Podcasts about Duas

Elf on a Shelf: Part 1 Her stalker wasn't who she thought he was; Based on a post by LingeringAfterthought, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Honey smiled at the long line of children waiting to see Santa, flipping her phone from Google Translate back to see the information of the next little girl in line, who was looking up at her somberly with large liquid brown eyes. In her small face was a familiar mixture of fear and hope. Wonder; it was wonder in her eyes, Honey thought. Unlike the tired and jaded adults, dutifully shifting their weight from foot to foot, holding overstuffed shopping bags and all the coats of their kids as they distracted themselves on their phones, the children got more and more excited as they drew near the man in the furry red suit with white trim. Honey loved working with the children; because like them, she sometimes could still see the magic. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Norman shift uncomfortably in the painted plywood throne made for him to sit with the children and discuss their good behavior and of the wishes that they hoped would come true. Even at age 62, Norman still saw the magic with his merry bright blue eyes, but it faded when his prostate pained him. When the photographer got the shot the parent wanted, Honey walked to where most of the long line could see her as Norman flashed her a look of worshipful gratitude. The adults' faces immediately fell, knowing what was coming. "I'm afraid Santa needs to take a quick break because apparently the reindeer have begun arguing again!" Norman put his gloved hands up to his real beard, pulled a comically dismayed face, jumped up from his throne, and ran off toward the restrooms. Honey shook her head mournfully and continued, "The reindeer were all practicing their Christmas carols when Comet and Cupid couldn't decide how many times Santa checks his list in Santa Claus is Coming to Town! Does anyone here remember how it goes?" she asked, scanning the line for people game enough to help. Honey scampered back and forth along the line trying to choose among the eager volunteers, her white-trimmed, pink fur skirt flaring out around her thighs, her long legs clad in sparkly curly-toed ruby slippers and candy cane swirl stockings catching the eyes of several fathers. Suddenly, she gasped listening carefully to her headset, "Nina?" she called out. "Comet and Cupid say they will only stop arguing if 'Nina' gives the answer. Is there a 'Nina' here today? Nina?" Honey looked around at the crowd carefully until the little girl with the big brown eyes, who had been quietly waiting 57 minutes in line, gathered the courage to raise her hand. "Oh! Are you Nina?" she asked, running over and crouching down near the girl. "We just adopted her; she only speaks Portuguese," the weary woman holding her hand said quietly. Honey gasped and smiled widely, "Voc fala portugu s Nina? Maravilhosa!" she said, watching the little girl's eyes brighten excitedly. "Voc pode me dizer quantas vezes o Papai Noel verifica sua lista?" she asked, holding her microphone out to the little girl. "Duas vezes!" Nina said confidently into the mic. Honey listened carefully to her headset, concentrating, "'Duas vezes' it is! They've stopped arguing!" she announced. "But now, they want us all to sing the song in Portuguese! Nina, voc vai me ajudar a ensin -los a m sica?" she asked. Nina nodded and slowly she and Honey taught the familiar song to the crowd in a new language. As always, a hush came on the crowd when Honey began to sing. Heads raised up from forgotten phones. Vague smiles drifted onto the turning heads of passers-by in the mall as they paused in their frenetic search for gifts. It wasn't so much that Honey's voice was beautiful, though it certainly was. It was more that when Honey sang, it seemed to make the things that didn't really matter melt away. To those that believed in such things, Honey's voice was magic. When she sang, people held their breath and didn't even miss the air. Honey closed her eyes as she sang next to Nina. It was a newly acquired habit. Though she had been taught to let her eyes slowly drift over the audience, letting them make a connection with each person as she sang, she didn't do that anymore. She knew he was out there. She felt his presence frequently as she worked, but it was only when she sang that he came out into the open. She couldn't hold her voice steady when she saw him watching her, so she closed her eyes and let the magic continue for the crowd. When the song ended, Honey opened her eyes as the crowd cheered, finding his powerful form immediately as if she had been commanded to look at him. Zach. He had changed a lot in the year since he brought his sister's children through the long Santa line, drawing her almost too-large dark blue eyes to him then, as easily as he did now. After bringing his nieces and nephews through the line, he'd gone home and brought all his neighbors' kids to see Santa in five more trips, watching her the entire time. He looked at her as if he'd never seen anything like her in the world, like he couldn't believe she was real. She had loved feeling his eyes on her then, hearing his voice. She had wanted to climb up in his lap, feel his large arms curled around her, whisper to him about how good she had been that year, and of how much she hoped he would make her wishes come true. Of course, all that was before he'd told her he wanted to kill her. Zach's face looked leaner now, though his body seemed even larger, if such a thing was possible. His brooding, deep-set eyes were not merry, as they had been when children climbed his tree-like body in her line last year. They weren't nervously soft and adoring of every part of her, as they had been at their candle-lit dinner. His eyes weren't rageful or insane as you might expect from someone visiting their object of murderous hate, but rather; they were tortured, trapped. Pain and quiet desperation had taken up restless residence in the windows to his soul. Honey knew she shouldn't look at him so much, but she just wished she could understand what she had done wrong. Once the line of children and parents had cleared, it was long past the official closing time. Honey cleaned up the display and prepared it for the next day while Norman took one last lingering trip to the restroom. Her phone showed numerous messages from work friends from her other job asking where she was. The firm had planned a Christmas party at Gatsby's, a gorgeous club worthy of F. Scott Fitzgerald's glamorous hero. It was also the place where Zach had taken her on their first and last date. The Gatsby's waiter had looked stunned and confused when she shakily ordered herself an "angel shot," the code-phrase used to quietly ask bartenders or wait staff for help when you felt threatened, but after his initial shock, the waiter immediately escorted her secretly to a taxi waiting outside before Zach returned to the table. Gatsby's had saved her life; but she didn't want to go back there. After avoiding call after call from Zach, she finally answered and politely asked him never to call her again. To her surprise, he didn't. He never spoke to her again. Unless she sang, she never even saw him, but she felt his presence almost everywhere. It felt like she was haunted by him; haunted by something wonderful and magical that, inexplicably, went horribly wrong. Her phone buzzed again, the display showing that the firm's senior partner wanted to FaceTime her. Steeling herself, she answered. "Honey Lane where in the hell; oh my god lookit you!" Aaron Timberman held the phone high above his head with his long ex-basketball-player arms and Honey saw a crowd of her co-workers crowd into the picture behind him. "Um, hi sir. Sorry I'm late to;" "You're an elf!" "Um, yeah. It's a volunteer thing;" "Wait, wait, wait; you have the shoes? You know, with the; toes?" he slurred, motioning his finger in a spiral motion. Honey bit her lips and tilted the camera down her body, showing her entire costume, tilting her foot to show off the curled toe. "I'm sorry it got late tonight, but I'll be there as soon as I can get home and get changed;" Timberman looked around at the crowd surrounding him, "Guys, do we wanna see Honey Lane here at the party in some boring old Anne Klein shit, or do we want the elf?" he yelled, pointing at the screen. Behind him, almost a dozen of her co-workers began chanting "Elf, Elf, Elf, Elf!" "Get yer ass over here, Elf," Timberman ordered, poking at his screen several times before effectively ending the call. A few minutes later, Norman finally came back from the restroom and gave Honey a ride over to Gatsby's in his red SUV bedecked with a bumper sticker that read, "My other car's a SLEIGH!" Honey hopped out after getting bits of advice from Norman that would have been appropriate several decades ago. With flaming cheeks, she brushed the furry white pompom from her hat out of her face and told the smirking ma tre d which party she wanted, sighing when he grinned widely and escorted her through the middle of the main dining area, much to her horror. When the doors to the party room opened and she was greeted by another round of "Elf, Elf, Elf, Elf," she didn't feel much better. She was starving, so she headed over to the buffet and began loading up a plate with delicious-looking things on ice in shot glasses, impaled on sticks, or immersed in flames. She just spied a quiet table in a dark corner and was winding her way toward it to it to scarf down her only food since breakfast before she could be drawn into a drunken debate. That was the plan, anyway. "Hunnybaby! Lookit you! C'mon we gotta dance!" Lee James slurred to her fur-trimmed tits. With a sigh, she smiled and laid her plate down on a nearby table, promising to herself that she would eat right after enduring a dance with the favored junior partner. Unfortunately, after Lee angled her awkwardly around the dance floor, they'd drawn so much attention that everyone wanted to get pics of themselves toasting and dancing with the Christmas elf. At some point, she found herself in Timberman's arms with a glass of champagne in her hand. "Um; what?" she said, almost asking herself how she had gotten there. "I said you look lovely, tonight, Honey. Much better than in a shawl and sheath dress," he said, quickly twirling her around as they reached the edge of the dance floor. "Twirling makes my skirt go up; I'm dizzy," she murmured. A familiar dark figure flashed in the background and disappeared as Timberman turned her again. She looked around, trying to find the figure again, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Why was he there? Had she been singing again? "Well, I'll make sure nobody twirls you, my dear," he said, twirling her and smiling as her skirt flew up her long candy-cane striped legs. "The wives wouldn't like it." "I like your wife's dress Mr. Timberman; looks warm. It covers her ass when she sits, too," she slurred, frowning in confusion at the dark red drink in her hand now. Zach was frowning, and then he just looked blurry again as she swirled around. Maybe swirling made it harder for him to kill her. Why did he want to kill her? It just wasn't fair. Timberman leaned down and dipped her, "I'll make sure to give her your compliments. You know, if you like what wives wear, you should consider getting married. Lee is quite taken with you, you know," he said, stroking his hand against the soft pink velvet of her dress. Honey found herself drifting away and wandering inside her head again, thinking about Lee; he was handsome in an overly-polished way, said funny things, but they always sounded a little mean, like he wanted to be the only one laughing; and he also took her away from the food plate that just floated by on a table. It was still full. She should have eaten that food. What time was it? "He likes my boobs; and he doesn't want to kill me," she agreed eventually, surprised to find that Timberman was gone and she was dancing with Lee James again. "Well, I can't blame him for that; they're fucking perfect; just like everything else. I'm gonna come on them after you suck me off; he murmured, pulling her closer against him. "Let me take you home, Honey; penthouse view of the city; "Umm; no, that's not home; I live in the; railroad place; with the trains?" Honey explained, pointing in what she thought was the direction of the Lowertown Commons. Why did every guy think she lived with them tonight? "Sounds charming, Eliza Doolittle; you should trade up. You don't know how much I'd love twist your arms back and fuck this ass wide open over my balcony tonight," he said, reaching his hand under her skirt and greedily squeezing her bottom. "You'd like that, wouldn't you Honey? I can tell; Lee whispered, his cologne invading her head and making her queasy. "I feel sick; Honey whimpered and staggered away, trying to find the quiet table where the food was that would make her less drunk. The dance floor was confusing, though, always turning around and thumping and flashing. She leaned against a pillar until she got a better sense of where she was. She liked the pillar. It was big and strong; and it stroked her hair. "Honey; wake up, Honey. Open your mouth. You need to take these," the vaguely familiar voice said, cutting through the sleep that had been blocking out some of the pain she felt everywhere. She obediently opened her mouth and the hand put two caplets on her tongue. A water bottle squirted a little cool liquid into her mouth until she moaned and sucked harder, desperate for more. "Not too much. Wait until you can hold that down. I'll give you more in a bit. You don't want that IV back, do you?" "Nuh" Honey groaned. She hated needles. Sure, just about every part of her body hurt more than a needle did, right now, but somehow needle pain felt personal. Like with Zach. He didn't seem like someone who went around wanting to choke everybody; just her. She was nobody special; just a simple girl who kept lawyers organized and tried to be nice. Then, someone wonderful like Zach thought she needed to die. That hurt. Something about her made him go from being tender and intensely loving to someone who; it just didn't make sense. What did she do? Mercifully, sleep faded the pain and clouded her thoughts. Voices below her intruded into a wonderful dream where she was bouncing on clouds. Though not in the same room, the voices seemed strangely clear. "I can't; Terry, she cries when I do that," the pills voice said, making her eyes fly open. She knew that voice. She hadn't heard it for a year, but she would never forget it. Her body reacted with a confused mix of emotions, her cheeks flushing and adrenaline searing a path all through her at the same time. "That's because it hurts her. You know what hurts more? Bedsores. Man up. Use the pillows to prop her weight against the parts that aren't hurt on whichever side. It's either this, or she goes back to the hospital, and I have it on good authority you won't be allowed to visit after what happened." "She was screaming; Zach gritted. "Yeah, well they were putting her shoulder back in. People scream. That still doesn't excuse what you did. Since when did you become such a pussy about pain?" Terry asked. "since her." "oh my god." "Shut up," Zach grunted. "Oh my god; "Yeah, that's not shutting up." "The great Z-dog has been taken down;" "Shut up, maggot, it's not like that. I'm just taking care of h;" "By a little bitty pink Christmas elf; Terry laughed. There was a scuffling sound and then a loud whoomp and a forceful exhalation of air. "So, I turn her every few hours until she can do it for herself?" Zach asked, casually. "Yes, sir," Terry choked. "Anything else?" "Clear liquids until she can hold stuff down. Talk to her. Ask her questions. If she seems disoriented or part of her face goes slack, she goes back to the hospital. Don't fuck around." "Got it. Are you squared away, or do we need to discuss this further?" "Squared away, sir," Terry choked, then gasped in relief, panting faintly. "Jesus Christ, you haven't lost your touch. We on for the hump tomorrow at 0 500?" "No. I'm gonna stick close here until she's;" "Got it. Hey, maybe they have those Baby Bjorn things in elf-size. Then, you could just strap her onto your ba; ow! ow! ow, ow, ow!" "You weren't particularly attached to the rest of that sentence, were you, maggot?" Zach growled. "Sir, no sir; Terry squeaked. "I didn't think so. You'll be back here Wednesday," Zach stated, more as an order than a question. "Yeah, if you want me to. Honestly, right now she just needs rest and TLC more than a medic. That stands for 'tender loving care' by the way, not;" "You were just going," Zach said, as the voices moved to another end of the room below her. "Hey, you wanna know what makes an elf's toes curl up like tha;" Terry asked, his question cut off by the slamming of the door. Honey listened, trembling and terrified as Zach paced the floor below her. Though his voice hadn't changed, he sounded nothing like the man that had wooed her so tenderly a year ago. He sounded dangerous, brutal even. He definitely sounded like the kind of person that went around wanting to choke everyone, she thought, strangely relieved that her heartbreak felt a little less personal. How could she have been so wrong in her impression of him? She looked around the room, understanding now how the voices had reached her so easily. She was in an open industrial loft bedroom that opened onto the main floor below. Looking around, she realized she must be in Zach's huge bed, though if the crisply made side next to her was any indication, he hadn't been sleeping in it with her. Looking down her body, she gasped quietly. Her left arm was in a sling strapped to her chest, her legs were covered in bruises, and the right leg that was being stabbed with an invisible knife right now, was wrapped up in an air cast boot. What had happened to her? The last thing she remembered was feeling sick as she tried to get away from Lee's groping hands on the dance floor. After that; nothing. How did she get here? A beeping noise sounded below and Zach walked across the room to what sounded like a kitchen. The sound of water being poured into a cup, the ringing of a spoon stirring it, a pill bottle being opened. Honey shivered, realizing he was probably coming up to her, soon. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing, feigning sleep. Steps ascending to the loft bedroom. Ankle stabbing, stab, stab, stab, stab with every panicked heartbeat. A tray went down on the nightstand next to her. A chair across the room was lifted and set down by the bed. Honey told herself to breathe slowly, willing the tears welling behind her lids not to leak out of her eyes. He would leave her alone if she was sleeping, wouldn't he? "You're not sleeping," Zach's voice stated, quietly, and her stomach clenched in fear. "You've been waking up for these pills every four hours like a junkie. I know you don't want to talk to me, Honey, but until you're squared away, you're gonna have to. So, cut the crap, open your eyes, and let's get this done." Honey opened her eyes to see his grim face looking down at her. With one blink, large tears rolled down her pale cheeks, and Zach's jaw set angrily. Sitting down in the chair, he put his elbows on his knees and leaned his massive shoulders forward, looking at her. His hands looked like they could crush rocks as he gripped them together. "Let's get some things straight. I don't know what you think you know about me, but acting like I'm some kind of psycho is pretty shitty. You want nothing of me, that's fine, but you're hurt because you screamed and flung yourself down some stairs rather than let me help you to an Uber. You're staying here until you're well, because some shithead at that party gave you enough roofies to be in a coma for almost 3 days and I'm not dragging my ass to that rat trap of yours in the Commons every day to make sure they don't come back while you're weak. Are we clear?" he asked. Honey swallowed and nodded, wincing at the pain in her neck and head. That just seemed to make Zach angrier. "While you are here, you will do as you're told. You will eat what you get, and you will not complain. You see these, here?" he said, holding up the magic caplets that made everything better. "These are the last ones you're getting. I'm switching you to ibuprofen and Tylenol because, unchecked, this Sackler shit will fuck you up for good and that's not happening on my watch. Do you understand?" he asked. "Yes," Honey whispered. At the sound of her voice, Zach's mouth twitched, but at least he didn't look as angry as when she'd nodded and winced. "You will follow your doctor's orders to the last goddamn word. You will rest. You will do your therapy. You will let me help you and you will ask me for what you need because I am not a fucking mind reader. And so help me, if you do anything stupid like get out of that bed without me here to help you, or push yourself away from me like you did at Gatsby's, or any other drama shit that hurts even one hair on that head again, I will personally make you regret you were ever born." "Yes, Zach," Honey breathed, confused. Two more tears rolled down her cheeks. Without thinking, she leaned over to wipe them off on her shoulder and cried out in pain. Zach squeezed his clenched hands together and several of his knuckles cracked. "You don't use my name. You don't get to use my name. You're not getting under my skin again, you hear me?" Zach growled, using his rough knuckle to wipe her tears. "Orders a fucking angel shot in my own fucking club; fuck you. I don't have a name, you don't have a name. You're nothing to me. Understand?" "Yes, sir," she whispered. Honey leaned forward and took the last spoonful of broth into her mouth and swallowed, looking longingly at the noodles at the bottom of the cup. Zach caught a drop of broth at the bottom of her lower lip with the spoon and returned it to her mouth. "No," he said, seeing where her eyes lingered. "I can do it," she pleaded. "Please; I haven't had anything solid since; how long has it been?" "I said, no. You throw up on another pair of my skivvies and I'll be doing laundry twice a week," Zach said, dabbing her mouth with a paper towel. "Why do I have to wear your boxer briefs anyway? They feel weird. They have this hole-flap thing; and there are some places that aren't supposed to feel a breeze," Honey said, lifting the blanket to look down at his underwear loosely covering her hips. "Are you complaining?" he asked quietly. Honey's eyes darted quickly to his face, "No sir," she murmured, looking down at her lap. "I just thought if I had some of my things here, you wouldn't have to do the laundry so much." "I'll worry about what I have to do, Honey," he said, unthinkingly using her name. Startled, she looked up to see his eyes wandering over her, his massive t-shirt sleeves going down past her elbows. She felt ridiculous and disheveled, but something about the way he looked at her made her hold her breath. Then, without another word, he slurped the noodles out of the cup and took the tray downstairs. After that, the two settled into a quiet routine of him feeding her, giving her medicine, and watching her sleep most of the day. She would sometimes awaken to the soft repetitive sounds of him running on a treadmill, or the clinking of him lifting weights downstairs where she couldn't see him. Then, he would go to the bathroom and shower. After his shower, he came upstairs again in his towel and took some clothes from his dresser before going back downstairs to change. Honey found herself looking forward to those few seconds each day, watching his droplet-covered torso twist as he leaned over his dresser. He frowned as he flipped through his carefully folded underwear. "You wearing the grey ones?" he asked, not looking at her. Honey peeked under the covers, "Um, yes sir," she replied. "I'm supposed to wear the grey ones today," he grumbled to himself. Honey didn't say anything. Zach was the one who picked out which underwear she wore today. He was the one who looked away while he painstakingly slipped the old ones off her hips and pulled the new ones over her boot and up her legs until her bottom was covered again. There was nothing about her life that wasn't chosen and executed by him. If he wasn't happy about the color of his underwear, that was his fault. Still, Zach kept rummaging around in his underwear drawer as if another crisply folded grey pair would somehow magically appear. Finally, rather than offend him by laughing, Honey spoke, "Um; you know, if they're clean, I could wear the pair I had on when I went to the hospital and you could have these. It would get you back on schedule; Zach lifted his head from the drawer and glared at her, as if he thought she was making fun of him. Honey held carefully still and shrugged her uninjured limb. She wasn't making fun, she just wanted to help. The movement caused the huge neckline to gape over to the side, revealing her bare shoulder. She waited as Zach stared impassively at her, the vein at his neck throbbing. After a long moment, he walked over and stood next to her, the tuck of his towel right next to her face. With every breath, she inhaled the scent of his wet body and the bar soap he used. A rivulet of water painstakingly slid from his chest and down his abdomen, until finally disappearing into the tightly twisted white cotton. Honey glanced up to see that he had been reading her face as she watched the droplet's progress. With a shaking breath, she blushed and pulled the covers higher with her good arm. With a twist of his mouth, Zach pulled the neckline back over her shoulder again and quickly left the room. That night, after leaving her with a video baby monitor watching her on the nightstand, Zach returned with a bag of her underwear and some of her nightgowns. After watching her excitedly sort through them, Zach pushed them aside and sat on the edge of the bed. "There were a bunch of boxes with tags on them in your living room. What's that about?" he asked. Honey's eyes dropped, "Oh; that's the charity gift thing for kids. You sign up and get them something they wished for and wrap it up so they can have something under the tree, when they wouldn't have something otherwise. It's nice, you know? I signed up for a bunch and I was supposed to wrap them and get them back to the law firm, but I guess; sorry kids," she trailed off. Looking furious, yet carefully impassive at the same time, Zach cursed under his breath and left again, returning with the packages and a huge stack of unused Styrofoam clamshells from Gatsby's, and dumped them on the bed next to her. For the next few hours, they "wrapped" the presents, Zach carefully fitting items into an appropriate-sized takeout box, and Honey trying to make them pretty with ribbons. As she watched him work, occasionally cursing under his breath, she found herself smiling at his frowning face when he was strategizing how to fit a basketball into three disassembled clamshells. "What are you laughing at?" he said, glaring when he caught her at it. "I wasn't laughing. I was smiling." "Why were you smiling, then?" he asked. "I guess; I just like you; sir," she said, glancing over at him. Honey saw a hopeful softness steal into Zach's eyes until he forcibly wrestled it down and a look of hooded sarcasm shaded them. "Yeah, well; fool me once," he sneered. Angry, Honey closed her eyes, blocking him out the only way she could. "You know, that's; that's not fair. Not after what you said; you scared me!" she said, frustrated that, once again, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Zach choked out a mirthless laugh, "I scared you? What did I say, Honey? What did I fucking say? God! I was on eggshells all night trying not to fuck it up with you and then you just; why? Those creeps you were dancing with at that party, those fucking 'nice guys' that drugged you, they were saying shit that made my skin crawl! I didn't even kiss you! I couldn't! I could barely breathe just for looking at you on our date; you looked just like a fucking angel. What did I say, Honey? What did I say?" Honey reached over and grabbed her phone, flipping through her photo album to a screenshot taken shortly before she blocked his number. "You didn't say it; you texted it. I remember watching you leave for the restroom thinking I'd met the love of my life and then you sent me this; she said, handing her phone to him. Zach took the phone, his face going from an angry red to pale horror in a matter of seconds. "This; this; he gasped, "I didn't; send this; to you; he said, shaking his head. "Whoever had your phone did, sir!" she said, emphasizing the last word, making him wince. "I spent the last year thinking you wanted to do that to me; to kill me. Every time I felt you watching me, every crowd I saw you show up in, every dark room I had to go into, that's what I thought about. I thought that a man I was head over heels about; that I could be so wrong about him. So, excuse me for thinking I liked you, sir. I promise it won't ever happen again!" Honey cried herself to sleep that night, refusing to speak to, or even look at Zach again. When she awoke, the bedroom was empty, and a glass of water and a pain pill were waiting on the nightstand. After swallowing the pill, she stared at the ceiling, furious. She didn't want to be there anymore, to be helpless and dependent on him, to obey all his stupid rules. He didn't deserve to take care of her. So, she tightened the straps on her boot and increased the air pressure to hold her broken ankle tightly enough to walk without her crutches. Then, she took off Zach's t-shirt, pulled on her elf dress, and called herself an Uber. It was when she saw the anticipated arrival time of 8 minutes that she realized her mistake. There was no way for her to get down from the loft and out of the apartment quietly in that amount of time. If she used the crutches, she would be able to descend the stairs quickly enough, but they made such a distinctive clicking racket that they would surely wake up her gorilla-like guard. If she hopped down the stairs on her good foot, it might have worked, but her good arm was on the opposite side and she kept losing her balance. Eventually she decided on the most painful course, of going down on her good and bad legs, using her good arm for support. Her boot thunked horribly the first few times, until she got the hang of it and could place it more quietly on the next step and then hop her good foot down to support it before the scream inside her could escape her lips. By the time she reached the bottom, though, she was shaking with pain and exhausted. Curiosity forced her to look around the rest of the apartment as she caught her breath, sitting on the bottom step. It was clean and unmistakably masculine. Exercise equipment took up a lot of the space not already claimed by a leather couch and TV arrangement. Zach lay on the couch, made up with sheets to act as a bed, his feet sticking out over the arm, his hand tucked under the back of his head, his chest rising and falling under the rumpled sheet. If she wasn't so angry, she'd find him handsome; or maybe he still was handsome, she thought grudgingly, closing her eyes miserably and looking away. Why couldn't he be ugly? Life wasn't fair. Uber. Right. Screwing up her courage for what was ahead, she stood and slowly hobbled across the hardwood floor, agonizing over every painful thump and noisy squeak until she finally reached the door. She unlocked the five locks on his large door, each of them being well-oiled and working perfectly. She expected no less of her anal-retentive, grey-skivvies-on-Tuesdays captor. Finally, she tugged open the heavy door to find endless flights of icy steel-mesh stairs leading all the way down to the street where her Uber was waiting. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me; she cried, breaking down into tears. A strong arm slid down around her waist and mercifully shifted her weight off her throbbing foot, "I know. It sucks. You should try it with a rucksack full of bricks," Zach said, leaning his head down and breathing into her hair. "I want to go home," she whispered. "Let me take care of you; please," Zach murmured into the top of her head, "I; it was my fault this happened to you. I scared you, I know that now; but, please believe me that I would never want to hurt or frighten you like that." "It wasn't just that text," she said, pulling her head away and looking up at him angrily. "All year, I never had a moment's peace. Even when I couldn't see you, I could feel you waiting in the quiet or dark places. Even if you weren't there;" "I was there," he confessed. "I was always there. I didn't understand what had gone wrong. You didn't want to talk to me, and the world just didn't make sense to me unless I knew where you were, what you were doing; unless I knew you were safe." "Maybe you knew I was safe, but I didn't! I thought I'd done something; that somehow I deserved to have this beautiful, scary monster hunting me. I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd done to destroy something that was so; wonderful." "You didn't do anything, Honey. Nothing at all. You were perfect. You were so perfect that I couldn't keep; you didn't do anything wrong. I never meant to send you that message; please, please believe me." "Why did you send it?" she asked, finally looking up into his eyes. The dark blue liquid pools of her eyes turned violet in the moonlight, and Zach felt a tightening in his chest. "I; I can't tell you that; but it was never meant for you." "You mean, you meant to send that message to someone else? To hurt them like that?" "Honey, I; Zach said, looking around, unable to meet her eyes, "Please, I can't; you wouldn't understand; my life isn't like that anymore." "I want to go home, Zach; please," she whispered. Zach closed his eyes for a long moment before he swallowed and nodded, looking like he was in more pain than she was. "I'll take you home tomorrow, okay? Or Terry will, if you don't want me to. He'll check the place out, make sure you're set up and safe there. You're tired, you're hurting, and your Uber's gone, now. Let me take you back upstairs and you can go in the morning. Please." At that moment, a throb of pain shot through her entire leg, and as angry as Honey was, she knew she couldn't face her empty apartment without a few more hours of rest. "Okay," she whispered. To be continued in part 2, Based on a post by Lingering Afterthought, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Elf on a Shelf: Part 1 Her stalker wasn't who she thought he was; Based on a post by LingeringAfterthought, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Honey smiled at the long line of children waiting to see Santa, flipping her phone from Google Translate back to see the information of the next little girl in line, who was looking up at her somberly with large liquid brown eyes. In her small face was a familiar mixture of fear and hope. Wonder; it was wonder in her eyes, Honey thought. Unlike the tired and jaded adults, dutifully shifting their weight from foot to foot, holding overstuffed shopping bags and all the coats of their kids as they distracted themselves on their phones, the children got more and more excited as they drew near the man in the furry red suit with white trim. Honey loved working with the children; because like them, she sometimes could still see the magic. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Norman shift uncomfortably in the painted plywood throne made for him to sit with the children and discuss their good behavior and of the wishes that they hoped would come true. Even at age 62, Norman still saw the magic with his merry bright blue eyes, but it faded when his prostate pained him. When the photographer got the shot the parent wanted, Honey walked to where most of the long line could see her as Norman flashed her a look of worshipful gratitude. The adults' faces immediately fell, knowing what was coming. "I'm afraid Santa needs to take a quick break because apparently the reindeer have begun arguing again!" Norman put his gloved hands up to his real beard, pulled a comically dismayed face, jumped up from his throne, and ran off toward the restrooms. Honey shook her head mournfully and continued, "The reindeer were all practicing their Christmas carols when Comet and Cupid couldn't decide how many times Santa checks his list in Santa Claus is Coming to Town! Does anyone here remember how it goes?" she asked, scanning the line for people game enough to help. Honey scampered back and forth along the line trying to choose among the eager volunteers, her white-trimmed, pink fur skirt flaring out around her thighs, her long legs clad in sparkly curly-toed ruby slippers and candy cane swirl stockings catching the eyes of several fathers. Suddenly, she gasped listening carefully to her headset, "Nina?" she called out. "Comet and Cupid say they will only stop arguing if 'Nina' gives the answer. Is there a 'Nina' here today? Nina?" Honey looked around at the crowd carefully until the little girl with the big brown eyes, who had been quietly waiting 57 minutes in line, gathered the courage to raise her hand. "Oh! Are you Nina?" she asked, running over and crouching down near the girl. "We just adopted her; she only speaks Portuguese," the weary woman holding her hand said quietly. Honey gasped and smiled widely, "Voc fala portugu s Nina? Maravilhosa!" she said, watching the little girl's eyes brighten excitedly. "Voc pode me dizer quantas vezes o Papai Noel verifica sua lista?" she asked, holding her microphone out to the little girl. "Duas vezes!" Nina said confidently into the mic. Honey listened carefully to her headset, concentrating, "'Duas vezes' it is! They've stopped arguing!" she announced. "But now, they want us all to sing the song in Portuguese! Nina, voc vai me ajudar a ensin -los a m sica?" she asked. Nina nodded and slowly she and Honey taught the familiar song to the crowd in a new language. As always, a hush came on the crowd when Honey began to sing. Heads raised up from forgotten phones. Vague smiles drifted onto the turning heads of passers-by in the mall as they paused in their frenetic search for gifts. It wasn't so much that Honey's voice was beautiful, though it certainly was. It was more that when Honey sang, it seemed to make the things that didn't really matter melt away. To those that believed in such things, Honey's voice was magic. When she sang, people held their breath and didn't even miss the air. Honey closed her eyes as she sang next to Nina. It was a newly acquired habit. Though she had been taught to let her eyes slowly drift over the audience, letting them make a connection with each person as she sang, she didn't do that anymore. She knew he was out there. She felt his presence frequently as she worked, but it was only when she sang that he came out into the open. She couldn't hold her voice steady when she saw him watching her, so she closed her eyes and let the magic continue for the crowd. When the song ended, Honey opened her eyes as the crowd cheered, finding his powerful form immediately as if she had been commanded to look at him. Zach. He had changed a lot in the year since he brought his sister's children through the long Santa line, drawing her almost too-large dark blue eyes to him then, as easily as he did now. After bringing his nieces and nephews through the line, he'd gone home and brought all his neighbors' kids to see Santa in five more trips, watching her the entire time. He looked at her as if he'd never seen anything like her in the world, like he couldn't believe she was real. She had loved feeling his eyes on her then, hearing his voice. She had wanted to climb up in his lap, feel his large arms curled around her, whisper to him about how good she had been that year, and of how much she hoped he would make her wishes come true. Of course, all that was before he'd told her he wanted to kill her. Zach's face looked leaner now, though his body seemed even larger, if such a thing was possible. His brooding, deep-set eyes were not merry, as they had been when children climbed his tree-like body in her line last year. They weren't nervously soft and adoring of every part of her, as they had been at their candle-lit dinner. His eyes weren't rageful or insane as you might expect from someone visiting their object of murderous hate, but rather; they were tortured, trapped. Pain and quiet desperation had taken up restless residence in the windows to his soul. Honey knew she shouldn't look at him so much, but she just wished she could understand what she had done wrong. Once the line of children and parents had cleared, it was long past the official closing time. Honey cleaned up the display and prepared it for the next day while Norman took one last lingering trip to the restroom. Her phone showed numerous messages from work friends from her other job asking where she was. The firm had planned a Christmas party at Gatsby's, a gorgeous club worthy of F. Scott Fitzgerald's glamorous hero. It was also the place where Zach had taken her on their first and last date. The Gatsby's waiter had looked stunned and confused when she shakily ordered herself an "angel shot," the code-phrase used to quietly ask bartenders or wait staff for help when you felt threatened, but after his initial shock, the waiter immediately escorted her secretly to a taxi waiting outside before Zach returned to the table. Gatsby's had saved her life; but she didn't want to go back there. After avoiding call after call from Zach, she finally answered and politely asked him never to call her again. To her surprise, he didn't. He never spoke to her again. Unless she sang, she never even saw him, but she felt his presence almost everywhere. It felt like she was haunted by him; haunted by something wonderful and magical that, inexplicably, went horribly wrong. Her phone buzzed again, the display showing that the firm's senior partner wanted to FaceTime her. Steeling herself, she answered. "Honey Lane where in the hell; oh my god lookit you!" Aaron Timberman held the phone high above his head with his long ex-basketball-player arms and Honey saw a crowd of her co-workers crowd into the picture behind him. "Um, hi sir. Sorry I'm late to;" "You're an elf!" "Um, yeah. It's a volunteer thing;" "Wait, wait, wait; you have the shoes? You know, with the; toes?" he slurred, motioning his finger in a spiral motion. Honey bit her lips and tilted the camera down her body, showing her entire costume, tilting her foot to show off the curled toe. "I'm sorry it got late tonight, but I'll be there as soon as I can get home and get changed;" Timberman looked around at the crowd surrounding him, "Guys, do we wanna see Honey Lane here at the party in some boring old Anne Klein shit, or do we want the elf?" he yelled, pointing at the screen. Behind him, almost a dozen of her co-workers began chanting "Elf, Elf, Elf, Elf!" "Get yer ass over here, Elf," Timberman ordered, poking at his screen several times before effectively ending the call. A few minutes later, Norman finally came back from the restroom and gave Honey a ride over to Gatsby's in his red SUV bedecked with a bumper sticker that read, "My other car's a SLEIGH!" Honey hopped out after getting bits of advice from Norman that would have been appropriate several decades ago. With flaming cheeks, she brushed the furry white pompom from her hat out of her face and told the smirking ma tre d which party she wanted, sighing when he grinned widely and escorted her through the middle of the main dining area, much to her horror. When the doors to the party room opened and she was greeted by another round of "Elf, Elf, Elf, Elf," she didn't feel much better. She was starving, so she headed over to the buffet and began loading up a plate with delicious-looking things on ice in shot glasses, impaled on sticks, or immersed in flames. She just spied a quiet table in a dark corner and was winding her way toward it to it to scarf down her only food since breakfast before she could be drawn into a drunken debate. That was the plan, anyway. "Hunnybaby! Lookit you! C'mon we gotta dance!" Lee James slurred to her fur-trimmed tits. With a sigh, she smiled and laid her plate down on a nearby table, promising to herself that she would eat right after enduring a dance with the favored junior partner. Unfortunately, after Lee angled her awkwardly around the dance floor, they'd drawn so much attention that everyone wanted to get pics of themselves toasting and dancing with the Christmas elf. At some point, she found herself in Timberman's arms with a glass of champagne in her hand. "Um; what?" she said, almost asking herself how she had gotten there. "I said you look lovely, tonight, Honey. Much better than in a shawl and sheath dress," he said, quickly twirling her around as they reached the edge of the dance floor. "Twirling makes my skirt go up; I'm dizzy," she murmured. A familiar dark figure flashed in the background and disappeared as Timberman turned her again. She looked around, trying to find the figure again, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Why was he there? Had she been singing again? "Well, I'll make sure nobody twirls you, my dear," he said, twirling her and smiling as her skirt flew up her long candy-cane striped legs. "The wives wouldn't like it." "I like your wife's dress Mr. Timberman; looks warm. It covers her ass when she sits, too," she slurred, frowning in confusion at the dark red drink in her hand now. Zach was frowning, and then he just looked blurry again as she swirled around. Maybe swirling made it harder for him to kill her. Why did he want to kill her? It just wasn't fair. Timberman leaned down and dipped her, "I'll make sure to give her your compliments. You know, if you like what wives wear, you should consider getting married. Lee is quite taken with you, you know," he said, stroking his hand against the soft pink velvet of her dress. Honey found herself drifting away and wandering inside her head again, thinking about Lee; he was handsome in an overly-polished way, said funny things, but they always sounded a little mean, like he wanted to be the only one laughing; and he also took her away from the food plate that just floated by on a table. It was still full. She should have eaten that food. What time was it? "He likes my boobs; and he doesn't want to kill me," she agreed eventually, surprised to find that Timberman was gone and she was dancing with Lee James again. "Well, I can't blame him for that; they're fucking perfect; just like everything else. I'm gonna come on them after you suck me off; he murmured, pulling her closer against him. "Let me take you home, Honey; penthouse view of the city; "Umm; no, that's not home; I live in the; railroad place; with the trains?" Honey explained, pointing in what she thought was the direction of the Lowertown Commons. Why did every guy think she lived with them tonight? "Sounds charming, Eliza Doolittle; you should trade up. You don't know how much I'd love twist your arms back and fuck this ass wide open over my balcony tonight," he said, reaching his hand under her skirt and greedily squeezing her bottom. "You'd like that, wouldn't you Honey? I can tell; Lee whispered, his cologne invading her head and making her queasy. "I feel sick; Honey whimpered and staggered away, trying to find the quiet table where the food was that would make her less drunk. The dance floor was confusing, though, always turning around and thumping and flashing. She leaned against a pillar until she got a better sense of where she was. She liked the pillar. It was big and strong; and it stroked her hair. "Honey; wake up, Honey. Open your mouth. You need to take these," the vaguely familiar voice said, cutting through the sleep that had been blocking out some of the pain she felt everywhere. She obediently opened her mouth and the hand put two caplets on her tongue. A water bottle squirted a little cool liquid into her mouth until she moaned and sucked harder, desperate for more. "Not too much. Wait until you can hold that down. I'll give you more in a bit. You don't want that IV back, do you?" "Nuh" Honey groaned. She hated needles. Sure, just about every part of her body hurt more than a needle did, right now, but somehow needle pain felt personal. Like with Zach. He didn't seem like someone who went around wanting to choke everybody; just her. She was nobody special; just a simple girl who kept lawyers organized and tried to be nice. Then, someone wonderful like Zach thought she needed to die. That hurt. Something about her made him go from being tender and intensely loving to someone who; it just didn't make sense. What did she do? Mercifully, sleep faded the pain and clouded her thoughts. Voices below her intruded into a wonderful dream where she was bouncing on clouds. Though not in the same room, the voices seemed strangely clear. "I can't; Terry, she cries when I do that," the pills voice said, making her eyes fly open. She knew that voice. She hadn't heard it for a year, but she would never forget it. Her body reacted with a confused mix of emotions, her cheeks flushing and adrenaline searing a path all through her at the same time. "That's because it hurts her. You know what hurts more? Bedsores. Man up. Use the pillows to prop her weight against the parts that aren't hurt on whichever side. It's either this, or she goes back to the hospital, and I have it on good authority you won't be allowed to visit after what happened." "She was screaming; Zach gritted. "Yeah, well they were putting her shoulder back in. People scream. That still doesn't excuse what you did. Since when did you become such a pussy about pain?" Terry asked. "since her." "oh my god." "Shut up," Zach grunted. "Oh my god; "Yeah, that's not shutting up." "The great Z-dog has been taken down;" "Shut up, maggot, it's not like that. I'm just taking care of h;" "By a little bitty pink Christmas elf; Terry laughed. There was a scuffling sound and then a loud whoomp and a forceful exhalation of air. "So, I turn her every few hours until she can do it for herself?" Zach asked, casually. "Yes, sir," Terry choked. "Anything else?" "Clear liquids until she can hold stuff down. Talk to her. Ask her questions. If she seems disoriented or part of her face goes slack, she goes back to the hospital. Don't fuck around." "Got it. Are you squared away, or do we need to discuss this further?" "Squared away, sir," Terry choked, then gasped in relief, panting faintly. "Jesus Christ, you haven't lost your touch. We on for the hump tomorrow at 0 500?" "No. I'm gonna stick close here until she's;" "Got it. Hey, maybe they have those Baby Bjorn things in elf-size. Then, you could just strap her onto your ba; ow! ow! ow, ow, ow!" "You weren't particularly attached to the rest of that sentence, were you, maggot?" Zach growled. "Sir, no sir; Terry squeaked. "I didn't think so. You'll be back here Wednesday," Zach stated, more as an order than a question. "Yeah, if you want me to. Honestly, right now she just needs rest and TLC more than a medic. That stands for 'tender loving care' by the way, not;" "You were just going," Zach said, as the voices moved to another end of the room below her. "Hey, you wanna know what makes an elf's toes curl up like tha;" Terry asked, his question cut off by the slamming of the door. Honey listened, trembling and terrified as Zach paced the floor below her. Though his voice hadn't changed, he sounded nothing like the man that had wooed her so tenderly a year ago. He sounded dangerous, brutal even. He definitely sounded like the kind of person that went around wanting to choke everyone, she thought, strangely relieved that her heartbreak felt a little less personal. How could she have been so wrong in her impression of him? She looked around the room, understanding now how the voices had reached her so easily. She was in an open industrial loft bedroom that opened onto the main floor below. Looking around, she realized she must be in Zach's huge bed, though if the crisply made side next to her was any indication, he hadn't been sleeping in it with her. Looking down her body, she gasped quietly. Her left arm was in a sling strapped to her chest, her legs were covered in bruises, and the right leg that was being stabbed with an invisible knife right now, was wrapped up in an air cast boot. What had happened to her? The last thing she remembered was feeling sick as she tried to get away from Lee's groping hands on the dance floor. After that; nothing. How did she get here? A beeping noise sounded below and Zach walked across the room to what sounded like a kitchen. The sound of water being poured into a cup, the ringing of a spoon stirring it, a pill bottle being opened. Honey shivered, realizing he was probably coming up to her, soon. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing, feigning sleep. Steps ascending to the loft bedroom. Ankle stabbing, stab, stab, stab, stab with every panicked heartbeat. A tray went down on the nightstand next to her. A chair across the room was lifted and set down by the bed. Honey told herself to breathe slowly, willing the tears welling behind her lids not to leak out of her eyes. He would leave her alone if she was sleeping, wouldn't he? "You're not sleeping," Zach's voice stated, quietly, and her stomach clenched in fear. "You've been waking up for these pills every four hours like a junkie. I know you don't want to talk to me, Honey, but until you're squared away, you're gonna have to. So, cut the crap, open your eyes, and let's get this done." Honey opened her eyes to see his grim face looking down at her. With one blink, large tears rolled down her pale cheeks, and Zach's jaw set angrily. Sitting down in the chair, he put his elbows on his knees and leaned his massive shoulders forward, looking at her. His hands looked like they could crush rocks as he gripped them together. "Let's get some things straight. I don't know what you think you know about me, but acting like I'm some kind of psycho is pretty shitty. You want nothing of me, that's fine, but you're hurt because you screamed and flung yourself down some stairs rather than let me help you to an Uber. You're staying here until you're well, because some shithead at that party gave you enough roofies to be in a coma for almost 3 days and I'm not dragging my ass to that rat trap of yours in the Commons every day to make sure they don't come back while you're weak. Are we clear?" he asked. Honey swallowed and nodded, wincing at the pain in her neck and head. That just seemed to make Zach angrier. "While you are here, you will do as you're told. You will eat what you get, and you will not complain. You see these, here?" he said, holding up the magic caplets that made everything better. "These are the last ones you're getting. I'm switching you to ibuprofen and Tylenol because, unchecked, this Sackler shit will fuck you up for good and that's not happening on my watch. Do you understand?" he asked. "Yes," Honey whispered. At the sound of her voice, Zach's mouth twitched, but at least he didn't look as angry as when she'd nodded and winced. "You will follow your doctor's orders to the last goddamn word. You will rest. You will do your therapy. You will let me help you and you will ask me for what you need because I am not a fucking mind reader. And so help me, if you do anything stupid like get out of that bed without me here to help you, or push yourself away from me like you did at Gatsby's, or any other drama shit that hurts even one hair on that head again, I will personally make you regret you were ever born." "Yes, Zach," Honey breathed, confused. Two more tears rolled down her cheeks. Without thinking, she leaned over to wipe them off on her shoulder and cried out in pain. Zach squeezed his clenched hands together and several of his knuckles cracked. "You don't use my name. You don't get to use my name. You're not getting under my skin again, you hear me?" Zach growled, using his rough knuckle to wipe her tears. "Orders a fucking angel shot in my own fucking club; fuck you. I don't have a name, you don't have a name. You're nothing to me. Understand?" "Yes, sir," she whispered. Honey leaned forward and took the last spoonful of broth into her mouth and swallowed, looking longingly at the noodles at the bottom of the cup. Zach caught a drop of broth at the bottom of her lower lip with the spoon and returned it to her mouth. "No," he said, seeing where her eyes lingered. "I can do it," she pleaded. "Please; I haven't had anything solid since; how long has it been?" "I said, no. You throw up on another pair of my skivvies and I'll be doing laundry twice a week," Zach said, dabbing her mouth with a paper towel. "Why do I have to wear your boxer briefs anyway? They feel weird. They have this hole-flap thing; and there are some places that aren't supposed to feel a breeze," Honey said, lifting the blanket to look down at his underwear loosely covering her hips. "Are you complaining?" he asked quietly. Honey's eyes darted quickly to his face, "No sir," she murmured, looking down at her lap. "I just thought if I had some of my things here, you wouldn't have to do the laundry so much." "I'll worry about what I have to do, Honey," he said, unthinkingly using her name. Startled, she looked up to see his eyes wandering over her, his massive t-shirt sleeves going down past her elbows. She felt ridiculous and disheveled, but something about the way he looked at her made her hold her breath. Then, without another word, he slurped the noodles out of the cup and took the tray downstairs. After that, the two settled into a quiet routine of him feeding her, giving her medicine, and watching her sleep most of the day. She would sometimes awaken to the soft repetitive sounds of him running on a treadmill, or the clinking of him lifting weights downstairs where she couldn't see him. Then, he would go to the bathroom and shower. After his shower, he came upstairs again in his towel and took some clothes from his dresser before going back downstairs to change. Honey found herself looking forward to those few seconds each day, watching his droplet-covered torso twist as he leaned over his dresser. He frowned as he flipped through his carefully folded underwear. "You wearing the grey ones?" he asked, not looking at her. Honey peeked under the covers, "Um, yes sir," she replied. "I'm supposed to wear the grey ones today," he grumbled to himself. Honey didn't say anything. Zach was the one who picked out which underwear she wore today. He was the one who looked away while he painstakingly slipped the old ones off her hips and pulled the new ones over her boot and up her legs until her bottom was covered again. There was nothing about her life that wasn't chosen and executed by him. If he wasn't happy about the color of his underwear, that was his fault. Still, Zach kept rummaging around in his underwear drawer as if another crisply folded grey pair would somehow magically appear. Finally, rather than offend him by laughing, Honey spoke, "Um; you know, if they're clean, I could wear the pair I had on when I went to the hospital and you could have these. It would get you back on schedule; Zach lifted his head from the drawer and glared at her, as if he thought she was making fun of him. Honey held carefully still and shrugged her uninjured limb. She wasn't making fun, she just wanted to help. The movement caused the huge neckline to gape over to the side, revealing her bare shoulder. She waited as Zach stared impassively at her, the vein at his neck throbbing. After a long moment, he walked over and stood next to her, the tuck of his towel right next to her face. With every breath, she inhaled the scent of his wet body and the bar soap he used. A rivulet of water painstakingly slid from his chest and down his abdomen, until finally disappearing into the tightly twisted white cotton. Honey glanced up to see that he had been reading her face as she watched the droplet's progress. With a shaking breath, she blushed and pulled the covers higher with her good arm. With a twist of his mouth, Zach pulled the neckline back over her shoulder again and quickly left the room. That night, after leaving her with a video baby monitor watching her on the nightstand, Zach returned with a bag of her underwear and some of her nightgowns. After watching her excitedly sort through them, Zach pushed them aside and sat on the edge of the bed. "There were a bunch of boxes with tags on them in your living room. What's that about?" he asked. Honey's eyes dropped, "Oh; that's the charity gift thing for kids. You sign up and get them something they wished for and wrap it up so they can have something under the tree, when they wouldn't have something otherwise. It's nice, you know? I signed up for a bunch and I was supposed to wrap them and get them back to the law firm, but I guess; sorry kids," she trailed off. Looking furious, yet carefully impassive at the same time, Zach cursed under his breath and left again, returning with the packages and a huge stack of unused Styrofoam clamshells from Gatsby's, and dumped them on the bed next to her. For the next few hours, they "wrapped" the presents, Zach carefully fitting items into an appropriate-sized takeout box, and Honey trying to make them pretty with ribbons. As she watched him work, occasionally cursing under his breath, she found herself smiling at his frowning face when he was strategizing how to fit a basketball into three disassembled clamshells. "What are you laughing at?" he said, glaring when he caught her at it. "I wasn't laughing. I was smiling." "Why were you smiling, then?" he asked. "I guess; I just like you; sir," she said, glancing over at him. Honey saw a hopeful softness steal into Zach's eyes until he forcibly wrestled it down and a look of hooded sarcasm shaded them. "Yeah, well; fool me once," he sneered. Angry, Honey closed her eyes, blocking him out the only way she could. "You know, that's; that's not fair. Not after what you said; you scared me!" she said, frustrated that, once again, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Zach choked out a mirthless laugh, "I scared you? What did I say, Honey? What did I fucking say? God! I was on eggshells all night trying not to fuck it up with you and then you just; why? Those creeps you were dancing with at that party, those fucking 'nice guys' that drugged you, they were saying shit that made my skin crawl! I didn't even kiss you! I couldn't! I could barely breathe just for looking at you on our date; you looked just like a fucking angel. What did I say, Honey? What did I say?" Honey reached over and grabbed her phone, flipping through her photo album to a screenshot taken shortly before she blocked his number. "You didn't say it; you texted it. I remember watching you leave for the restroom thinking I'd met the love of my life and then you sent me this; she said, handing her phone to him. Zach took the phone, his face going from an angry red to pale horror in a matter of seconds. "This; this; he gasped, "I didn't; send this; to you; he said, shaking his head. "Whoever had your phone did, sir!" she said, emphasizing the last word, making him wince. "I spent the last year thinking you wanted to do that to me; to kill me. Every time I felt you watching me, every crowd I saw you show up in, every dark room I had to go into, that's what I thought about. I thought that a man I was head over heels about; that I could be so wrong about him. So, excuse me for thinking I liked you, sir. I promise it won't ever happen again!" Honey cried herself to sleep that night, refusing to speak to, or even look at Zach again. When she awoke, the bedroom was empty, and a glass of water and a pain pill were waiting on the nightstand. After swallowing the pill, she stared at the ceiling, furious. She didn't want to be there anymore, to be helpless and dependent on him, to obey all his stupid rules. He didn't deserve to take care of her. So, she tightened the straps on her boot and increased the air pressure to hold her broken ankle tightly enough to walk without her crutches. Then, she took off Zach's t-shirt, pulled on her elf dress, and called herself an Uber. It was when she saw the anticipated arrival time of 8 minutes that she realized her mistake. There was no way for her to get down from the loft and out of the apartment quietly in that amount of time. If she used the crutches, she would be able to descend the stairs quickly enough, but they made such a distinctive clicking racket that they would surely wake up her gorilla-like guard. If she hopped down the stairs on her good foot, it might have worked, but her good arm was on the opposite side and she kept losing her balance. Eventually she decided on the most painful course, of going down on her good and bad legs, using her good arm for support. Her boot thunked horribly the first few times, until she got the hang of it and could place it more quietly on the next step and then hop her good foot down to support it before the scream inside her could escape her lips. By the time she reached the bottom, though, she was shaking with pain and exhausted. Curiosity forced her to look around the rest of the apartment as she caught her breath, sitting on the bottom step. It was clean and unmistakably masculine. Exercise equipment took up a lot of the space not already claimed by a leather couch and TV arrangement. Zach lay on the couch, made up with sheets to act as a bed, his feet sticking out over the arm, his hand tucked under the back of his head, his chest rising and falling under the rumpled sheet. If she wasn't so angry, she'd find him handsome; or maybe he still was handsome, she thought grudgingly, closing her eyes miserably and looking away. Why couldn't he be ugly? Life wasn't fair. Uber. Right. Screwing up her courage for what was ahead, she stood and slowly hobbled across the hardwood floor, agonizing over every painful thump and noisy squeak until she finally reached the door. She unlocked the five locks on his large door, each of them being well-oiled and working perfectly. She expected no less of her anal-retentive, grey-skivvies-on-Tuesdays captor. Finally, she tugged open the heavy door to find endless flights of icy steel-mesh stairs leading all the way down to the street where her Uber was waiting. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me; she cried, breaking down into tears. A strong arm slid down around her waist and mercifully shifted her weight off her throbbing foot, "I know. It sucks. You should try it with a rucksack full of bricks," Zach said, leaning his head down and breathing into her hair. "I want to go home," she whispered. "Let me take care of you; please," Zach murmured into the top of her head, "I; it was my fault this happened to you. I scared you, I know that now; but, please believe me that I would never want to hurt or frighten you like that." "It wasn't just that text," she said, pulling her head away and looking up at him angrily. "All year, I never had a moment's peace. Even when I couldn't see you, I could feel you waiting in the quiet or dark places. Even if you weren't there;" "I was there," he confessed. "I was always there. I didn't understand what had gone wrong. You didn't want to talk to me, and the world just didn't make sense to me unless I knew where you were, what you were doing; unless I knew you were safe." "Maybe you knew I was safe, but I didn't! I thought I'd done something; that somehow I deserved to have this beautiful, scary monster hunting me. I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd done to destroy something that was so; wonderful." "You didn't do anything, Honey. Nothing at all. You were perfect. You were so perfect that I couldn't keep; you didn't do anything wrong. I never meant to send you that message; please, please believe me." "Why did you send it?" she asked, finally looking up into his eyes. The dark blue liquid pools of her eyes turned violet in the moonlight, and Zach felt a tightening in his chest. "I; I can't tell you that; but it was never meant for you." "You mean, you meant to send that message to someone else? To hurt them like that?" "Honey, I; Zach said, looking around, unable to meet her eyes, "Please, I can't; you wouldn't understand; my life isn't like that anymore." "I want to go home, Zach; please," she whispered. Zach closed his eyes for a long moment before he swallowed and nodded, looking like he was in more pain than she was. "I'll take you home tomorrow, okay? Or Terry will, if you don't want me to. He'll check the place out, make sure you're set up and safe there. You're tired, you're hurting, and your Uber's gone, now. Let me take you back upstairs and you can go in the morning. Please." At that moment, a throb of pain shot through her entire leg, and as angry as Honey was, she knew she couldn't face her empty apartment without a few more hours of rest. "Okay," she whispered. To be continued in part 2, Based on a post by Lingering Afterthought, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Confira nesta edição do JR 24 Horas: Um carro onde estava uma mulher com as três filhas caiu dentro de um rio em Toledo, no interior do Paraná. O veículo, com placas do Paraguai, ficou submerso e moradores da região pularam na água para ajudar no resgate. A mãe morreu após chegar ao hospital. Um bebê de três meses e uma criança de quatro anos estão internadas em estado grave; a adolescente de 14 está fora de perigo. O carro foi retirado do rio e a polícia investiga as causas do acidente. E ainda: Pará registra recorde de apreensões de drogas em 2025.

Duas pessoas morreram em consequência das chuvas no litoral paulista nas últimas 24 horas. Os senadores discutiram na noite desta quarta-feira (17), no plenário, o projeto que reduz as penas para os condenados nos atos golpistas. O ditador da Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, declarou que vai continuar exportando petróleo, apesar das ameaças do presidente americano, Donald Trump. França e Itália apresentaram objeções, e o presidente Lula pôs o acordo do Mercosul em dúvida. Na decisão do Mundial contra o Paris Saint-Germain, o Flamengo conseguiu o empate, lutou, levou a partida para os pênaltis, mas acabou ficando com o vice-campeonato.

Duas propostas, duas estratégias e um grupo no centro de uma disputa entre gigantes do entretenimento. A Netflix quer os estúdios e o streaming, já a Paramount prefere ficar com tudo. A administração da Warner Brothers já escolheu o seu lado, mas será esta a decisão que vai definir o futuro da empresa?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foi provavelmente a melhor semana do Benfica 2025/26!

Esse mês eu vou trazer 9 livros que vão levar vcs a um passeio por aspectos de algumas das religiões com mais praticantes no mundo e no Brasil: catolicismo, protestantismo (evangélicos), judaísmo, islamismo, hinduísmo, budismo, espiritismo, além das religiões afro-brasileiras candomblé e umbanda. Atualmente, mais do que nunca, o mundo precisa de tolerância, empatia e respeito a diversidade religiosa. Continuando o especial desse mês de dezembro, hoje nosso passeio pelas religiões do mundo mergulha na umbanda, importante religião afro-brasileira, que combina elementos do catolicismo, do espiritismo, de religiões africanas (como o Candomblé) e tambem de crenças indígenas. O livro de hoje é o "Duas arteiras", da coleção Além do terreiro, escrito pela Francielly Hirata, ilustrado pela Gisele Franke e publicado pela editora Tagarela. O termo “duas arteiras” na Umbanda, se refere aos Erês, que significa “diversão” e “brincadeiras” e são divindades gêmeas que têm a missão de servir como intermediários entre as pessoas e os orixás. Isabel está muito triste após o sumiço de seu amigo imaginário. Para devolver a alegria à filha, a mãe decide levá-la para umas "férias fora das férias" na praia. Lá, entre conchinhas e brincadeiras, Isabel encontra uma amiga muito especial — uma Erê que trará não só felicidade, mas também proteção.Para acompanhar a história juntamente com as ilustrações do livro, compre o livro aqui: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://loja.editorapolifonia.com.br/produtos/duas-arteiras/Esse livro trouxe um aspecto da umbanda, importante religião afro-brasileira. Daqui a 3 dias sai mais um episódio, dessa vez sobre o candomblé, não percam! Se vc gostou, compartilhe com seus amigos e me siga nas redes sociais! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bookswelove_livrosqueamamos/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Bom dia! ☕️Para ter seu Binance Card, clique aqui.Aqui você simula seu investimento no exterior pela Remessa Online e garante 15% de desconto.No episódio de hoje:

E chegamos, graças à vocês, em nossa sexta temporada do Podcast! O podcast onde você tem as melhores análises sobre o Liverpool na rede!Duas vitórias e um sopor de alívio em Anfield! Em partida fora de casa, válida pela UEFA Champions League, o Liverpool vai a Milão enfrentar o lado azul da cidade. E num jogo bom e de controle, os Reds vencem pelo placar mínimo e mostram que podem brigar pelas oito vagas que não jogam o playoff inicial.Sem Salah sequer na Itália, depois de várias confusões e muito diz que me diz, o Liverpool e sua diretoria deixam um recado para todos, o clube tem dono e vai manter a ordem. E parece ter surtido efeito. E pela Premier League, contra o bom time do Brighton, o Liverpool vence sob a estrela de Ekitike e ainda conta com uma assistência de um Salah reintegrado e que foi muito recepcionado e ovacionado pela sua torcida, vendo que o perdão existe e que os seus lhe desejam sorte em sua jornada com o Egito pela CAN. Uma vitória que pode trazer paz ao Liverpool e ao treinador, que pode ter encontrado, enfim, um sopro de esperança nessa temporada.Confiante na melhora da temporada Red? Deixe seu comentário no episódio!Sigam a Somos Liverpool pelo Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/@SomosLiverpool e nos ajude a conectar ainda mais a comunidade de torcedores do Liverpool!E agora estamos presentes no Youtube! Não deixe de nos seguir por lá também!Não nos deixe caminhar sozinho e vem junto nesse play!

Na Beira Baixa e no Alentejo contestam-se as centrais fotovoltaicas previstas para aqueles territórios. Autarcas e populações falam de prejuízos imensos. Edição de Cláudia Costa

O nascimento de Jesus O nascimento de Jesus Cristo foi assim: Maria, sua mãe, tinha o casamento tratado com José; mas, antes de casarem, achou-se grávida pelo poder do Espírito Santo. José, o seu noivo, que era justo, não a queria acusar publicamente. Por isso pensou deixá-la sem dizer nada. Andava ele a pensar nisto, quando lhe apareceu num sonho um anjo do Senhor que lhe disse: «José, descendente de David, não tenhas medo de casar com Maria, tua noiva, pois o que nela se gerou foi pelo poder do Espírito Santo. Ela dará à luz um filho e tu vais pôr-lhe o nome de Jesus, pois ele salvará o seu povo dos pecados.» Tudo isto aconteceu para se cumprir o que o Senhor tinha dito pelo profeta: A virgem ficará grávida e dará à luz um filho que se há de chamar Emanuel. Emanuel quer dizer: Deus está connosco. Quando José acordou, fez como o anjo do Senhor lhe tinha mandado: recebeu Maria por esposa; sem terem tido antes relações conjugais, Maria deu à luz o menino, a quem José pôs o nome de Jesus. Leitura bíblica em Mateus 1:18-25 Não sou uma pessoa que goste especialmente de esperar. Esperar que alguém resolva um problema que me atinge, esperar pelo dia seguinte para uma reunião difícil, esperar numa fila de trânsito quando estou atrasada… não é algo de que goste. Mas como será que Maria se sentiu ao achar-se grávida pelo poder do Espírito Santo? O que pensariam de si? E José, o seu noivo? Como iria resolver uma situação destas? O que mais me toca nesta passagem é que Maria não tentou resolver os problemas que poderiam surgir. Ela confiou plenamente em Deus e parece ter vivido os dias e meses seguintes com alegria. “Andava ele (José) a pensar nisso” revela que quando soube da gravidez da sua noiva não se precipitou. Esperou. Pensou. Duas tarefas fundamentais para podermos ouvir a voz de Deus, assim como José. Maria e José conseguiram aguardar que Deus falasse e agisse, tendo confiado de forma completa no propósito Dele para as suas vidas. Mas também a mim, Jesus me convida, a cada momento, a ouvir a Sua doce voz, a parar, a refletir e a escolher confiar no Seu amor sem fim. Oração: Jesus, mesmo sendo uma tarefa árdua para mim, ajuda-me a parar e a esperar pela Tua doce voz, que chegará no silêncio e não no rebuliço do meu dia. Ensina-me a confiar em Ti, no Teu amor sem fim, e nunca nas minhas próprias forças. Sê Tu a minha alegria, enquanto espero que voltes e me acolhas, enfim, no Teu regaço. Amém. - Madalena Figueiredo Neste tempo pede a Deus força para esperar com confiança. Agradece pela alegria que Ele coloca no teu dia. Entrega-Lhe aquilo que te preocupa. Pergunta: o que queres que eu faça hoje para viver mais perto de Ti?

Confira os destaques do Jornal da Manhã deste domingo (14): Um incêndio de grandes proporções atinge um galpão no bairro da Mooca, na zona leste de São Paulo. O fogo começou por volta das 8h da manhã e mobiliza equipes do Corpo de Bombeiros, além da Polícia Militar e da Guarda Civil Metropolitana. O Corpo de Bombeiros informou que o telhado do galpão atingido pelo incêndio na Mooca colapsou durante o combate às chamas. Segundo a corporação, a principal preocupação neste momento é a defesa das casas vizinhas, enquanto as equipes seguem atuando para conter o fogo. Ao menos 13 pessoas ficaram feridas em um tiroteio durante um festival judaico em uma praia de Sydney, na Austrália. O estado de saúde das vítimas ainda não foi divulgado. Os dois suspeitos foram presos, e a polícia segue atuando no local. Duas pessoas morreram e nove ficaram feridas em um atentado a tiros no campus da Universidade Brown, nos Estados Unidos. Os feridos foram encaminhados a hospitais em estado grave. A polícia faz buscas pelo autor dos disparos. O advogado criminalista Marcelo Egreja Papa explica que a prescrição reconhecida pela Justiça de São Paulo no caso envolvendo o PCC não é evitada pela aprovação do PL Antifacção no Congresso. Segundo ele, a perda do prazo para punição ocorre por demora processual e não por falta de endurecimento da legislação. O presidente da Câmara dos Deputados, Arthur Lira Motta, vai se reunir com a equipe jurídica da Casa para analisar os próximos passos do processo de cassação do mandato da deputada Carla Zambelli. O ministro Alexandre de Moraes acompanhou o voto de Gilmar Mendes no julgamento que discute novas regras para o foro privilegiado no Supremo Tribunal Federal. A proposta amplia o alcance da prerrogativa de função e estabelece critérios para crimes cometidos durante o exercício do cargo. O presidente da Câmara dos Deputados, Hugo Motta, afirmou que vai manter a escolta da Polícia Legislativa da deputada Talíria Petrone, líder do PSOL. A parlamentar disse ter sido surpreendida com a retirada da proteção, sem aviso prévio.Ela relatou preocupação com a segurança após ameaças recebidas nos últimos meses. O Ministério Público e o Tribunal de Contas da União entraram com uma representação para suspender atos da Aneel relacionados à renovação do contrato da Enel em São Paulo.A medida ocorre após um ciclone extratropical provocar falta de energia em mais de dois milhões de imóveis. Atualmente, cerca de 150 mil residências ainda estão sem luz na Grande São Paulo. O ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro foi autorizado pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal a realizar exames de imagem dentro da Superintendência da Polícia Federal, no Distrito Federal. A decisão atende a um pedido da equipe médica do ex-presidente. Essas e outras notícias você acompanha no Jornal da Manhã. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Revisitamos um dos filmes mais emblemáticos e dolorosos do século XXI: O Segredo de Brokeback Mountain. Duas décadas após seu lançamento, a obra dirigida por Ang Lee continua a reverberar por sua força emocional, sua relevância social e sua capacidade de revelar, sem filtros, o impacto devastador da repressão afetiva em um mundo regido pelo conservadorismo.No papo, exploramos o contexto histórico e cultural que moldou o efeito do filme. Lançado em 2005/2006, Brokeback Mountain surgiu em um momento em que a representação LGBTQIAP+ ainda engatinhava no cinema mainstream. A história de Ennes Del Mar e Jack Twist, dois jovens vaqueiros que vivem um amor intenso, profundo e secreto ao longo de décadas, chocou setores conservadores e desafiou mitos sobre masculinidade, especialmente por retratar o amor homoafetivo entre cowboys, figuras associadas ao imaginário viril norte-americano.Rafael Arinelli recebe Júlia Barth e Daniel Cury para aprofundar a análise do filme enquanto tragédia romântica e crítica social. O trio examina como Ang Lee utiliza cores, silêncios e paisagens para contrastar liberdade e repressão, e como cada personagem encarna dores distintas: Ennes, preso ao medo e ao trauma; Jack, movido pelo desejo de um futuro possível. A conversa também revisita o impacto cultural da obra, seus três Oscars e sua permanência como denúncia do custo humano da homofobia.Por fim, este episódio convida o ouvinte a revisitar Brokeback Mountain não apenas como um romance trágico, mas como um espelho da violência simbólica que obriga tantos a viverem vidas partidas. Uma reflexão necessária sobre amor, coragem e o peso do que não pode ser dito.• 04m04: Pauta Principal• 1h24m24: Plano Detalhe• 1h33m42: EncerramentoOuça nosso Podcast também no:• Spotify: https://cinemacao.short.gy/spotify• Apple Podcast: https://cinemacao.short.gy/apple• Android: https://cinemacao.short.gy/android• Deezer: https://cinemacao.short.gy/deezer• Amazon Music: https://cinemacao.short.gy/amazonAgradecimentos aos padrinhos: • Bruna Mercer• Charles Calisto Souza• Daniel Barbosa da Silva Feijó• Diego Alves Lima• Eloi Xavier• Flavia Sanches• Gabriela Pastori Marino• Guilherme S. Arinelli• Thiago Custodio Coquelet• William SaitoFale Conosco:• Email: contato@cinemacao.com• X: https://cinemacao.short.gy/x-cinemacao• BlueSky: https://cinemacao.short.gy/bsky-cinemacao• Facebook: https://cinemacao.short.gy/face-cinemacao• Instagram: https://cinemacao.short.gy/insta-cinemacao• Tiktok: https://cinemacao.short.gy/tiktok-cinemacao• Youtube: https://cinemacao.short.gy/yt-cinemacaoApoie o Cinem(ação)!Apoie o Cinem(ação) e faça parte de um seleto clube de ouvintes privilegiados, desfrutando de inúmeros benefícios! Com uma assinatura a partir de R$30,00, você terá acesso a conteúdo exclusivo e muito mais! Não perca mais tempo, torne-se um apoiador especial do nosso canal! Junte-se a nós para uma experiência cinematográfica única!Plano Detalhe:• (Julia): Série:  A Batalha dos 100: Ásia• (Dani): Crítica: O Segredo de Brokeback Mountain• (Dani): Programa: Sem Censura• (Dani): Conto: Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx• (Dani): Youtube: Destrinchando A Cena Mais Assombrosa de "Brokeback Mountain”• (Dani): Série: Ângela Diniz: Assassinada e Condenada• (Rafa): Série: Splinter Cell: DeathwatchEdição: ISSOaí

Este é só um trecho da aula completa da música "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" com Michael Bublé, que você encontra aqui no podcast "Aprenda Inglês com Música". Use a lupa do podcast para encontrar a aula completa para ouvir ;) Quer dar aquele up no seu inglês com a Teacher Milena ?

Conhecer o universo de pensionistas em Portugal é determinante para avaliarmos a nossa realidade económica e social e refletir sobre que políticas públicas são mais adequadas. O Banco de Portugal procura dar um contributo no Boletim Económico de dezembro, incluindo um estudo sobre as pensões de velhice e as principais características dos seus beneficiários. Duas das autoras, Sharmin Sazedj e Lara Wemans, economistas do Departamento de Estudos Económicos, são as convidadas deste episódio.Errata: aos 6m24, quando é referido que "a idade média da reforma aumentou oito anos e meio", deveria ter sido dito que "a idade média da reforma aumentou oito meses e meio".

No episódio especial 312 de Stock Pickers, Lucas Collazo recebe Ruy Alves, sócio e gestor da Kinea, para uma conversa que é praticamente uma ópera macroeconômica: com direito a Guerra de Tróia, Grande Gatsby, China imperial e até os palcos da Broadway e do West End.Conhecido por analogias afiadas e uma leitura do cenário macro “fora da caixinha”, Ruy faz um diagnóstico contundente: 2026 será marcado por uma grande Guerra de Tróia. Entre FED, inflação global, reprecificação de juros e disputas políticas (especialmente no Brasil), ele explica por que o investidor precisará combinar estratégia, disciplina e a mesma capacidade de reinvenção que tornou Warren Buffett uma lenda.Este episódio é especial e faz parte da programação do Onde Investir 2026, evento especial do InfoMoney que ensina, prepara e atualiza quem deseja começar o ano novo tomando melhores e mais lucrativas decisões de investimentos.Acesse e confira todas as oportunidades: https://lps.infomoney.com.br/onde-investir-2026-inscricao/?utm_source=infomoney&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=oi26&utm_term=billboard-premium&utm_content=subhome

Duas décadas de trabalho envolvem ações para promover o entendimento entre culturas e religiões em momento em que é observada piora das divisões geopolíticas; evento na Arábia Saudita junta governos, sociedade civil e jovens abordando intolerância, discurso de ódio e respeito mútuo.

Duas mudanças importantes no trânsito brasileiro estão mexendo com quem já está ao volante e com quem pretende tirar a CNH. A primeira é a reformulação do processo de habilitação: deixa de ser obrigatória a presença em autoescolas, as aulas teóricas passam a ser gratuitas pelo aplicativo do governo e a carga horária prática será reduzida. A segunda mudança é a volta do exame toxicológico para motoristas das categorias A e B, o que inclui condutores de carros e motos. No JR 15 Minutos, o especialista em segurança de trânsito e mestre em Transportes, Carlos Augusto Elias, explica o impacto dessas decisões, tira dúvidas e aponta os benefícios e desafios que vêm pela frente.

A eleição para a nova mesa diretora da Câmara de Vereadores de Orleans já tem data definida: será na próxima segunda-feira, 15 de dezembro, e promete aquecer os bastidores da política municipal. Duas chapas devem disputar o comando do Legislativo: uma formada pela base governista e outra pela oposição, que traz como candidato à presidência o vereador Dovagner Baschirotto (MDB). Durante entrevista ao Cruz de Malta Notícias, Dovagner comentou sobre as articulações que antecedem a votação. O vereador destacou que as conversas seguem intensas e que o grupo oposicionista busca construir uma proposta para sair vitorioso. A definição da mesa diretora é estratégica, pois o colegiado é responsável por conduzir os trabalhos legislativos, definir pautas e representar oficialmente a Câmara durante o próximo ano legislativo.

O assunto de hoje é arte! - Prefere assistir este episódio? Ele está no YouTube: https://youtu.be/uFcg2icfSj4 Marina Colhado e Thierry Chemale estão em pontas diferentes de um mesmo mundo: o da arte. Uma está no campo da arte como manifestação e o outro pesquisa a arte como mercado. Duas visões complementares que trarão pensamentos que talvez você não tinha tido até então! Rede social da Marina: https://www.instagram.com/marinacolhado/  Exposição da Marina na Biblioteca Mário de Andrade: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRiWRTGDmVY/?igsh=azMwMnNkczVrcGdp Rede social do Thierry: https://www.instagram.com/thierrychemalle/ Fontes citadas por Thierry: https://www.amazon.com/History-Impressionism-John-Rewald/dp/0870703609 https://www.amazon.com/Why-Are-Artists-Poor-Exceptional/dp/9053565655 https://www.amazon.com.br/Theory-Leisure-Class-Institutions-Conspicuous-ebook/dp/B074MF9DLM https://www.acessartdigital.com.br/relatorios https://www.jstor.org/stable/1879431?seq=1  Gostou desse episódio? Deixe seu like, compartilhe com quem você acha que irá gostar dessa conversa e conte pra gente nos comentários sobre quais assuntos - e quais pessoas - você gostaria de ver/ouvir aqui no Desvio Padrão!

A Secretaria Estadual da Educação de São Paulo vai iniciar em 2026 um programa para dividir escolas com mais de 1,2 mil alunos em duas unidades administrativas. A informação foi dada nesta terça-feira pelo secretário Renato Feder, durante entrevista à Rádio Eldorado. Segundo ele, a ideia é melhorar a gestão e o acompanhamento pedagógico nas escolas maiores, que passarão a ter dois diretores. A adesão é voluntária e a iniciativa será implantada em 50 escolas no ano que vem. Na entrevista, Feder também avaliou como positiva a experiência de proibição do uso de celular nas salas de aula, apesar de dizer que a adesão das escolas ainda não é total e está em 75%. “O maior indicador é a frequência, que estava em 78% e hoje é de 89%. São 300 mil alunos a mais nas escolas todos os dias”, afirmou.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Confira nesta edição do JR 24 Horas: A forte chuva que atingiu a Grande São Paulo na tarde desta segunda (8) provocou estragos e levou a capital a entrar em estado de alerta para alagamentos. Na zona sul da cidade, uma árvore caiu sobre três carros estacionados, mas ninguém ficou ferido. Em São Caetano do Sul, a cobertura de uma academia desabou durante o temporal. Duas pessoas que estavam na piscina se machucaram. Uma delas foi atingida na cabeça e precisou ser encaminhada ao hospital. E ainda: Presidente da Ucrânia discute plano de paz com líderes aliados europeus.

Para a administração Trump, a Europa é uma força decadente e em perigo de extinção nos próximos 20 anos. Quem quereria um protagonista como este à mesa das negociações? É a investigadora e analista Diana Soller que o interroga, em entrevista ao podcast “O Mundo a Seus Pés”, traçando um cenário de desalento para as nações europeias. Para Vladimir Putin, afirma Diana Soller, a guerra continua a ser existencial.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ela é uma das artistas que redefiniu a música brasileira do século XXI. Céu é cantora, compositora, alquimista de timbres e atmosferas e está celebrando 20 anos do seu disco de estreia, aquele álbum homônimo que chegou em 2005 e mudou completamente a paisagem sonora do que convencionou-se chamar de Nova MPB. Foi ali que ela apresentou ao mundo sua mistura tão própria de samba, dub, soul, beats eletrônicos e poesia urbana. Foi ali que ‘Lenda', ‘Malemolência', ‘Ave Cruz' e tantas outras faixas mostraram que uma nova estética estava nascendo. O disco atravessou fronteiras, ganhou o mundo e abriu caminho para uma carreira de oito álbuns, infinitas parcerias e um público fiel que cresce a cada ano. Duas décadas depois, Céu revisita essa obra em uma turnê comemorativa, mas também revisita a si mesma.

Pedro Henriques elogia a arbitragem de Luís Godinho no jogo entre Tondela e FC Porto, com dois golos bem anulados na primeira parte, mas com um cartão amarelo que ficou por mostrar. Nota 7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duas cidades, duas exposições. Nos dois casos, a arte em diálogo. Uma crónica de Francisco Sena Santos.

Entrevistados:Giulliano Carvalho https://www.linkedin.com/in/giulliano-carvalho-2a149bb/ Leonardo Bessa https://www.linkedin.com/in/leobessa/Astride.us https://astride.us/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/astride-us/Indicações:A meta: Um processo de melhoria contínua por Eliyahu M. Goldratthttps://amzn.to/3MtGBbDGênesis: Inteligência Artificial, Esperança e Espírito HumanoHenry A. Kissinger, Craig Mundie, Eric Schmidthttps://amzn.to/4pv8Fdl Remote: Office Not RequiredJason Fried, David Heinemeier Hanssonhttps://amzn.to/48Axr4n O Projeto Fênix: um Romance Sobre TI, DevOps e Sobre Ajudar o seu Negócio a Vencer Capa comumGene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spaffordhttps://amzn.to/4pm2us8 Rápido e devagar: Duas formas de pensarDaniel Kahnemanhttps://amzn.to/48DhWZI Tidewave https://tidewave.ai/ Phoenix New https://phoenix.new/ Entrevistadores: Adolfo Neto https://adolfoneto.elixiremfoco.com/ Herminio TorresZoey PessanhaElixir em Foco é o podcast da comunidade brasileira de Elixir, a linguagem de programação criada pelo brasileiro José Valim que é usada por empresas de todo o mundo para o desenvolvimento de aplicações escaláveis e de fácil manutenção. Saiba mais em https://elixiremfoco.com/.A Erlang Ecosystem Foundation apoia este podcast financiando o software que utilizamos para gravar os episódios. A Erlang Ecosystem Foundation é uma organização sem fins lucrativos apoiada por mais de 1.000 membros que abraçam o seu modelo de Grupos de Trabalho colaborativos, e eventos de construção de comunidades. Os membros da EEF incluem líderes da indústria que se dedicam a promover o estado da arte para Erlang, Elixir, LFE e outras tecnologias baseadas no BEAM.Associe-se à Erlang Ecosystem Foundation em⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3Sl8XTO.

Duas decisões monocráticas. Duas controvérsias políticas. Uma mais evidente. A outra exige uma arqueologia jurídica, mas nem tão complicada. O Supremo dá demonstrações de avanço na agenda política e gera reações da política. A decisão de Gilmar Mendes sobre a Lei do Impeachment busca blindar o STF contra processos que devem vir pela frente. Mas a decisão de Alexandre de Moraes não é menos polêmica em termos jurídicos. São os dois temas do Sem Precedentes desta semana. 

Planejar uma viagem já não é tarefa das mais fáceis... E planejar DUAS?? Uma dentro da outra? Parece difícil? Parece impossível?Então aperta o play pra descobrir os segredos e as dicas pra transformar viagens incríveis, em DUA viagens incríveis!!Ingressos | Seguro viagem | Chip internacional | RoteirosFazer compras nos EUA e receber no Brasil

Olá, pessoas, hoje vamos falar de uma das operações mais bizarras da CIA durante a Guerra Fria. Imaginem a cena: Filipinas, início dos anos 1950. Um soldado guerrilheiro comunista desaparece durante uma patrulha noturna. Dias depois, seus companheiros encontram o corpo dele abandonado numa trilha. Duas marcas de furos no pescoço. O cadáver completamente sem sangue. O que aterrorizou esses guerrilheiros experientes?

Duas brasileiras mostram como a China tem se tornado um espaço fértil para as mais variadas formas de manifestação artística

Episódio publicado originalmente em 14 de dezembro de 2022.No começo do século passado, um homem chamado Thomas Midgley revolucionou a indústria automotiva. Na época, ele trabalhava para uma empresa de engenharia que prestava serviço para a General Motors. Midgley descobriu que, ao adicionar uma pequena quantidade de chumbo na gasolina, os motores ganhavam muito em potência e em eficiência, e quebravam menos.A descoberta permitiu carros maiores e mais confortáveis. Ajudou a criar os Estados Unidos das autoestradas e a moldar o fascínio do mundo inteiro pelos automóveis. Mas, ao mesmo tempo, envenenou o planeta com um metal pesado e nocivo à saúde humana.Anos mais tarde, ainda trabalhando para a GM, Midgley fez outra descoberta que revolucionaria a indústria. Ele foi o primeiro a usar o gás clorofluorcarbono na refrigeração. Os carros ganharam aparelhos de ar-condicionado, as casas ganharam geladeiras mais seguras e a humanidade ganhou latinhas de aerosol.Como consequência, o céu sobre a Antártica ganhou um buraco na camada de ozônio que tornou o câncer de pele e outras doenças mais comuns.A partir das invenções de Thomas Midgley, este episódio reflete sobre o impacto muitas vezes nocivo que nossas invenções causam no planeta. E sobre a postura da humanidade diante de questões atuais, como as mudanças climáticas provocadas pelo aquecimento global.Mergulhe mais fundo⁠Breve história de quase tudo⁠⁠Prometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World (em inglês)⁠⁠Cautionary Tales – The inventor who almost ended the world (podcast em inglês)⁠⁠Radiolab - Heavy Metal (podcast em inglês)⁠⁠Ozone Crisis: The 15-Year Evolution of a Sudden Global Emergency (em inglês)⁠⁠Joe Farman (1930–2013)⁠⁠Susan Solomon and Stephen Andersen on Saving the Ozone Layer (podcast em inglês)⁠Episódios relacionados⁠08: Bem-vindo ao churrasco do apocalipse⁠⁠29: E se a gente fosse índio?⁠Entrevistados do episódio⁠Alberto Setzer⁠Graduado em engenharia mecânica pela Escola de Engenharia Mauá, com mestrado em engenharia ambiental - Technion Institute of Technology, doutorado em engenharia ambiental - Purdue University (1982) e pós-doutorado no Joint Research Center/EEC. Pesquisador do INPE, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais.⁠Giovana Girardi⁠Jornalista de ambiente e ciência. Repórter e apresentadora do podcast ⁠Tempo Quente.⁠Ficha técnicaTrilha sonora tema: ⁠Paulo Gama,⁠Mixagem: ⁠João Victor Coura⁠Design das capas: ⁠Cláudia Furnari⁠Concepção, produção, roteiro, edição e apresentação: ⁠Tomás Chiaverini⁠Trilha incidental: Blue Dot

Duas mulheres, duas cidades, a mesma tragédia: Karina Vetrano, em Nova York, e Eliza Fletcher, em Memphis, saíram para fazer algo que amavam — correr — e nunca mais voltaram para casa. Sugira casos: casosreaispodcast.com.brApoie e receba episódios antes: apoia.se/casosreaisSiga: @casosreaisoficial | @erikamirandasRoteiro: Lucas AndriesEdição: Publi.tv - Produtora de vídeos

Doping estraga o resultado de duas maratonas: uma no Brasil e outra na Argentina; a expo da Maratona de Curitiba, que vai ter transmissão pelo Corrida no Ar; amanhã também é dia da Maratona Monumental de Brasilia e eu sigo com o que eu disse no ano passado; Kipchoge e NN Running Team encerram a parceria com a Coros.Transmissão da Maratona de Curitiba https://www.youtube.com/live/LwaAl7tlKMo?si=lc7qrDE1IGmGZjOrAssine a nossa newsletter e fique sempre bem informado - https://corridanoar.com/newsletterO Corrida no Ar News é produzido diariamente e postado por volta das 6 da manhã. #criadorporesporte #corridaderuabrasil #corridaderua #corredores #cnanews #corrida

Oiça mais um episódio do Expresso da Meia-Noite, onde se debateu a polémica comparação histórica do 25 de Novembro ao 25 de Abril. O painel analisou as diferentes leituras políticas e históricas sobre o impacto destas datas na democracia portuguesa, destacando divisões partidárias e a complexidade da memória coletiva. Foram discutidos o papel dos militares, a influência do Partido Socialista e a necessidade de despolitizar o debate, sublinhando a importância de preservar uma visão crítica e pluralista da história recente de Portugal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bu bölümde Kenzul Arş Duası'nın tüm güzelliği ve bereketiyle buluşacaksınız. Dua'nın Arapça aslından okunuşunu dinlerken, aynı zamanda Türkçe mealini ve derin anlamını da dinleyebileceksiniz. Kenzul Arş Duası, kalplere şifa, ruhlara huzur veren bir hazinedir.

O advogado Igor Vasconcelos recorreu à obra clássica de J.R.R. Tolkien, especificamente ao livro 'O Senhor dos Anéis: As Duas Torres', para defender seu cliente, Sérgio Ricardo Cavalieri, no julgamento da trama golpista.A analogia narra a cena em que os Hobbits, após escaparem, encontram o ente Barbávore.Ao descrever uma montanha como "morro", Barbávore conclui que a palavra é "apressada demais" para descrever o tamanho e a história da montanha.Em O Antagonista, você encontra um jornalismo de investigação, com análises precisas e opiniões sem concessões. Acompanhamos de perto os bastidores da política, da economia e as principais notícias  do Brasil e do Mundo.    Siga O Antagonista no X:  https://x.com/o_antagonista     Acompanhe O Antagonista no canal do WhatsApp.    Boletins diários, conteúdos exclusivos em vídeo e muito mais.        https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va2S...       Ouça O Antagonista | Crusoé quando quiser nos principais aplicativos de podcast.      Leia mais em www.oantagonista.com.br | www.crusoe.com.br 

Duas provas épicas na Espanha que consagraram 2 bicampeões mundiais: Lucy Charles Barclay, que venceu em 2021, e Jelle Geens, que venceu em 2024. Confira o MT News desta semana!E nesta viagem contamos com a parceria da Nomad, sua conta global! Abre a sua no link https://nomad.onelink.me/wIQT/mundotrilive com o cupom MUNDOTRI40

Confira nesta edição do JR 24 Horas: A Polícia Federal realizou uma operação contra o tráfico internacional de medicamentos de uso controlado. Os agentes cumpriram seis mandados de busca e apreensão em Rio das Ostras, na Região dos Lagos (RJ). Duas pessoas foram presas, entre elas, o chefe do esquema que estava nos Estados Unidos. Segundo a Polícia Federal, farmácias no Brasil abasteciam o grupo, que exportava ilegalmente os remédios. A investigação também encontrou movimentações financeiras suspeitas e transferências bancárias que indicam lavagem de dinheiro. E ainda: Avião cargueiro do Exército da Turquia cai na Geórgia com 20 pessoas a bordo.

Confira nesta edição do JR 24 Horas: Nas Filipinas, mais de um milhão e 400 mil pessoas foram afetadas pela passagem de um supertufão. É a segunda tempestade a atingir o país em menos de uma semana. As imagens mostraram a força dos ventos, que chegaram a 230 km/h, arrancando telhados e derrubando árvores. E ainda: Estudantes que enfrentaram problemas logísticos no Enem podem solicitar reaplicação da prova.

faça parte do clube de vantagens do nosso canal e concorra a prêmios:https://oqv.li/clubeentre no nosso grupo do whatsapp, participe dos programas:https://oqv.li/zapinscreva-se no canal do youtube:https://oqv.li/subcontato/pix:oquintovento@gmail.com

Bir diğer ismi Evrad-ı Bahaiye olan Evrad-ı Kudsiye duası, ayetlerden ve hadis-i şeriflerde geçen dua metinlerinden oluşmaktadır. Bediüzzaman hazretleri bu dua için “Şah-ı Nakşıbend'in kudsî bir evradıdır ki, Hazret-i Peygamber Aleyhissalatü Vesselâmdan âlem-i mânâda ders almıştır.” demiştir. İstifadeye medar olması temennisiyle bu duayı hem Arapça hem de Türkçe mealiyle birlikte seslendirdik.Arapça: Emre AcıTürkçe: Alperen Kaplan

✨ Encha a sua vida de Luz ✨Um rico empresário desafiou seus filhos a encher toda a mansão com apenas uma moeda. Um deles encheu de palha. O outro, de luz. E a escolha do pai revela uma lição eterna: a verdadeira sabedoria está em levar luz onde há trevas.Ouça esta mensagem marcante do Pr. @Juanribe Pagliarin.

Pedro Ribeiro está há 36 anos em antena e em novembro celebra 20 anos na direção da Rádio Comercial. Duas décadas a liderar a rádio mais ouvida do país, que é para muita gente companhia, intimidade e afeto para as horas boas e más. Ele próprio é uma das vozes das manhãs da rádio que dirige. Pedro assume-se competitivo, mas toma para si a máxima que para ganhar é preciso saber perder: “Estive seis anos a viver a frustração de estar a perder nas audiências até chegar à liderança.” Como é ser diretor de si próprio? E como encara os novos desafios da IA? “A rádio não deve cair no deslumbramento de que pode substituir as pessoas por inteligência artificial. Isso matará a rádio!” Ouçam-no nesta conversa com Bernardo Mendonça.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Raio X da Série A na Área! Parte 3 para analisar a situação do Bahia. O Esquadrão aprensou durante todo o campeonato duas faces, uma dentro da Fonte Nova e outra nos jogos fora de casa. Vem aí uma semana decisiva para decisão da 1ª vaga extra na fase de grupos da Libertadores, qual face […]