The Town Drunk, September 2007

Note: This post was imported from an old content-management system, so please excuse any inconsistencies in formatting.

“A Bouquet at Twilight” starts with what should be simple: falling in love and having children. Lisa Mantchev moves it into the not so distant future in a world where you must complete paperwork before the conception takes place.

Seelie is pregnant, and a part of a True Soul Couple with her husband, Marcus. Her sister, Keira, is jealous, along with a whole load of others looking for the right partner. It’s time for desperate measures and I don’t mean Viagra®.

In this world, there are compatibility medications washed down with Aphrodise and something called pheromone receptor therapy. Just like in the crazy ads you see on buses and subways, the doctor administering PRT stars in his own infomercial. I have no idea what PRT involves, but since nether regions were exposed and vomeronasal organs were about to be tweaked under sedation, it sounded wild.

And so goes this story, funny not only because of the hyperbole, but the dry, wisecracking humor that allows the personalities of the characters, particularly Keira, to shine through.

Anyone unattached can relate, and those of us lucky enough to be part of a True Soul Couple will cover their vomeronasal regions and praise Venus. This story has a fair amount of sexual content, most of it innuendo, thus the PG-13 rating. The younger set wouldn’t appreciate it anyway.