Showing results for "Episode 7" in Anthologies & Short Stories

Contains episodes seven, eight, and nine of Claw & Warder. A Tail of Two Cities, episode seven It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was the age of Starbucks; it was the age of phone apps. It was the season of the supernatural; it was the season of the mundane. It was the...

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He's just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja's sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane...until he collects again.

The story involves a mine that uncovers a very deep chasm, too deep for any sounding lines to hit bottom. The night after the discovery of the abyss the narrator and one of the mine's workers, a Mexican called Juan Romero, venture together inside the mine, drawn against their will by a mysterious rhythmical throbbing in the ground. Romero reaches the abyss first and is swallowed by it. The narrator peers over the edge, sees something – "but God, I dare not tell you what I saw!" and loses consciousness. The next morning, the narrator and the deceased Romero are both found in their bunks.

As Tate Johnson struggles to deal with his brother's relationship with Hannah, hope asserts itself in an unexpected way. With the return of Delia Burke, Logan's old flame, Brittany and Marcus see an opportunity to help their friend. But when the evening takes an unexpected turn, Brittany finds herself doing the last thing she expected - coming face to face with Ginny.

Runyon's short stories are almost always told in the first person by a narrator who is never named and whose role is unclear; he knows many gangsters and has no job that can be gleaned from his musings, nor does he admit to any criminal involvement; he’s a bystander, an observer, an average street-corner Joe. Runyon described himself as 'being known to one and all as a guy who is just around'. That line seems to say a lot about Runyon and his life.

Ever since Master Damien left her broken-hearted several years ago, Greta has found solace and confidence in her new identity as Mistress Scarlet. Spurning men altogether, she deals only with the fair sex. But Master Gallant has thrown her world topsy-turvy by requiring her submission. After several years in the Orient, Charles Gallant has returned to the Red Chrysanthemum, where members indulge in carnal pleasures both wicked and wanton. He knew Mistress Scarlet when she was Miss Greta, a most delightful submissive. Now that she's free, he has devised a way to claim her for his own.

In Episode 7, Chen presents a hypothetical, but will Alena pick up on his lesson? And a nap proves to be unfortunate for Alena when she wakes up with another man's name on her lips. In Episode 8, a romantic night on the town has Alena worrying that she will awake with a reckoning. Meanwhile, Chen has a revelation that he should have noticed the instant he met Alena.