Lana V Lynx
Bio
Avid reader and occasional writer of satire and short fiction. For my own sanity and security, I write under a pen name. My books: Moscow Calling - 2017 and President & Psychiatrist
@lanalynx.bsky.social
Stories (535)
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To Tell Or Not To Tell - 3
The adoption agent called them about three days later and told them that Lucy didn’t have anything alarming in her pregnancy history. In fact, when her mother was still alive, she made sure that Lucy ate enough healthy food, took her pre-natal vitamins, and had no contact with her “bad” boyfriend. The baby seemed to be healthy, developing normally. The agent also said that Lucy was determined to give up the baby now that she saw them. Before the call, Julie and Paul have talked through all possibilities and decided that even if the baby could develop some health problems in the future they’d still adopt him. “We’ll just watch everything carefully, and sign him up for all possible sports,” Paul said. They ultimately decided to go through with the adoption. Within a couple of days, they furnished the paperwork, and had Lucy sign all the documents. For the rest of Lucy’s pregnancy, they took her into their home and made sure she had everything she needed. Paul and Julie were present during the birth and when the baby was born, he was so defenseless and perfect at the same time, they both fell in love with him right away. They decided to name him Mark after Paul’s father. After a day in the hospital and no complications, Paul and Julie came home a happy young family.
By Lana V Lynx2 years ago in Chapters
To Tell or Not To Tell - 4
It took Paul about three days to find the information about Mark’s biological parents. He found out that Lucy died of an overdose about a year after they moved. Her boyfriend was so shaken by her death that he returned to his parents, cleaned up and went to college. He was happily married now, running his father’s family business, with five-year-old twins. When Paul tracked him down on the phone and told him there was a chance Mark would find out about them and want to connect with his biological father, Lucy’s ex said he’d rather keep that part of his history secret from his wife and urged Paul to discourage Mark from seeking contact. Paul was relieved to share the news with Julie. Even though she was distressed and sad to learn of Lucy’s passing, Julie was also relieved to know that there was no threat to their relationship with Mark from his biological parents. They both agreed that it would be easier to tell the truth knowing this information, but they still did not know how to tell him.
By Lana V Lynx2 years ago in Chapters
To Tell or Not To Tell - 5
While Mark was out clearing his head, Julie and Paul cleaned up the living room from the wrapping paper on autopilot. They hardly exchanged any words since Mark left, and to get herself distracted, Julie unwrapped her present from Mark – a large frame with family pictures of their joint outings and events from the entire year, arranged in chronological order. It was accompanied by Mark’s handwritten card saying, “To the best mom in the world, to remind you of our good times. Love you to the Sun and back, - Mark.” Julie showed the present to Paul and started crying. Paul hugged her and asked what he could do to make her feel better.
By Lana V Lynx2 years ago in Chapters
To Write or Not to Write?
This was my very first story on Vocal. I wrote it two years ago for the Doomsday Diary challenge and even though it obviously did not place in the challenge, it remains one of my most-read stories. It was published before Vocal made comments on stories possible, so it has no comments on it as of now.
By Lana V Lynx2 years ago in Critique
Origin Myth of the Issyk-Kul Lake
Let me present to you another Turkic myth of creation, this time about the Issyk-Kul lake. Located in Kyrgyzstan, this nature's pearl is the second deepest lake in the world, after Baikal in Russia. In Kyrgyz, "issyk" means "warm, hot" and "kul" - "lake." Some people say it is called a "warm lake" because it never freezes in the winter, even though the winters in the mountains surrounding it on all sides can be quite cold. Others say that it is called "warm lake" because it was formed from the tears of people who were wronged one way or another and cried so much that they flooded the mountain-nestled valley with the lake. There are numerous myths and legends about the lake formation, and below is the tale I weaved from several of my favorites. Please note that the Turkic cultures, especially those associated with Tengrism (worshiping the divine sky), revered the Sun and the Moon deities as a part of their worldview.
By Lana V Lynx2 years ago in Fiction
The Myth of Twins Amu and Sy. Top Story - July 2023.
I've taken a creative license on one of the ancient myths about the origin of Amu Darya and Syr Darya, the most important rivers in Central Asia. In an old Turkic language, "darya" means "river." Both rivers start in the high mountains of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan and are fed by numerous small rivers, glaciers and spring rains. They run through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, hugging the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts and falling into the Aral Sea. As both rivers are extensively used for power generation and irrigation, the Aral Sea is rapidly disappearing and is considered to be one of the largest human-caused ecological disasters of the 20th century. On the map below, the original sea (Aral Kum) is marked in light yellow, and the blue on top of it is what remains of the sea today.
By Lana V Lynx2 years ago in Fiction
Istanbul Airport Encounter
I’m flying back to the United States from Kyrgyzstan by Turkish Airlines again, just as I came. Which means a layover in Istanbul. Istanbul is one of my most favorite cities in the world. I’ve been there several times, including one trip with my son for five days when we really had enough time to explore the city. Most other times, I was there either for an academic conference or on a long layover traveling between continents.
By Lana V Lynx2 years ago in Wander
