Converting my muscle practical to an online version is just killing me. So without any more preamble here’s more of These Haunted Hills picking up with them still talking about Brendan’s emotional breakdown post losing/finding his pendant. Vince, John and Kiyomi are characters in Brendan’s bestselling YA book. Connor was his son.

“Can I tell you about Connor’s last day?”

A tight band worked around Josh’s chest. This was so intimate and frightening he wasn’t sure he should hear it but he couldn’t say no. “Of course.”

“Luckily we were able to keep most of it out of the news which wasn’t easy. They can be vultures.”

“I’m sure.”

“He died on his birthday,” Brendan said, low and flat, hiding himself away from his own emotions. “He wanted Vince, Kiyomi and John to be at his party, such as it was in the hospital. The actors were happy to show up for this in costume. They talked and played with Connor. He had a ball. He cried a little, wishing their magic could make him feel better. Heather and I tried so hard not to lose it right then and there. Connor wanted a picture with all three of them. He kissed them on the cheek and climbed into my lap.

“He said, Daddy, this was the best birthday ever and I hope he really believed that. He kissed Heather and I then curled up against my shoulder and said, I love you, to us. He shut his eyes and Connor slipped away not more than five minutes later.”

Brendan’s voice broke, his chest heaving. Josh held him tighter. “I’m so sorry, Brendan.”

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!

The good news is I won Nano and I DID finish These Haunted Hills. Now begins the laborious process of editing this into something that’s not a ball of nonsense. The bad new is they flipped us online for the last 3 weeks of class which at least I was prepared for except for the lab final. Sigh.

Here is more of These Haunted Hills picking up after Brendan’s emotional break down.

“Do you want to talk? I don’t….I’m not sure what to do next. I might not be what you need tonight.” Joshua grimaced hating himself for that admission.

“You have no idea how much I need you. You, in just the short time I’ve known you, have made me feel lighter, happier than I have in years, just by being you.”

Josh gasped, his eyes pricking with moisture. “Brendan.”

Brendan squeezed Josh’s hand. “I mean that. You are a great friend. You’re funny and you’re smart. You were all the things I prize and now you’re here listening to me bawl.”

“You need a friend right now.”

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!

I’ve been working nano hard, pretty much should cross over to 40K tonight and I’m splitting it between two projects one of them being These Haunted Hills which I should finish if not tonight by Monday. I’m also getting highly anxious that we’ll get locked down by this time next week and I’ll have to race to get my finals online. I suspect (and will act accordingly) that we won’t be face to face in the spring semester which both sucks and might be a bit of a relief. However, internet here is so unreliable we’ll lose a ton of students with no access. (if there is anything we need it’s good internet. We’re so disadvantaged here)

And since this is what I’m working on have a little more of These Haunted Hills. Brendan has broken down telling Josh the truth about his pendant and is thinking about his lost son.

Brendan came back, his face washed, and sat down with Josh. “Can you stay with me a while?”

“I can stay as long as you need me to.” Josh had hoped to spend the night in a much more pleasant way but Brendan needed him tonight. Josh felt as shaky inside as Brendan was on the outside. He’d never seen a man so vulnerable and he wasn’t sure he was up to the task of helping him. He wanted to be but he’d not lost anyone close to him. His grandfather died when he was young but he barely remembered any of it. Other than that, he’d been lucky.

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!

Have to say the week ended better than I hoped on Tuesday but I’m still mentally exhausted so I’m just dropping more of <i>These Haunted Hills</i> and running. It’s picking up with them finding Brendan’s lost pendant.

Josh stood, holding out his hand. “Let’s get off the ground.”

Brendan accepted the hand up. On wobbly legs, he made his way back inside and collapsed on the couch. Josh sat next to him, taking his hand.

“Way to spectacularly ruin the mood.”

Josh raised their joined hands, kissing the back of Brendan’s. “Don’t worry about it. You still have wounds that haven’t healed. I get that.”

“Do you? It was part of what separated Kristen and me.” Brendan sighed, his eyes still watering. “Do you know what you’re letting yourself in for?” “Honestly, no but I’m willing to risk it.”

Running insanely late but it’s been a helluva two weeks. I’m just going to drop this and run.

Here’s more of <i>These Haunted Hills</I> picking up from when Josh learns that Brendan’s lost (and found) necklace is a pendant made with his son’s ashes in the glass.

<b>

A few tears of his own snuck past Joshua’s defenses. “I understand. I’m glad it was just in the truck.”

“I’m so sorry.” Brendan hiccupped, wiping his face. “What you must think?”

“I think you’re a father suffering the worst thing that could happen to a parent.” He rubbed Brendan’s back. “I wish I could make things easier for you but that’s more magic than even your books possess.”

“You don’t find it…creepy? I always wondered if it was but I thought it was a beautiful way to memorialize Connor.”</b>

And Happy Halloween everyone.