Yet another short story. The clouds cry. The sky is grim. For a girl and her umbrella, the possibilities are endless.

Ramona "Mona" Gray only wanted to catch a big fish. Instead she caught a boy the same height as herself. Adam Fink was trying to catch a girl to take home to his grandpa that only wanted him to fall in love... With anyone, he didn't care as long as Adam was happy like his parents had been when they had met. Ramona didn't want a boy to bring home to her mom. Her sister already had a man lined up for the both of them, and neither of those boys was Adam. No, they were "respectful" gentlemen. Which to Ramona meant they were snobbish and most likely sexist in their own subtle ways. They wouldn't care for her boy short hair or that she loved her beanie dearly and would never part with it. Still, with matching plaid button ups that were both bought from the same side of the store it was clear that these two would get along... Well mostly, Adam wasn't too keen when she pushed him off the dock. And Ramona wasn't too happy to jump in after him to save him when he could have easily stood up in the water. After she took to calling him princess while he continued to access that she needed to grow out some stubble since she was already working the "man of the wilderness" look. Their adventures of their senior year will be tricky, probably a bit roundabout, and maybe just a teeny bit romantic. Still its like Ramona always says, "high school is just some pond to practice life in, once its over you go down the river of college and then you're at the ocean of opportunity and depending on what kind of fish you are it could be scary and vast or it can be too small and lonely." Former cover made by -ichor

For Lucy, the best Christmas present is forgetting the past. Eager to banish the ghost of Christmas past – when her boyfriend dumped her on the streets of Paris – Lucy is determined to make this the best Christmas ever. She rallies friends and family for an epic celebration that just happens to fall on the same day as her ex’s festive wedding. Furious at how she’s been treated, Lucy can’t help relishing the party v wedding smackdown. But when the wedding is threatened and only Lucy can help, can she find the spirit inside to save the day, or will this Christmas be even more disastrous than the last? (Full story available on Amazon.)

**Added on the reading list of @retold @WattpadTimeTravel @WattpadFairytales @HistoricalFiction @WattWitches @Magic @WattpadBookshelves This is book 1 of [STOLEN] SERIES 2015... All her life, Myra Farrow has been obsessed with medieval castles-and the kings and princes who once inhabited them. Now, wealthy videogame designer Steve Bernard wants her to model for a princess character in his new game. Myra can't resist his offer, especially when she learns that Steve plans to film inside the mysterious Hue Castle-a cursed, barren, colorless place forbidden to visitors for centuries. But unknown to Myra, her soul is bound to Hue Castle by blood and sorcery. When she enters its doors, she awakens dark powers that will reach through time-stealing her past, torturing her present, and rewriting her future. 1415... Edward Hue, the last of the Hue royal bloodline, has never stood in the sunshine or held a living flower. Cursed from birth to live in darkness and bring death to all he touches, he is at the mercy of his cruel, tyrannical father, who will not rest until he shatters Edward's soul and makes his son into a diabolical copy of himself. Edward's one hope is the mysterious woman who haunts his dreams-who will either break his curse and bring him out of the darkness, or destroy him utterly. In this modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast, past and future collide in a tale of love, obsession, betrayal, and the hope for redemption. Once Upon A [Stolen] Time © 2024 by Samreen Ahsan

Ari Callahan has no idea how to talk to boys -- or how to talk to anyone for that matter. Enter Zac, the cute new guy in town who won't stop texting her. But is his interest real, or does he have a hidden agenda? ***** Found as a young child washed up on the beach, 17-year-old Ari Callahan has never uttered a word out loud to anyone -- not even her adoptive family. Psychologists have diagnosed her with a condition called selective mutism, but Ari can't help identifying with her namesake character, Ariel, the little mermaid in the fairytale whose voice was stolen by a sea witch. Mermaid-obsession aside, Ari's silence makes socializing tough. She's never had a boyfriend or been asked out on a date. Not until Zac, the confident new arrival in town, asks for her number. But Zac has his own reasons for texting with Ari. He's part of a movement to sabotage the artificial music app called SirenSong, threatening to render human singing obsolete. Zac's collaborators have scoured the globe in search of a singing voice perfect enough to break the SirenSong spell, and their search has led them straight to Ari's beachside town. Will her relationship with Zac help Ari find her voice and unlock the secrets of her origins? Or will he use her and leave her high and dry? Title: Ari and Zac (formerly The Mermaid Hypothesis) Content Warning: This story contains references to selective mutism, suicidal thoughts, and early childhood trauma.