in an ancient world of warfare, magic and death. They're stuck in 80AD Britain To Phoenix, it's fun - a gamer's dream come true. To Jade, it's a nightmare. In order to get home, they have to play out Level One of 80AD. They have to find the Jewel of Asgard. To do that, they must face murderous thieves, creatures of the Dywyllwch Brennau, uncanny powers of the Druids and the might of the invading Roman army.Can they master their new bodies and survive in Iron Age Britain?Can they beat the Romans to the Jewel and win Level One?Will they make it home or will they be defeated by their arch-enemy, Feng Zhudai?If he wins, they are stuck in 80AD forever - but is that so bad?Cover Art by Jason Seabaugh of Avatar Art

Are you an alien who just purchased your first Human pet? Don't panic! Just read this guide that comes with your Human pet.In this guide you will get answers to questions like: How to help your Human pets to reproduce, why Human pets have different colors and how to tell the difference between Human pets and other humanoids.Are you an alien who just purchased your first Human pet? Don't panic! Just read this guide that comes with your Human pet.In this guide you will get answers to questions like: How to help your Human pets to reproduce, why Human pets have different colors and how to tell the difference between Human pets and other humanoids.Excerpt (why Human pets have different colors):Human pets in wild come in variety of colors. Brown, pink, red, orange, black, olive and albino. These differences are certainly entertaining but are also believed to serve a function, camouflage. Albeit, a very crude form of camouflage. For example olives can only hide in sand and not grass and most of their home planet is blue. Colors such as green, purple and yellow has been added, courtesy of our research programs, to give you even more freedom of choice.

The sequel to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Southern Comfort, the first English novelization from the acclaimed game series by GSC Game World.Life goes on in the Exclusion Zone around ill-fated Chernobyl - adventurers calling themselves Stalkers hunt for valuable artifacts, mutants hunt for Stalkers and the Zone still decides over the fate of souls living within its wild frontiers. Behind the scenes, the Ukrainian Secret Service is forcing a fallen hero to betray a friend. In the New Zone, the Exclusion Zone?s vast twin phenomenon and apparently created after nuclear warheads devastated Afghanistan in 2011, renegade US Marines calling themselves the Tribe patrol the mountain ranges, Stalkers try to establish themselves in ruins of Bagram Air Base and mutated predators migrate to the anomaly-infested plains. All these dangers can not dissuade those hardy souls who brave the New Zone. But whatever their motives, however great their courage, a new power is arising and its vicious plan threatens to destroy them all. Major Tarasov, a Spetsnaz commander turned renegade, knows the New Zone's darkest secrets. While in a land far away, he receives alarming messages from the Exclusion Zone. Is an old friend in danger? Does someone else know the secrets he discovered? Or could it be a trap set by his former masters to lure him back?

Dani always did want a fairytale and now she's living one, only childhood bedtime stories were never so dark and nefarious and the Princess isn't drawn to two captivating men at the same time. The decision should be easy, because one is spoken for, but the heart rarely concerns itself with such trivial details.Everything was good. I was senior and I was dating the guy I'd been crazy about for, well, forever basically. Things were right on track and going just the way I wanted them too. We'd go off to college and get degrees and killer careers and get married and have 2.5 children and live out a suburban fairy tale.One night changed all that...along with everything I ever thought I knew.I know they say you can't go home again. I'm not really sure who 'they' are, but they're wrong. Like, wrong to the power of infinity. The thing of it is though, I thought I was home. As it turns out, I was also wrong to the power of infinity. I mean, imagine my surprise when an overly dramatic moment results in me falling through the worm hole, or a black hole, or a bunny hole...well, suffice it to say I fell into some kind of hole and ended up somewhere I never expected. I mean a wholly different place, and not metaphorically. Literally, another place. This would all be really awesome except that some...things...are after me. And there is this guy. Okay, there are two guys and I'm not sure which way is up anymore. One is perfect for me, everything you'd want in a guy.So why is it that I feel like someone is pulling me by a rope toward the other one?Only one thing is for sure. Everything I was ever certain of just went up in smoke.

The good folks at World Weary Avengers are at it again. They have a device that keeps you in continual contact with a "professional friend", guaranteed to always be there, whenever you need them, to be whatever you need them to be, but with friends like these, who knows what could go wrong? (Book Three of the "All Geeked Up" trilogy)The good folks at World Weary Avengers are at it again. Now they've come up with a device that keeps you in continual contact with a "professional friend", someone guaranteed to always be there, whenever you need them, to be whatever you need them to be. Now it's up to Kandhi Clarke and her team of test engineers to make sure if does what it's supposed to, and not what it's not, before this latest tech-astrophe is let loose on the world. (Book Three of the "All Geeked Up" trilogy)

Struggling to find acceptance as a scullery maid in the Great House of Brightshire, Anais discovers a manuscript on the practice of illegal blood magic. In secret, she teaches herself the art. Amidst rumors of townspeople devoured by monsters, Anais knows she needs every advantage to keep herself, and her two accidentally acquired friends, safe from the evil crawling out of the night.Anais, the eleven-year-old daughter of a fishmonger, enters the Great House of Brightshire as a scullery maid. Isolated from her peers, she fears a life of solitude and menial chores. In Brightshire magic is strictly prohibited and after the tedium of the kitchens, when Anais discovers a manuscript that outlines methods for practicing the art of blood magic, she throws herself full throttle into practicing magic. At first she just practices simple spells for her own amusement, but when one of the girls from the kitchens goes missing - amidst rumors of monsters rising in the south and devouring townspeople - Anais decides to use her new skills to find the missing girl. In her search, she accidentally befriends the Lord of Brightshire's youngest son, Cedric, and then his cousin Mediera. Finally having friends she cares for is great, but practicing illegal magic and fraternizing with those above her station leave Anais in more danger than she can handle.The first ebook in this series is available for free.

Part-time artist and full-time barista Sam Mills was sure he never used to be such a softie. Then he met and married Jack Bailey, lawyer and aspiring author, in a Maine coffee shop, and life has never been so good.Marimar, an attractive, biracial, strong willed yet socially awkward sixteen-year-old moves to a Victorian home in a small town. Sage is a tall handsome southern boy with a troubled family life. He can’t help but be attracted to Marimar's petite beauty and fiery disposition. Marimar discovers the house has a mysterious past which is shrouded by the superstitious townsfolk. She believes it’s all an urban legend until she starts experiencing strange phenomenon first hand. Sage is drawn both to her and to the house. They set off together to seek the truth, but no one is talking. In discovering the house’s history she uncovers a life altering family secret as well. These revelations open up a new reality for her and make her question her beliefs and even her ability to stay alive, let alone pursue a relationship with her first love.

A Dominique Flyndry story.On a one woman mission, hunderworld intelligence gathering led to one drink too many, and she finds herself kidnapped in the clutches of a barbarian space princess. The problem for the barbarians is that they do not know what they have in their clutches, as Flyndry starts her manipulations to prevent a Galactic War with the Terran Empire.A Gender Switch Adventure.Dark Tales of FantasyWhen evil things happen to good people there never is a happy ending!An Anthology of magic and mayhem.Set in a world of Dark Sorcery, where sacrificed life brings forth the vilest of magic.And Creatures of Chaos, bent on destruction, subvert the morals of good.In the end, Evil Things will happen to Good People.

Poetry written in free verse. A man's journey brings him to the power of the infinite source.She doesn’t believe the Dreigiau exists. He’s about to prove her epically wrong. Journey to the world of the Inner Realms in this young adult fantasy, where Dragons are the guardians of the great nation, Nefol, the one bastion of civilization in a harsh wild land. After the loss of Nefol’s founding members, political strife threatens to tear apart the once peaceful city. In order to protect the one she loves, AsaHi sets out to find the truth behind Nefol’s Dragon Patron. Only, things don’t go as planned when she unknowingly opens a gateway between her world and the Arweinydd realms. This wouldn’t be a problem if all the Arweinydd were as benevolent as Zemi Dreigiau. But they’re not.

When a strange tarot card appears in a friend's deck, Jason assumes it's just a prank done in poor taste. But, when terrible events befall those around him, he must face the possibility that something sinister is afoot. This 4,500 word short is a supernatural horror story in the spirit of the pulp era, but with a modern feel.When a strange tarot card appears in a friend's deck, Jason assumes it's just a prank done in poor taste. But, when terrible events befall those around him, he must face the possibility that something sinister is afoot.Death is closing in, along with a suspicious detective who believes that Jason may be the killer he's stalking. With his life turned upside down, Jason finds that there are worse things to be hunted by than the authorities.This 4,500 word short is a supernatural horror story in the spirit of the pulp era, but with a modern feel.

When Carson Drew is invited by his friend, Henry Wilcox, to visit him in Alaska; Nancy and George are delighted to join him. But everything turns sour when Wilcox is accused of smuggling ivory and Nancy is asked to investigate. Henry's son Steve has a grudge against Nancy which she can't figure out and George has fallen for him. When George is kidnapped, Nancy has to work harder, and faster, to find the smuggler before George's time runs out!

Two soul-mates are separated because one of them finds himself in the strange, dreamlike world of a coma. A quantum world where all possibilities co-exist, but nothing is really real. Can his subconscious lead him back to his life and his love?Love isn’t dead… it’s just unconscious. Two soul-mates meet on a perfect San Diego day, and before they have a chance to see each other again, Greg, through a quirk of fate, finds himself in the strange, dreamlike world of a coma. A world where all possibilities coexist, and the future, past and present are all part of the bizarre quantum multi-verse that blends time and distance, pain and laughter, love and destiny. A twisting, many faceted journey through the diamond of emotion, Coronado Dreaming takes hold of your imagination and guides you through eternity like a Cheshire cat… grinning at your surprise, licking at your tears, and nuzzling against your heart.

The stories in A CRY IN THE WIND are seasoned with twists and turns that will take you on an adventure, as the unlocking of the truth that lay dormant for years in the grave finally rises to face its judgment. The ghost that lurks hidden in the words of the collection will carry you from the enchanted darkness of the night to the haunting “Cry in the Wind.”"Cotton Bloom" – From a small town in Arkansas a brave young girl with a hidden secret has to face the world and grow up. Her struggle as a mixed child has its drawbacks, but beneath the surface of her childhood lies a haunting secret that will drive her and bring her to the reality of the truth. As a beautiful young woman working in a law firm in Baltimore, she receives a startling phone call from her hometown. The call will eventually bring her to the victory in her life that she has longed for and set her free from the bondage of her haunting past."Ellie’s Cry" – A woman is driving with her daughter from Alabama to Tennessee, seeking to get away from an abusive husband. But unknown to her the travel will unlock the door of a serial killer who is stalking the county. When she stops at a bar to get directions, Elllie turns up missing. The search begins and the puzzle of the disappearance begins to unravel. As the search deepens all hope is gone until some unexpected evidence filters from the hidden darkness. Ellie’s haunting cry guides the FBI Agent Brandon to unveiling the truth. Ellie’s mother is put into an insane asylum and from there she hears Eillie’s cry. In the end, Brandon moves in on the killer and sets Ellie’s crying ghost to rest. But, does he?"Blackberry" – In the story of Blackberry you find a struggling killer having to face and overcome a horrible past. His dead victims are the stepping stones that lead him to the truth about himself and the tragic thing that happened to him. They hold the key of who he is; a victim himself trying to be free. Haunted by his past as a child he tries to escape, but only finds the truth that unlocks the door of his freedom in the end. A simple day of picking berries turns out to be a devastation of murders. Lying and insanity drives him to the truth that he needs."Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" – A serial killer is on the loose, terrifying the city of Nashville. The police are in search of a homeless boy who they believe holds the key to the crimes. With corruption in the Governor’s office and the Memphis mafia, the trickle-down effect holds the homeless boy as a possible suspect. "Now I lay me down to sleep," a simple innocent prayer that binds a boy and his mother in a bond that ties the story together in mystery and suspense. As a child the boy is driven away by the murder of his mother who has been killed by his abusive father. After her death he is taken in by a friend and raised until he is a teenager, but after the death of his friend he is turned out into the streets of Nashville to live. Life on the street holds its hardships, but from the words of the simple prayer his mother used to tell him guides him through those dark days and nights on the street. The police find the answers from the twists and turns of the evidence and they solve the case. The murders finally stop, leaving Nashville at rest.

An archeology site uncovers a vicious crime and leads to new murdersJake has watched a band of Hunters lay waste to the only family he has... the undead! Now he's also being hunted too, especially by The Mad Prophet. He is the last vampire left. However, in the middle of surviving the shrewdness of his big time nemesis and escaping, he discovers a secret, one owned by the hunters themselves and one only he can stop... before it spirals out of control.

Fifteen year old Grace is kidnapped from the Christian youth camp where she and her mother work. Grace is held captive by Daniel, the camp's director, whom everyone believes has killed once and won't hesitate to do it again. With Grace's life in the balance can this family and their unshakable faith endure the hardship of being apart?Fifteen year old Grace is kidnapped from the Christian youth camp where she and her mother work. Grace is held captive by Daniel, the camp's director, whom everyone believes has killed once and won't hesitate to do it again. The Vietnamese mafia is after gold coins they believe were stolen from them over 20 years ago. Grace's mother and father do the unthinkable and hide the gold. With Grace's life in the balance can this family and their unshakable faith endure the hardship of being apart? Will a death in the camp family destroy this tight knit community of believers?