Chapters tagged pregnant

by Zeebop

Chapter 2

Anya lifted the nearest candle. It was black, small, and when she held it in the palm of her hand the others could see the strange sigils inked into her skin. She stared into the flame as if she could see something in it the others could not. "Many people do not believe in the o...

by Zeebop

Chapter 12

Leroy's long fingers stretched out to snatch a thin white candle, holding it in his hand like a Frenchman holds a cigarette...and smiled. "We all think we like secrets. That we want to know what people have locked away, even if it's something uncomfortable. Nasty, even. Sometime...

by Zeebop

Chapter 13

"Of course, the story of Andrew and Andrea isn't a closed book," Latoya said, as she picked up her own candle. "Quite the opposite. While Andrea was busy with the baby, Andrew just couldn't help himself. A new chapter was opened in their life, after all. It was time to turn the p...

by Zeebop

Chapter 18

Roberta took a deep breath, then leaned over to lift another candle. Its soft white glow seemed to form a halo for a moment. "In my studies of parapsychology and unknown phenomena, I have often wondered if truly is an end," she said, her voice suddenly cold and sepulchral....

by Zeebop

Chapter 21

Miu rose from where she sat, on the steps of the shrine, and walked over to a candle that rested on a particular gravestone. "Generations. It is what binds past to future. We are all our ancestors. I am reminded of another story that took place in this very graveyard, on this ve...

by Zeebop

Chapter 26

Leroy's face was unusually pensive. He stared out into the darkness, and Latoya put the candle in his free hand, the other still gripping his sister's shoulder. "I know another story about rings. I heard it when I was small. We had a great auntie who took care of us, a midwife w...

by Zeebop

Chapter 27

Latoya's smile was as wicked as her brother's face was somber. She leaned over to grab a candle. "It didn't end there, of course. The boy, Hermes. What do you think happened when his mother died? Auntie told me what happened with... > THE BOY WITH THE THREE GOLD RINGS Hermes T...

by Zeebop

Chapter 34

"She survived," Latoya said, as she uncoiled herself from her brother, and rose to pick up another candle. "Though not unscathed. This is a story I like to call... > INK POISONING Her head ached. The doctor had assured her that was normal. Warned her to be careful, since her sk...

by Zeebop

Chapter 35

Miu stepped into the shrine, and bowed her head slightly before she picked up a candle on the topmost step. None had been laid inside the shrine itself, which was dark. "The first Japanese here had no priest. Later, though, a need was felt. For prayers, for exorcisms, for weddin...

by Zeebop

Chapter 49

Miu rose to find the next candle. She selected one that was slender and listing badly. The light was reflected in her eyes. "Times change, but the cemetery remains. So, customs must be adapted to deal with new laws, new ideas. In such moments, there lies opportunities. So was it...

by Zeebop

Chapter 51

Anya picked up a candle. She held it in front of her in her right hand, as her left touched her chest. "There are images on my body I cannot show you. That aren't for the uninitiated," she said softly. "People think it strange that an image could do anything except shock or titi...

by Zeebop

Chapter 57

Jason cracked open another beer. Was it the growing darkness that gave his eyes a haunted look, or simply a memory? The others leaned forward a little as he began to speak, softly at first, and then loud enough for them to hear. "I told y'all about Amelia, the Leech Girl," he sa...

by Zeebop

Chapter 68

The darkness was palpable now. Leroy cradled his candle, and seemed to search its flame for a moment. As if trying to remember something, or debating how to start. Then he spoke, in a low, sepulchral tone: "This story is called > WHERE'S MOMMY? There's no old folks' home in Da...

by Zeebop

Chapter 69

"Leroy didn't press further," Latoya said, as she held her candle. "But I did. I saw what happened next. I call this story... > WHERE'S JENNY? Who cares for the caretaker? I admit, I didn't care much at first. Not until Leroy told me what he had seen. That got my attention. Whe...

by Zeebop

Chapter 72

Anya seemed to think, as she retrieved her next candle. They were all burnt down to only a third or less now. "We've told many stories about sex and pregnancy. We haven't had any stories yet about what it's like to actually give birth to something...unnatural. Who is there to ov...

by Zeebop

Chapter 81

"Many people need help in their marriages," Roberta said, a hint of tiredness in her voice. She rose and found the shortest candle, the one nearest to going out. "And they do not always appreciate that help, but may benefit from it anyway. Such a thing happened in this very town....

by Zeebop

Chapter 84

Miu found the furthest candle, and brought it back. She carried with her a thin grey stick. "When the first settlers came, they brought with them a Chinese plum tree, all the way from Japan. In a strange and often hostile world, it was a symbol of hope and endurance, a piece of...

by Zeebop

Chapter 88

"Fertility," Roberta said, as she held a candle in both hands. "Reminds me of a strange case I had. Unusual. Detective Oldman called me in during the investigation. I call it > THE CASE OF THE MANDRAKE ROOT The bloodstained mattress was the centerpiece of the scene. The...

by Zeebop

Chapter 92

Jason selected the nearest candle. Held it in his cupped hands, elbows on his knees for an uncomfortably long moment. At last, he broke the silence. "Let me tell y'all about > ZIPPERLIPS We had a dancer working the pole in the regular shows. How much she took off in a show dep...

by Zeebop

Chapter 95

"This final case," Roberta said, as she secured one of the final candles. "Is more personal than the others. It involves my brothers, August and Winter, and the unexpected consequences of a well-meant gesture. I call it > THE CASE OF THE BROTHER'S GIFT They were twins, August a...