Honey Upon Thy Lips      by Anne Teachout

   “Your hair is like golden silk.  I’ve never felt anything so soft and sensual.”

   “My prince, you speak honeyed words.  I should not trust you.”

    “Oh, do not pull away.  I do not mean to scare you, sweet lady.  I only mean to get to know you.”

     “That is something you can not do, my prince.  It is forbidden, even to you.”

      “My sweet lady, you tempt me more and more.  Awe, you smell of lavender and jasmine.  I can hardly control myself in your presence.”

      “Please, my prince, you must control yourself.  My husband will demand your head if you do not.”

      “I do not care, sweet goddess.  You have trapped me in your beauty.  My life means nothing without you in it.”

      “Do not say such things, my prince.  It is dangerous.  You cannot mean what you say.”

      “Oh, but I do, sweet lady.  Your eyes are like the depths of the ocean, and I am drowning within them.  Do not laugh at me, sweet lady.  I speak truly.  I pledge my life upon your supple lips.”

      “Stop.  You must stop.  It will be both our lives that are lost.”

      “I do not care.  I do not care if it cost the lives of thousands.  I want you.”

      “Please…oh, that feels good.  The gods must have taught you how to kiss.  Please stop, my handsome prince.  This must stop.   My husband – “

      “Your husband will die upon my sword, sweet lady.  He shall not stop us.”

       “Oh, handsome prince, you cannot stop him.  He is commander of one of the largest armies in the world.  No man can stop him.”

       “Then no man will, sweet lady.  We will disappear into the night.  He will have no idea where you have gone or where to find you.  We shall be together forever.  Adonis and Aphrodite.”

       “But, we are not the gods.  We cannot break the laws of man, and my husband will know.  He will kill us both.”

       “Sweet lady, be still.  Let me kiss you.  Let me give you bliss.”

       “But – “

       “Lay down, my love.  Let me lay beside you.”

       “But it will be our deaths, my prince.  I see that now.”

       “Then let us die, but in love.  Nothing can conquer love.  Our passion shall protect us.  In love, we will live forever.”

        “Oh, sweet prince, if only I could believe you.  If only I were the naïve child of my youth, I could sail away with you on your white ship into this dream of happiness, but I have grown up these years.  I have met cruelty.  I have seen the depths of man’s darkest nature.  My husband will seek the revenge of a thousand deaths.”

          “Do not cry, my love.  Please be calm.  The goddess of love herself blesses us.  Her son has already made me your victim.  My life belongs to you, beautiful lady.  We are meant to be together.  Light deserves light, and ours is a golden love.  Your husband shall stay here in the darkness where he belongs, alone.  You shall see.  The goddess will give us safe voyage, and then you shall be protected within the walls of my kingdom.  You will be safe, and more importantly, you will be loved. Now, lay still, and let me show you.”

         “Mmm… I do love you.

          “And, I love you as well, my sweet princess.  I give you my kingdom and myself.  Twenty thousand lives are yours.  We will worship you and keep you safe”

           “Are you sure?”

           “Yes, sweet princess.  That monster will never touch you again.”

                “Then, then, I give you myself.  My body as a gift to you, beautiful prince.  Every strand of golden hair, every inch of skin, the very depths of my soul.  Oh, you have the hands of Eros.”

                “And you the skin of Psyche.  I have never felt anything so wonderful.  There are no words to describe it, nothing to compare it to.  Lay with me.  We shall sail away from this hell.  Lay with me until the moon comes up to light our way.”

                “Yes, sweet prince.  I am yours.”

                “And, I yours, my beautiful Helen.  All the kingdom of Troy and I are yours.”

Danger at the Mid-High  by Rita Durrett

   “Allie, look over there!”
    “What am I supposed to be seeing, Lea?”
    “In line, the really pale guy in the Sea Hawks shirt.”
    “What about him?”
    "Can’t you see?”
    “See what, Lea? I don’t see anything.”
    “He’s a vampire!”
    “A vampire? Girl, are you insane?”
    “Look at his pale skin and red eyes.”
    “That doesn’t mean he’s a vampire, Lea.”
    “Sure it does, Allie. You read the book. Vampires are pale, don’t eat, and
don’t have a reflection.”
    “He has food, Lea.”
    “He’s fitting in.”
    “Lea, you do know vampires don’t really exist, don’t you?”
    “I can prove it. See.”
   “See what, Lea?”
    “Lunch is over and he didn’t eat a thing!”
   “Lea, you’ve lost it. I don’t have time for this, and can’t be late again. I’ll see you after Biology.”
***
    “Class, we have a new student, Brian Watson. Brian is from Seattle.”
    “OMG, I’ve got to text Lea.”
    “The Vampire from Seattle is in my class.”
    “What did I tell you? A rainy city, not eating, He’s a vampire.”
   “Allie, are you on your phone again? Put it away or you’ll lose it!”
   “Meet me after class.”
***
   “Lea, I thought Biology would never end.  I must be losing my mind. I’m starting to think you’re right.”
   “Why, Allie?”

“I looked over at Brian after Mr. Wade caught me texting you. His smile gave me chills down my spine, like he read my mind.”
   “I knew it, Allie! They can totally read minds. I’ve got to get to PE on time. I don’t want to run laps.”
***
    “Excuse me, Allie”
    “Sorry to bother you, but could you tell me how to get to the gymnasium?”
   “Um, Brian, um, it’s that way.”
    “Thanks, Allie, bye.”
   “That’s Lea’s class!”
***
    “Allie be careful, he knows.”
    “Knows what, Lea?”
    “Lea, did you get my text”
   “What’s taking her so long to answer? What if this vampire has read our minds? What if Lea is trying to warn me that Brian knows we know what he is? What if he ‘turned’ her into a vampire?” (note: shouldn't have quotation marks around italicized text)
***
   “Lea, are you okay? I’m so glad to see you! I couldn’t wait to get out of class so I’d know you were okay.”
   “You won’t believe it, Allie. We went outside for PE today. Brian didn’t do anything. He stayed in the shade the whole time and wore sunglasses. And he watched me. He was basically saying ‘I can read your mind, and I know you know’.”
    “Lea, you have no idea what you put me through by not answering my text! I thought he’d gotten you!  He stopped me in the hall, wanting to know where the gymnasium was. His look gave me chills.”
    “Lea, what if he really is a vampire?”
    “Allie, we have to find out and I have an idea how.”
    “I know that look, Lea. Trouble is never far behind. What are you thinking?”
   “Your mom is the counselor.”
    “So?”
   “So here’s what I want you to do. I’ll call the office and ask for your mom. When she answers the phone, I’ll distract her long enough for you to read through his file. It’s probably going to be out on her desk. Find out anything you can.”
   “Lea, what if I get caught?”
    “It’s your mom. What’s the worst that can happen? You get grounded? Don’t be a baby. Our lives depend on it.”
“Okay, Lea. Give me a minute before you call.”
***
   “Allie, what took so long, what happened?”
   “I read the file.”
   “Okay. So what did it say?”
   “Lea, Brian is…unusual. He has no pigment in his skin, eyes, or hair. He has to stay out of the sun as much as possible, and light hurts his eyes.”
   “I knew it! He really is a vampire! We’re in so much danger.”
   “Lea, Brian is an albino.”
   "An albino? You’re kidding!"
    “Lea, you’ve got to stop reading all those vampire books. Here’s my mom. I gotta go. Talk to you tomorrow!”
***
   “How was your day, Allie?”
   “Mom, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you!”
   “Let me unlock the car so you can get in. I’m going to put this stuff in the trunk.  I’ll be back in a minute.”
   “Mom, you do know I can see you in the rear-view mirror? You look silly talking to yourself.”
   “Allie, you’re being rude. You can see I’m talking to our new student, Brian.”
   “OMG, he is a vampire!”

The Send off              by Holly Jahangiri

      “Mom? Time to go.”
      “I’ve changed my mind. We’re not going.”
      “Hilda’s your best friend. Of course we’re going.”
      “Was. Was my best friend. Old bat up and left me here all by myself. Why would I want to go to this shindig?”
       “What are you, like, three? Get your coat and stop acting petulant.”
      “Stop turning that fancy vocabulary on me, young lady. I taught you every fifty-dollar word you know.”
      “I know. Are you ready?”
      “Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose. And don’t you smile at me like that. I’m in no mood.”
      “Oh, you’re in a mood, all right. I’ll bring the car around.”
      “I wonder if Jimmy will be there…”
      “The one who’s your age or the one who’s mine?”
      “Hmmph. Maybe they’ll both be there. We can double date.”
      “Yeah, sure. You comfortable? Need help with your seatbelt?”
       “Heaven’s sake, child. I’m seventy, not a hundred and four.”
       “Sorry, just trying to help.”
      “We should go on a trip together, Susie Q, just you and I. Wouldn’t that be something? See the world before I’m too old to run for the gate…”
      “We should do that. Kind of tough to take off time from work right now, but let’s plan on it.”
      “Mmm. Are we there yet?”
      “We’re a block from the house, Mom.”
      “Well, how long till we get there?”
      “Are you—you’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
      “A little. Say, let’s stop at that little ice cream parlor first. You know, the one that makes that wonderful pistachio ice cream, with the fresh pistachios.”
      “We’ll be late—”
      “Oh, Hilda won’t mind, Dear.”
      “Are you okay, Mom? We don’t have to go, if you really don’t want to.”
      "No, Dear, you were absolutely right. Hilda was—is—my best friend. I shouldn’t hold a grudge. I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t get to visit with her for a little while. We can get ice cream afterwards.”
      “Okay, Mom. Hey, we’re here—I’ll drop you off at the front and join you as soon as I’ve parked the car.”
      “That’ll be fine, Susie Q. I’d like a little time alone with Hilda, if you don’t mind.”
      “Of course. Mr. Sheldon will probably be here—right? Maybe I’ll go flirt with him for a bit while you’re chatting with Hilda.”
      “Oh, you’d give that geezer a right heart attack, you would! He’d just die for that kind of attention!”
      “You laugh, but he’s very good looking for an octogenarian!”
      “Filthy rich, too! His is a recession-proof occupation, if ever there was one. Although, I do worry if that man fell asleep at the office someone might mistake him for one of his clients and bury him alive.”
      “You’re awful! Now run inside so I can get this car parked.”
      “See you in a few, Susie Q.
      “Hilda? Oh, Hilda, where are you hiding…oh, there you are, all decked out like a queen. Good lord, woman, all you need is a scepter. I almost didn’t come, you know—it’d serve you right if you threw a party like this and nobody came. I don’t know what to say to you. Susie made me come. Had some silly notion I’d be sorry, later, if I didn’t. But I shouldn’t have come. You look ridiculous in that get-up, you old bat. Too much rouge on your pasty white cheeks. And good gawd, who did your hair? You look a right mess. No, I don’t think I can forgive you this, Hilda—you left me. You up and left without a word, without a forwarding address! Did you move south? No, no, you’re too good for the folks down there. Can’t see you all the way up north, though—they’re too hoity-toity for someone who likes to play cards and swear like a truck driver. Bet you settled into some midwestern, Ohio-like purgatory—that’d suit you just fine. Oh, look what you’ve made me do! Now my make-up’s all a mess…”
      “Mom? Look who I found.”
    “Oh! Mr. Sheldon. Isn’t this lovely? Doesn’t Hilda look—Hilda looks so…er…oh, for Heaven’s sake, she doesn’t look ‘peaceful,’ she looks dead. Dead as a door knob. When it’s my turn, Mr. Sheldon—well, I do hope I outlive you, because I have no intention of meeting my make-up looking like a two-bit hooker! Come on, Susie Q, time to get some ice cream.”

Bigfoot on My Shoulder by Ed Kowalski

            "So…"
            "So…"
            "It's not right."
            "What's the big deal?"
            "The big deal is you dated her for three years."
            "Honey, we've been together for five, living together as long as I dated her. You're being dramatic." An emotional train wreck is more like it. I hate when she gets like this.
            "Still you keep something from her in our house." God, I hate when he's obtuse.
            "Jesus, babe, it's not like she's in the house with us."
            "Might as well be."
            "What does that mean?"
            "Why can't you get rid of it?"
            "It was a gift."
            "From her!" If I kept any of my ex-flames' things in the house he'd freak. "If I kept any of my ex-flames' things in the house you'd freak."
            "I did not."
            "You sure wou- Wait, what do you mean you did not?”
            "Bigfoot…"
            "Are you serious?"
            "As serious as you. You kept his sketch of Bigfoot."
            "It's one drawing."
            "You framed it!"
            "He framed it."
            "You kept it."
            "At my parents' house.  You wouldn't even let me put it up in the bathroom."
            "What does it matter what room it's in?" Women, Jesus!
            "It would have been in the bathroom, not on display in the living room like this." Men, oh…my…God!
            "I haven't seen him in like seven years!"
            "I'm not displaying it. Where else should I keep it?" Roger, will she ever forget him? Not with his picture of bigfoot in her parents' house.
            "Well you're not hiding it either, and it's painfully obvious you won't part with it."
            "You've spoken to him."
            "Why can't you- Wait, what?"
            "You spoke to Roger two years ago."
            "When? I didn't. Don't change the subject."
            "He was in town and wanted to see you."
            "Oh, that. I didn't see him."
            "You were on the phone with him for an hour!"
            "It was twenty minutes, thirty at the most."
            "It was an hour, maybe forty-five, fifty minutes, but it was definitely more than thirty minutes."
            "Were you timing us?"
            "No, but I remember we were running late for the movie, then he called, and we never made the movie."
            "You remember a movie we missed two years ago?"
            "I remember we missed it because you had to talk to your old boyfriend."
            "I didn't have to, but it had been like five years. I couldn't be rude. I felt bad enough I couldn't meet him. He was only in town for the day."
            "Ah-ha! You felt bad you couldn't see him. I knew it!"
            "I felt bad saying no. I didn't really care about seeing him." He's so childish!
            "I can't imagine what you'd have felt bad saying no to if you had met him, if you said no."
            "Are you serious? What about Jane? You did see her."
            "Only long enough to get this. She insisted." She's so childish!
            "So it's okay for you to see her if she insists, but I can't even talk to an old boyfriend?"
            "I saw her once!"
            "To get that, and now you won't get rid of it even though you know it bothers me."
            "It shouldn't."
            "The picture at my parents' house bothers you."
            "I'm not bothered. It's just annoying."
            "So is this."
            "Will you get rid of Bigfoot?"
            "That's totally different."
            "How?"
            "If you can't see the difference I'm not even sure why we're together."
            "What? What are you saying?"
            "I'm saying if you can't even consider my feelings why am I with you?
            "Are you saying you want to break up?" How did we go from get your ex's gift out of the house to breaking up?!
            "I didn't say that, but I guess you want to break up!" How did we go from Bigfoot to he wants me to leave?
            "I don't want to break up, but you still obviously have issues about Jane.  Fine. If you feel that strongly about it, I'm just going to toss this angel figurine out the window! Why the heck would I want a figurine?"
            "You didn't have to do that! I think you hit the neighbor's car. Why did you keep it if you didn't want to remember her?"
            "If you ever looked it has your name on it. She told me she's glad I found you. You're my true angel. She's right."

            "Oh honey! I don't want to break up, and I don't need Bigfoot. Hug me." He loves me!

            "All I needed to hear was you can part with Bigfoot. Kiss me." She loves me!