Wear sunscreen. Also a hat, long sleeves, pants and gloves, no matter the weather. Sleep cocooned, slathered in unctions and serums, wrapped in linen. Never leave the house. Others pass her window, #dappled with freckles, wrinkled by life. Her skin shines cold as a diamond, untouched, alone. #vss365

Put a pan on high heat, add butter, garlic. Season your meat on both sides with salt and pepper. "Achoo!" Add your meat to the pan and hold it down so it doesn't escape. You want a good #sear. "No! Help!" Wear headphones until you get used to the screaming. Serve rare with fondant potatoes. #vss365

The bleeding heart was presented on a clean plate with a sprig of green garnish. Fork & knife held aloft, she contemplated how to tackle the dish. She thought back to the young man who offered it to her, all #heartfelt words & delicious earnestness. She savored a bite of pericardium &smiled. #vss365

It's called sapiosexual but what’s a brain without a heart and what’s a heart without a brain just aspects of attraction then there’s that whole other indescribable tapestry thing luminescent prism-bending light in magnetic souls the most #heartfelt features of desire are mysteries #vss365

She's flattered when the first bouquet arrives. Pink roses. A secret admirer? A spray of lilies, a wreath of mums, an armful of gladiolus follows. The foyer looks like a florist's showroom as she reads the cards. Our #heartfelt condolences. Sorry for your loss. "Who died?" No one hears her. #vss365

An orthodontist’s dream. Teeth pointing north, south, east and west. He orders full headgear. Every night, she cranks the #wonky rows straighter with a tiny key. Her jaw throbs. But pain is worth it when the braces come off. “Smile,” he says. Her newly straightened fangs pierce his neck. #vss365

Runt. Squirt. The smallest in the litter. Until he hits puberty. Overnight, Jack shoots up from 4'11 to 40 feet. He must #stoop to sneak out of his bedroom window and run away to the beanstalk. "I don't want to hurt you, not like those before," he begs the giant. "I want to come home." #vss365

Her phone is easy to give up. But she misses fast food. No #slapdash unhealthy meals since her dad had the #kooky idea to live like a pioneer. "Takeout? Take out that axe and chop the head off that old bird." The blade hovers. She can't do it, not even for KFC. Beans and rice again. #vss365

I like Libby. I don't like AI narration — digital or synthesized voices. #notoai #libby If you also want real, talented people to read your audiobooks and not bots, here's how to spot the AI-narrated audiobooks in Libby's catalog and avoid them: mashable.com/article/how-...

It was no wonder she was a most kooky child you could meet. Her father lived in his head, while her delightful mother was wild from her head to her feet. She was off on adventures from the day she was born, way up to space, or carried away by the wind of a storm. #vss365 #kooky

An #unmissable act, the ads proclaim. And he's never missed the target. Except once. He runs away from the circus, but the clowns haunt his dreams. Spooking him right before he lets the axe fly. His brother, pale with death. The apple, still rosy, rolls into his blood. The clowns laugh. #vss365

The #delivery van speeds away before I reach the door. The driver is behind on his route, and I was a late addition. Ten years late, thanks to an address mix-up that left me at a returns center. What if they found a replacement? Or don't want me? Ring the doorbell, put on a smile. "Hi Mom." #vss365

Adorn yourself in ignorance Pretend you do not see Adorn yourself in ignorance And happy you will be Built yourself a chrysalis Hide your head in sand Adorn yourself in ignorance Refuse to understand #vss365

I try saving December, but January declares war: "Abolish the #adornments!" The New Year strips away tinsel. Resolutions steal the cookies. Responsibilities pilfer our time. Together, they hurl the dead tree and our joy into a bonfire, cheering as it burns. My alarm screams. Back to work. #vss365

The #symphony of the kitchen: the clatter of knives; the metallic clash of pots and pans; the burble of boiling liquids; the scrape of a metal spatula against the bottom of a pan; the occasional scream, cut off short. "I told you not to eat the sous chefs! I need them!" #vss365 (symphony)

The Great Zambini waves his hands, conducting an invisible #symphony. All children crave magic, but those here are particularly hungry. More empty beds today. They need doctors, medicine; all he has are card tricks. Out of his hat, he pulls a rabbit and a bouquet of smiles. A small miracle. #vss365

Luscious and creamy, with a bit of tang. A subtle taste of ginger. And ripe, juicy berries with a hint of added sweetness. She took another bite. A veritable #symphony in her mouth. She groaned. “Wake up, honey. You’re having a nightmare.” #vss365

The gunshot echoes off the tile. The End. But as I slip into the bath, eddies of blood in the bubbles, the door flies open. A man lugs in a suitcase. "Occupied!" "Sorry! Wrong room!" Fifth time this week I've been #spooked. I can't even relive my death in peace. Time to haunt a new hotel. #vss365

The only things AI has ever given me: 1) Continuous Schadenfreude 2) An idea for my next book: A cop on the trail of a serial killer transforms into a frog. In order to solve the crime, put away the bad guy and become human again, he's gotta find true love's kiss. #notoai

He adored her the moment she tripped over her own two feet. Her colorful fashion sense and #oddball humor made him love her more. He didn't question her eccentric hobbies — stealing babies? making shoes? — until she made him dinner. One bite. Trapped in Faerie by a manic pixie dream girl. #vss365

Another year in orbit; we mark the occasion with traditional screaming. No one screams back from the planet below, a sludgy orb. The #clueless inhabitants, if they're alive, don't know we're here. We might have visited when their world was verdant. Now, it is just another void to scream at. #vss365

Madame Z's boutique smells of patchouli and #balderdash, the pink-tinted light thick and airless. "I'll warn you," I say. "As a time traveler, future visions don't interest me." She lifts her veil. "What about the past?" "Sister? I thought I lost you in the 2020s." "Welcome to tomorrow." #vss365

Back and forth, she pushes the vacuum, skirting table legs, lingering under the sofa. In a corner, a typewriter clacks, spitting out her next novel, a new recipe, a line of poetry. #Abstractions brought to life without a thought. She makes neat rows in the carpet, plowing a barren land. #vss365

“‘You can’t do that to a man,’my father said. ‘Rub his face in it like that.’ I didn’t understand what he meant back then, but I think I do now. It’s important to do work of which you can be proud.” Fiction but not too far from reality. #NotoAI

The crowd chants as the hangman leads him to the gallows. 10-9-8... At midnight, the old geezer drops; cheers of #delight go up like confetti. Good riddance to that philistine past; tomorrow will be better, kinder. Off to bed. We leave the new year, a gurgling babe, to care for itself. #vss365

Tis cold and dark, so we sleep, Mama says. But last winter, I woke early. I saw the colored fire, red, green and gold. Heard the bells and joyous singing. Tasted a stolen gingerbread, spicy-sweet, like dark honey. Maybe it was a #dream. "Christmas," as they call it, did not seem cold to me. #vss365

Over the river and through the woods back in time we #travel. With every mile, adulthood worries fall away, wrinkles smooth, laughter grows. We arrive 30 years ago, snow falling thick, and Gran still alive, a crowded house and too much food, and I don't even mind sitting at the kids' table. #vss365

"And to my niece, I grant #sole custody of my children. Keep them safe." Must be a typo. Aunt Moira didn't have children. But upstairs, I find them. In closets, shelves, on the bed. Cold bone-white faces, hollow eyes, shining curls. The dolls. The children who wandered in and never escaped. #vss365

A clatter on the roof, then a crash. The kids scream; I leap from bed to find a man hog-tied under the tree. "I caught Santa!" my son yells as the stranger #struggles against his bonds. "Good job. Now feed him the cookies. Gotta fatten him up if we want enough meat to #survive the winter." #vss365

"I see him! There's Santa!" "No, that's him! It's red, like Rudolph!" The kids shout as lights #shoot across the dark sky. Meteor showers mean more burning space debris to decontaminate tomorrow. But tonight, I'll pretend the fires are Christmas magic, like the snow they've never seen. #vss365

Before I #jump, I double-check the list. Yep, this is the place, Penn Ave., big and white, lots of chimneys. Rich folks sure do like their fireplaces. I can't take everything they stole, just the feast and gifts. Call me a Grinch, but the lists never lie. Besides, I hear this guy likes coal. #vss365

I'll be home for Christmas. My spaceship has too many buttons for an old elf. Somewhere past #Saturn, I stop for directions. The aliens do not want peace on earth. They enslave me in an icy prison, seize my gifts, force me to make more. But each year, I #fight to fly home for Christmas. #vss365

"I can't visit Ma. It's our busy season." "Your brother doesn't work holidays. And he's—" "Elven King, I know." Ma never lets me forget I'm only a #humble toy maker. I miss Middle Earth, but the North Pole has nothing on my brother's frosty demeanor. "Love you, Ma. See you at New Year's." #vss365

A puppy? Tickets to Paris? An engagement ring? Cliches for amateurs and Hallmark movie fans. He wiped his hands on his sweater, red against green, and slid to the floor beside his perfect gift. Imagine her #gratitude on Christmas Day when she opened it and saw he'd given her his heart. #vss365

As the ball drops and confetti swirls, we shed our skins, old acquaintances forgot. What a relief to leave behind past lives, no #regrets. A new year, a new you. What's your name? Your story? Whatever you want. We're all strangers now. Perhaps this year, we'll grow into better people. #vss365

Teddy bears torn to shreds. Baby dolls blown to bits. Carnage, all because I wanted a better toy soldier. Damn my ego. Damn AI. "Shut it down." "But it's Christmas Eve. They've already been deployed, sir. " "Then issue a #recall, and send in the Barbies. Only those gals can defeat them." #vss365

Baby's First Christmas. A glass angel with a chipped wing. A holly wreath encircling a photo of a bride and groom. "Who's this?" "That's you," I remind her. "At your wedding." One by one, her #memories fall from her mind. We hang them on the tree, where they'll live forever at Christmas. #vss365

I'm tired of cookies and the beard itches. But it's better than working 364 days on the shop floor. Jealous whispers drift past like snow — lucky bastard— as they fatten me up, a pig for slaughter. Spiked eggnog, a sharp knife, a new #successor to the throne. Santas don't last long here. #vss365

They sent us here to die. The condemned, illegal and shunned, packed into a submersible and dropped like a stone. But we adapted to the pressure, learned to breathe new air. Above in hell, our accusers burn under a dying sun. In new Australia, we mermaids thrive in our #aphotic paradise. #vss365

The king is dead. Long live the king. I barely have time to grieve my #suave older brother before they place the crown on my warty brow. I miss my swamp, the delicious dragonflies. Cancel the ball. Keep lustful maidens away. My name might be Charming, but this frog will never be a prince. #vss365

Once upon a time, our day begins. And they lived happily ever after as our sun sets. "Read it again!" keeps us running through the night. No time off in this paper and ink world. But it's worse when a book closes forever. #Reality is no place for dragons or dreams. We must be read. #vss365

A scout is helpful. A scout is honest and fair. A scout does whatever it takes to meet her #goal. "These cookies are divine! I need another five — no, ten boxes!" She licks the white powder off her fingers. "What's your secret?" I pocket her cash; another customer hooked. "Extra sugar." #vss365

Scalpel. Suction. Sternal Saw. Finding true love is not an exact #science. Heartache, broken hearts, hearts with holes —I fix them all. But as soon as I open this man's chest cavity, I see the problem. No heart at all. A politician. Sew him up. All that money can keep him company. #vss365

"Put the books in the attic. Where dusty things belong," her stepmother sneered. Locked away, the books fed her. #History, #geography, #famous writers — she devoured them all. Her skin grew scales, her anger grew fangs. "Snake!" the stepmother cried and fled, leaving the bookwyrm her hoard. #vss365

Scrambled eggs. Butter in the pan, let it melt, add the eggs, stir, stir, stir. #Domestic science taught him how to cook. Hunger taught him how to thieve. The kids are getting that #education too; they steal the eggs right off his plate. He pretends not to notice. #vss365

Eye of newt, toe of frog, whiskers of cat, ears of dog. Bunny's tail, pig's skin, horse's mouth, donkey's back end. Stitch them together, and what do you get? Dad's #creature, our family pet. My goldfish still lies dead in a jar of brine. Dad can't resurrect him, only play Frankenstein. #vss365

“How’d it go lad? Your first customer? “Easy. Just a little off the top.” Dad leers, strokes his stubble. “You know, I might be in need of a shave too.” “Me?” “You’re in the family #business now.” I shroud him with my cape. Clean my razor. Just a little off the top. But so much blood. #vss365

Well-played 👏 👏 👏

Rosie #creeps, humming, methodical in her efforts. Kitchen. Master bedroom. Bath. Must be a lot of blood. She hits me, crushing my fingers. “Please remove obstacle and resume cleaning.” So much blood. “R-Rosie, call for help?” “Initiating deep cleaning mode.” I am swept from life. #vss365

"We come in peace. As a gesture of — what are you — no, please, don't — Don't take her! Please! We mean no harm. WE COME IN PEACE!" Bing Crosby lied. There were no songs, no feast. But there were presents. We #Martians brought an offer of friendship. In return, Earthlings gave us #terror. #vss365