All Fool’s Day. 1890 It was a memorably raw winter’s night. The sun had slid below London’s dirty river and the only light I could see beyond my basement window was the diluted glow of the constable’s brazier. It warmed him and melted the frosted cobbles around his black leather boots. I envied him the comfort of the glowing coal, but not the grim streets he patrolled. We hadn’t yet shaken off the desperate winteriness, e...

“All homage to you my Lady Tara; Fearless, invincible and terrible, Slayer of the demon hordes of Mara. You vanquish them all with a frown of wrath Upon your thrice beautiful lotus face.” The Persimmon Grove had been a popular meeting place in Ereshkigal's affluent 71st district for several years. Above the central bar stood a tall and many-branched holographic persimmon tree; the bar's trademark. The tree had been a feat...

"In Oriental myth, the Foxwoman is an evil spirit of torment and strife. It took the form of a beautiful woman and seduced men to their ruin. Luckily, we no longer believe in evil spirits." *** The blue ornate kimono she had been wearing had long since ended up on the floor. Her golden naked body was now clothed in a fine layer of sweat, from her and from him. He had his hands on her firm breasts and the nipples under his...

I was on my knees, his cock in my throat while he spoke on the phone. I was working him in and out of my mouth, trying to get him to cum quickly, but his attention was focused on his conversation. He let one hand heavily fall on my head, his pinky ring knocking painfully on my skull. That hand also held a cigar which he would suck on between bursts of conversation. I just hoped that the jackass didn’t set fire to my hair....

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900 *****  "The Queen is Dead! Long Live the King!" What more important change than the death of a sovereign. At least, for the nation. Perhaps not for individuals. The end of the Victorian Age. The beginning of the Edwardian period. Would this country continue to be successfully powerful, or would it pass into dust following past empi...