Wordzzle - The brigadier general, the hummingbird, and the gods

This is my contribution to this week's Wordzzle. Wordzzle is a game in which each week word lists, used to create stories, are given on the blog Views from Raven's Nest. Participating users post their stories on their own blogs.


Ten Word Challenge:

apoplexy,
doctor,
hummingbird,
shallow end of the pool,
brigadier general,
mustard,
greed,
parallelogram,
slumber party,
casual

The hummingbird said to the doctor, "Do you have any mustard?" The doctor seemed for a moment to be suffering from apoplexy, but finally said, "I need to save some for the slumber party. Don't be greedy." The hummingbird said, "Oh, I won't, I eat like a bird. Where is it, anyway?" "I keep it in the refrigerator," the doctor said. "You mean the parallelogram over there? Would you mind getting it for me? And opening the mustard, too? After all, I'm just a tiny bird." The doctor walked over to the refrigerator, grumbling, the bird following along. "It says General Electric, not refrigerator," the bird said. "Is it a brigadier general?" The doctor looked baffled for a moment, then silently put some mustard on a little plate. The bird pecked at the mustard. "He wasn't the bravest of generals," the bird casually said. "He wouldn't get out of the shallow end of the pool. He wouldn't let me have any mustard, either."


Mini Challenge:

Mount Olympus,
arsonist,
portraits,
birch trees,
"that car needs a new muffler"

The artist went up on the mountain to do a painting. He found found some nice birch trees by a meadow and decided to paint them. He normally did portraits, but that business was a little slow right now. He had been painting for a little over an hour when suddenly there was a flash of light and a figure stood about twenty feet in front of him, wearing a white garment that looked something like a small toga. The artist blinked, and bent down to pick up his brush, which he had dropped. Cleaning the dirt off the bristles, he considered the situation, and finally said, "Who are you?" The figure threw a lightning bolt at him, which caught his easel and painting on fire, and said, "I am Zeus. Who are you and why do you dare to come to Mount Olympus?" The man got back up off the ground, to which he had somehow fallen, and began desperately trying to put the fire out. "What are you, some kind of arsonist?" he said. "No, I am Zeus. Leader of the gods. We live on Mount Olympus. Surely you have heard of us?" The god looked at him quizzically. "You're not one of those slow witted, demented people the villages sometimes throw out, are you?" The artist looked up, having finally put out the fires. "I've heard of you, but you're not much in the news these days. People don't care about you, and don't even believe in you anymore. And in any case, this is Colorado, how did Mount Olympus end up here?" "Mount Olympus is wherever we wish it to be," Zeus said, and then looked thoughtful for a moment. He finally said, "These are strange developments. Perhaps we should start a war or simply lay waste to a few cities. Something that will remind them of us, and show them the dangers of having forgotten." The artist squeaked out a reply, "Couldn't you do something more positive?" The god looked at him. "These developments are not positive. Punishment must be given." "I'll just be going then," the man said, heading for his car. He opened the door and got in, while the god looked on in amazement. When the car started, the god jerked back and flung a lightning bolt at it. The car rocked violently and part of the exhaust system flew away, to land clattering and rolling in the meadow. The man sat in the car, bent over the steering wheel, trembling. After a time he raised his head, opened the door, and slowly got out. He walked a few paces toward the god, shoulders slumped, swaying a little, then stopped. He raised his head, and looked vaguely in the god's direction. "Begging your pardon and all, but you really, really ought to do something positive for a change. You could do some advertising, to remind people you're here, and then every now and then you could do something positive, some little act of kindness for someone that would have a major impact in their lives. It would be like winning the lottery. Lots of people would try to get on your good side then." The god paused, considering. "What acts of kindness would these be, do you think?" The artist said, "Oh, it would vary from person to person depending on the situation." He turned and pointed back toward his car. "If it was me, for instance, well, that car needs a new muffler."


Mega challenge:

apoplexy,
doctor,
hummingbird,
shallow end of the pool,
brigadier general,
mustard,
greed,
parallelogram,
slumber party,
casual

Mount Olympus,
arsonist,
portraits,
birch trees,
"that car needs a new muffler"

"We must capture Mount Olympus," the brigadier general said. "I shall put my forces around the gods while they have their slumber party. We shall form a parallelogram, with the walls closing in on them. They will never suspect a thing, until it is too late. Then we will not only have Mount Olympus, we will control the gods and all their power will be at our disposal." "You military types are so greedy," the doctor said. "In the end it just makes more work for me, patching up everybody. And by the way, you've got mustard on your face." "I do?" The general paused, wiping his face with a handkerchief and carefully looking over the results in a small mirror. "You're always sloppy when you eat," the doctor said. "It's legendary. All your portraits show food on your face." "I am simply enthusiastic when I eat," grumped the general, an eye twitching slightly. "I am enthusiastic in everything I do." "You're not trying to suffer from apoplexy again, are you?" the doctor said, peering at him. "No, no," the general said, waving him off. "It wasn't really apoplexy anyway, I just drank too.... enthusiastically." "Well, whatever," the doctor said, turning to look again at the mountain. "Those birch trees look kind of dry," he said, changing the subject. "I hope you don't start any fires. That last place looked like it was overrun by arsonists after you got done." "Oh, I'm sure everything will be alright," the general said casually. He paused then. "That hummingbird over there, watching us. Do you think he could be a spy for Zeus?" The doctor looked. "I thought Zeus used larger birds," he said slowly. "Perhaps, though, he is economizing these days, and using smaller things." The general turned and looked at him. "You're not going to bring up that thing about me using the shallow end of the pool again, are you?" The doctor looked momentarily puzzled. "Eh? No, no. At least not right now. Although I do have a complaint about what you drive. That car needs a new muffler." "It is just enthusiastic about being alive, as am I," the general muttered. The hummingbird flew over and hovered in front of the general's face, while he looked at it cross-eyed. It then pecked his nose a few times and flew away. "What was that all about," the general said, wide-eyed. The doctor peered at him. "I think it likes mustard," he said. "You've still got some on your nose."