The novel begins with the mercury poisoning of a small, impoverished boy and follows Chris Andrews, a ecological activist, Myron Seavey, a progressive librarian, and a dozen other characters, including the women Chris lives with in a house in Portland and the brother of the poisoned boy, Malcolm Kimball, who drops out of school, as they all deal with the implications of this poisoning.“Man that is born of woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay.” This passage from the funeral service in The Book of Common Prayer is justly famous because it a beautiful expression, in stately Elizabethan prose, of the human condition. Given these limitations, how we spend our time on earth becomes the choice confronting every human being. Most people, like the Kimball family in this novel, are too preoccupied with daily survival to give much thought to larger issues and the common good. Others, like Ned Ridlon, are too self-absorbed in the pursuit of money and power to care. But there are always people like Myron Seavey and Chris Andrews who do fulfill Hamlet’s description of a human being as one who has “such large discourse/Looking before and after,” people who are fully conscious of their human duty to try to make the earth and the life it sustains, both human and nonhuman, better than they found it. The contrast between these two men is one of the central focuses of the novel. Myron Seavey, the inheritor of a Quaker-Unitarian activist background, is open-minded enough to fall in love with a conservative Republican woman. Chris Andrews, in contrast, is single-mindedly and overweeningly a green activist who does not believe in compromise with those whose selfishness would destroy the earth for quick profit. The action, which takes place in a small town in Maine and in Portland, begins with the mercury poisoning of a little boy and entails a wide canvas of other characters, including Adam Kaminski, who in the manner of the French eccentric Facteur Chevel builds a strange hybrid temple; Patti Ryan, a decent, progressive woman who loves Chris Andrews; Donna McClellen, who at first lives with a rock musician and who tries to convince her friend Virgie that her troubles would be lessened if she helped others at a soup kitchen; and Rev. John Covington, who is visited by doubts after a stark pastoral conversation with the sick Adam Kaminski. Finally, Shelley’s line from Adonis (whence comes the title of the novel), “The One remains, the many change and pass,” gives rise to a further question that the novel explores: who or what is the One that remains?

Tristram Foxe and his wife, Beatrice-Joanna, live in their skyscraper world where official family limitation glorifies homosexuality. Eventually, their world is transformed into a chaos of cannibalistic dining-clubs, fantastic fertility rituals, and wars without anger. It is a novel both extravagantly funny and grimly serious.

A haunting fairytale set in the Edwardian era. Everybody knows that to look on a goblin means the loss of your sanity. Francis' rather tedious visit to St.Paul's cathedral results in her taking a journey into the fairytale land of insanity; a place where goblins roam and fairies tremble.Fish Heads and Roses: The title reflects the strange fruit found within this anthology. We have the witch who swapped places with her cat and his life.The poetic story of a woman trapped in a Library, who is she?An orchestra of violins, cats and conspiracy, stories and poetry, combined into a soup of words by a group of writers converging and enjoying writing.All the writers who have contributed to this anthology would like to express their extreme gratitude to Viv Doyle. Viv has taken time out from her own work as an author to help us improve our writing skills, and to prepare our work for publication. We could not have done this without her. Thanks Viv.

Twitter fiction story of Cam and Avery

At the end of his life, a dog describes changes he can't control or understand. A girl's tribute to her best friend.There are many common fears that manifest in the fishbowl of flying, claustrophobia, aerophobia, etc. But the rare fear of aeronausiphobia, or fear of getting sick on a plane, cripples only a few thousand people. The chances of two people who share that fear ever meeting or even coming within feet of one another are staggering.Phillip and Walter are two people with many fears, but they share a bond that no one can understand except the people they love.

In 1980s Prague, Tony is mistaken for an emissary to dissidents by security chief Placek who sends Anna to infiltrate his household. She refuses later orders and Placek reluctantly denounces her. Later, disgusted by new instructions, he himself wishes to defect but needs Tony's help for his assistant Elena to escape. Tony objects but Anna persuades him to agree and that all should be friends.Tony Anderson, an academic attending a conference in Prague during the Cold War era, is mistaken by security chief Alexander Placek for an expected western emissary to illicit dissident groups. In order to undermine such activities he sends Anna Jirak to worm her way into Tony's household as a spy. This she does by posing as a political refugee needing a form of marriage to the now-widowed Tony in order to escape deportation.In time the marriage becomes genuine, so when Placek turns up demanding that Anna should wreck Tony's standing by accusing him of multiple adultery with supposed refugee women, she refuses. Placek's unwelcome duty then requires him, in the course of offering Tony a session chairmanship in a forthcoming conference in Kiev, to denounce Anna as a traitor to her own family and friends. Unwilling though Tony is to believe the story, it has enough verisimilitude to create a doubt that she cannot dispel, and in despair she takes an overdose of medicine.Determined to avenge her fate, but knowing that he must work with Placek at the Kiev conference, Tony consults his cousin Eric in the UK security service. Eric advises an indirect approach by joining an actual dissident support group. This proves to be badly run and Tony is persuaded to take charge of it. In Kiev, Placek confides in his devoted assistant Elena about his distress at the news of Anna, whom he had regarded almost as a surrogate daughter. He instructs Elena to accompany Tony on the city tour when he expects contraband to be somehow handed over, but the plan is thwarted by local police who turn out to have been Tony's contacts. Back home, some time later, Tony is visited by Eric together with Placek who, disgusted by new instructions from his masters, wishes to defect but needs the help of Tony's group for Elena to escape. Tony is reluctant but urged by Eric, for his own reasons, to comply. Anna, who is now revealed to have survived the suicide attempt at the cost of a partial breakdown, praises Placek's character and adds her own plea that convinces Tony to agree, and insists that the two couples should thenceforward be friends.

In The Magic Bedknob, Carey, Charles and Paul 6 find prim Miss Price injured by falling off her broomstick. For their silence, she bespells a bedknob to carry them where-ever and when-ever. In Bonfires and Broomsticks two years later, they bring necromancer Emelius Jones to visit. But his neighbors want to burn him at the stake for disappearing in the Great Fire of London.

The ways in which the present longs for the past, questions it, tries to get in touch with it, and stretches the power of memory to its limits, are central to this new collection by Helen Dunmore. These are poems and stories of loss and extraordinary rediscovery.

A short story of fiction based upon fact. History has created some unique people, but these three brothers will amaze you for what they did to help save some lives.A short story of fiction based upon fact. History has created some unique people, but these three brothers will amaze you for what they did to help save some lives. In the year 1864 the worst blizzard on record hit Iowa. At an army fort in Esterville, the troops had run out of food. They were slowly starving to death.Three brothers volunteered to deliver some food. The story is fiction based upon fact. History has produced some unique people. These men will simply amaze you for what they set out to do.

On the shaded veranda of a post colonial Bombay hotel, two men shelter from the pre monsoon heat. Their generations and ideologies differ but they share the same turbulent moment in time. As they muse on the consequences of their changing world, they confront each other with questions affecting each of their personal worlds; questions they would prefer not to face.On the white painted veranda of a post colonial Bombay hotel, two men meet in the stifling heat of the approaching monsoon. They are a generation apart and their ideologies diverge but they share the same turbulent moment in time; a time of upheaval and monumental shift that is changing their world and unveiling the dawn of an uncertain future.But the storm clouds that gather over world events are also forming over their own private worlds as they confront each other with questions of their past and their future; questions they would prefer not to face.

My poems about the rapture, salvation,and Bible prophecy.Meri and her friends Jethro, The Tackling Dummy, Wut, and Perfit have crossed over The Mistercald River and go by The Land of Falling You. It's snowing, and sometimes snow falls in the shapes of giant snowflakes, sometimes in the shapes of houses, and sometimes even exactly like YOU if you happen to be passing by or go inside. Imagine copies of YOU falling down as snow! The Land of Raining Faces is nearby, so you may even see your own face made of raindrops. The visitors see other fascinating lands. In The Land of Buffalo Unicorns, they meet Jethro's mother, Meridia. She's extremely friendly---and pleasingly flamboyant! She especially loves hats. She loves Perfit's beautiful yellow hair and wants a wig just like it! They meet Minglemint and Globe, who are also Buffalo Unicorns. As the five friends are flying back across The Mistercald River with their flying wands, suddenly Pumphrey The WaterSpout rises out of the water below them. At the moment he's an enormous whirlpool! He's immediately pleased by the novelty of having company up in the air, where he's usually so lonely. He can't resist approaching. But Perfit is blown out of the saddle and Jethro begins to fall downward toward The Land of Wrong Kites. He has only seconds to live. Here comes the grass! He can see dummies running toward the site of the expected crash. Him! When they reach The Land of Loving Yellow, suddenly Perfit disappears. Someone else loves her beautiful yellow hair. In fact, everyone in the whole Land!

An unscrupulous, greedy lawyer, blunders into Christmas with the wrong attitude, in this lighthearted romp. A nitwit lawyer, and maybe the Grim Reaper, usher Fenrick through a series of humorous, life threatening events. They and a loved one make him confront his "heart condition," leading to a change of heart. Genre: Comedy, Christmas StoryTypes: Like Scrooged Length: NovellaAge: 13 or overAn unscrupulous, greedy lawyer, blunders into Christmas with the wrong attitude, in this lighthearted romp. A nitwit lawyer, and maybe the Grim Reaper, usher Fenrick through a series of humorous, life threatening events. They and a loved one make him confront his "heart condition," leading to a change of heart.Genre: Comedy, Christmas StoryLength: NovellaThis story contains some language and themes that some would find objectionable for themselves or for children under 13.If you liked Scrooged, A Christmas Carol, The Nightmare Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Family Man, and Mr. Destiny - people needing a change in their life - you might like this story.

It’s Alice Mongoose’s first Christmas in Hawaii. She misses her family and is resigned to spending the holiday alone. Alistair Rat would love to spend Christmas with his best friend Alice, but he’s afraid that Alice has more exciting things to do than spend time with a solitary rat. Fortunately, the outspoken Cordelia Canetoad knows just what to do! It’s Alice Mongoose’s first Christmas in Hawaii. She misses her family and is resigned to spending the holiday alone. Alistair Rat would love to spend Christmas with his best friend Alice, but he’s afraid that Alice has more exciting things to do than spend time with a solitary rat. Fortunately, the outspoken Cordelia Canetoad knows just what to do! The Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat stories are classic tales of friendship, beloved to this day by children of all ages. Alice Mongoose’s recent renaissance may be credited to the efforts of Mary Pfaff’s granddaughter, Dorothy Pfaff. A new generation of parents and children have come to appreciate the books’ unselfconscious multiculturalism, sensible life lessons, and positive main characters.This reissue of the Alice Mongoose stories is faithful to the original printing and in keeping with Dorothy’s memories of her grandmother reading to her.Also by Mary Pfaff: Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat in HawaiiAlice Mongoose and Alistair Rat have a RestaurantAlice Mongoose, Alistair Rat, and the Big Sign

Destiny Faraday makes a point of keeping her distance from her classmates at Hedgebrook Academy. Her number-one rule: Don’t get attached. But one day, unexpectedly finding a car at their disposal, Destiny and three of her classmates embark on an unauthorized road trip. They’re searching for one fair day—a day where the good guy wins and everything adds up to something just and right. Their destination: Langdon, a town that Destiny’s unsuspecting companions hope will hold simply a day of fun. But, as Destiny says, “Things are not always what they seem.” Only she knows that Langdon holds far more than that—a deep secret she has never shared with anyone. **  The Miles Between explores the wonder and magic of a very real world where chance, mystery, and secrets abound.