"...Christina flew swiftly away from the cloud monster hurling lightning down toward her. She dodged all of his sizzling bolts and then, just as the next bolt of weathered energy shot out toward her with dire threat she..."

Taylora Moonfire twined her curly blonde hair around one long, elegant finger while her other hand drummed for a second on the desktop. She glanced away from the screen momentarily and caught her reflection in the decorative mirror on the wall near the door of her den. Her hand dropped from twirling her hair as she surveyed her short, lithe frame, and then studied her pale face. Her blue eyes and heart-shaped face looked haggard. Too much frustration trying to write lately.

She tore the sheet of thought-paper out of her mystic machine and blew the contents from it clean. She was having a hard time processing her next best seller. Why the hell couldn't she just get her brain in gear and write lately? She hadn't been able to write anything for the last three months and her editor expected something ... anything really, like an outline and sample chapters soon ... on Taylora's next fairy tale romance.

Well, the next in her lust and love filled Moonfire Magic series. They'd been her best sellers for about ten years now, since she started submitting to the top-notch publishing company in Faetown.

Paranormal Press dwelt in the mystic realms on the edge of the Spellfire Caverns just where the Fae Realm bordered Mystic Meadows. There lay a whole city within the plane of existence between the fairylands and the human world. Her father came from Faetown, one of the bigger Fairy Realm metropolises, while her mother was from Spellfire. It was Tay's own knowledge of both worlds that made her writing so popular in Faetown and other fairy planes of existence for the fairy folk who actually liked to read.

She wrote of human and paranormal adventures in forgotten, real, and make-believe worlds. She threw action and mystery, as well as sizzling romances and nasty villains, into her books. And the fairy folk adored her real-life style writing with soap-operarish tidbits in them.

But for the life of her, she hadn't been able to write a blasted thing for the last few months. Maybe what she needed was just a day out; she'd been cooped up in her apartment for months now, hardly ever going out. She needed something different to write about. What about, she had no idea, but perhaps a day out in town. While the nice weather held, she might just pick up on something if her damn brain would get out of it's writer's blockage.

She threw on some fresh togs, slipped into her walking shoes, then headed into Spellfire. She lived in the same townhouse sector as her prankster friend Shai, so she didn't have far to walk to reach downtown. Taylora liked keeping fit the human way, and unlike most fairies, she didn't need wings to fly--if she wanted to fly.

Her father was a wingless fairy, and her mother being only half-Fae meant she had been born with no wings. The two were retired in Faetown and loving it. Which was fine with Taylora, since both used to take such an avid interest in her life while growing up. Now, she breathed a sigh of relief, because they let her do as she pleased.

And it pleased her right now to get out and get some of the stifling Texas air. Still, born here and living here a long time, one got used to it. When she reached the main street, she turned and walked into Sinful Sundaes Ice Cream Shoppe to stop for the Thursday Tibits Special. She came at least once a month here on Thursdays for the little take-out morsels made of flour and cheese and bits of pepperoni. Her friend Harpy Collins made them for the specialty diner and dessert place. Sinful Sundaes, to most in Spellfire was more than an ice cream parlor. They had other great items on their menu.

She walked in and saw several people she knew, amongst them Horrible Henry teasing some elderly witches. She shook her head and went to the main counter to place her order. Within a few minutes, she received her tidbits to go. They were good cold or hot, so she liked to munch a few at a time to savor their tasty, mouthwatering flavor of fried dough, cheese, and pepperoni.

After popping a few of them, she stuffed the bag in the pocket of her lightweight jacket and went across the street to peruse another shop.

Her next stop was Trinket's, and she browsed their fine selection of spell books and novelties. She said hello to the owners, but didn't make a purchase.

Nothing new happening there. After about half an hour, Taylora left with still no idea of what to write. Maybe she just wasn't feeling the inspiration the things, places, and people once gave her in Spellfire. Maybe she needed a trip outside of Spellfire to get her juices flowing again--her mental juices.

She sighed, her mind occupied by those thoughts. A sudden gush of wind zipping past her nearly knocked her down. A being in an old 1900's getup stopped dead in front of her. Dead, yep, for quite some long years now. Horrible Henry, the raunchiest ghost in most of Spellfire made her halt in her tracks.

"Oh, sorry about that, Taylora. Got's a hot watch to see."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You peeping in on someone's fun, Henry? You're into voyeurism?"

He chuckled mischievously. "Sure am. And you should try it sometime. Watching or doing it while watching can be some damn exciting fun. Gotta go now."

She chuckled as he zipped away, leaving nothing but a sprinkle of dust in his wake. Taylora shook her head and walked past people and several other shops. Her mind pondered on what Henry said, though. She'd never written about voyeurism. Didn't even recall if it crossed her mind before. Still, it would be different.

But how could she write about that, when that was an invasion of someone's privacy? That never stopped Henry, she was sure. She couldn't become invisible like ghosts or some fairies or other magical beings. Would she watch others if she could? She didn't know for sure, but knew it might be an interesting tale for the next story in her Moonfire Magic series.

She let the thought brew at the back of her mind as she proceeded down the street to the Spellfire Library. She hadn't been in there in months. Maybe they had some new novel or old historical she hadn't read. Sometimes reading another's work or reading a bit of history gave her ideas. A writer just never knew where his or her ideas came from.

She saw rows upon rows of books, and people sitting around. Some browsed books, periodicals, and magazines. Moving along the shelves, she still didn't find any thing that just grabbed her attention. Back at the entrance to the library, she saw a rack holding advertisement periodicals. One for new movies being shown at the Magic Theater piqued her interest. Thursdays were usually half-price at the theater.

A movie? Hmm. She hadn't been to one in months either. Nor on a date, or to a party ... or anything fun.. Maybe she could go to a movie, program in what she wanted to see and the Magic-com would make a mini movie for her. She could incorporate Henry's suggestion and some other things she'd been thinking about. Today was Thursday and half-priced fun always fit her pocket book nicely. Feeling more encouraged, she headed out of the library and strolled down the main thoroughfare until she reached the large impressive building of the movie theater.

Taylora paid her ticket fee then went up to the concession stand, bought a soda to go with the tidbits she had in her pocket, and headed for one of the private booths housing the magical computer that would allow her to make her selections. She'd seen all the new released human movies she'd wanted to; so the only other thing to do was program in her own ideas of what she'd like to see.

When she typed in her requests, the screen told her which theater door to go through. Except for its number, Thirteen-A was a door like the others, sparkling green. She knew the theater seemed unusual to humans not used to this type of cinema, but she had begun her love of movies here as a child. Actually, she realized now, with anticipation, how much she'd missed coming here.

Sitting back in the large room upon one of four cushiony chairs situated in the middle of the mini theater room, she waited for her movie to begin, which would be shortly after she sat down. The movie theater knew when one was just ready. Magic certainly had its upswing comforts. Of course, she was given a manual remote to start, rewind, fast forward, or control the speed of the movie as she saw fit, should she need or choose to use the device. She snuggled down and realized she eagerly awaited the movie. Slowly, upbeat music drifted into the room and the lights went down. The large movie screen brightened with images.