About Toy Box: Sounds

Edited by M. Rode, featuring stories by Mychael Black, Naomi Brooks and Angelia Sparrow, and Kiernan Kelly
31 pages / 12500 words
ISBN-13: 978-1-60370-382-6
ISBN-10: 1-60370-382-9
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc

What the heck is a sound, anyway? It's not a toy for everyone, but the boys in this Toy Box make it pretty hot and intriguing! In A Play of Shadow by Mychael Black, vampire Triarius is back for this story, along with his lover Lance. Triarius is growly and moody and Lance knows just how to fix that, and he takes control for a change, starting a back and forth ride that neither will ever forget.

Sideshow Roses by Naomi Brooks and Angelia Sparrow give us Nick and Torturo, the King of Pain, on Valentine's Day. Torturo turns out to be a closet romantic, and has a surprising sound just for Nick. Finally, in Sounding like Trust by Kiernan Kelly, Arthur is a shy guy who needs a little therapy to gain confidence. Can he become the best student his love therapist has ever had? Find out all this and more in the Sounds Toy Box!

Sample

Sounding like Trust
By Kiernan Kelly

Arthur stood in front of the door, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other. The door itself wasn't even vaguely threatening -- there was no lettering on it, no warnings for the faint of heart to stay out, or of any dire consequences that might befall the otherwise uninitiated should they choose to enter. Yet it seemed monstrous to Arthur: alive somehow. He could almost imagine it breathing, imperceptibly expanding and contracting as it inhaled and exhaled like a flat, rectangular snake, ready to strike the moment Arthur made a move for the door bell.

He'd been given the phone number of the man who lived behind the ominously innocuous door by Kenny, a member of Arthur's support group. Kenny was much like Arthur, or had been until recently. Now, Kenny was different, more confident, more outgoing, a new man, and he'd sworn to Arthur that his newfound self-assurance had come at the hands of the man Arthur had come to see.

Grant Trust.

Even his name sounded philanthropic, as if he were born to gift those less fortunate, men like Arthur, whose self-esteem lay dormant within him, untapped and uncultivated like a seed in a forgotten garden, with something wonderful. He hoped that whatever Mr. Trust had done for Kenny would work as well for him.

It was nearly six months since Arthur had seen the advertisement for the Be a Man seminar. He'd been shopping for groceries and had spotted the glossy flyer posted to the bulletin board at the supermarket.

"Are you tired of being a doormat? Getting passed over for promotions at work? Do people ignore you? Make fun of you? Treat you as if you had no feelings? Take advantage of you? Do you want to be admired and successful? Are you ready to Be a Man?"

About the Editor