Wordzzle 67 - Bargain basement

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.

This is the eleventh time I've played the game.


Ten Word Challenge:

nausea,
everything is on sale,
expect great things,
frying pan,
pledge,
birds of a feather,
stick,
Saturday morning,
liver and bacon,
caterpillars

The birds of a feather, carrying a big stick, landed. The caterpillars, having their Saturday morning liver and bacon, watched. The frying pan, fulfilling its pledge, hopped forward.

"Did you have trouble finding it?" it asked the birds.

"It was on sale," said one of the birds. "Everything is on sale today."

The frying pan nodded, then leaned forward and the birds put the stick in it.

"We expect great things," another bird said.

The frying pan nodded again, but less this time. The stick projected beyond it's edge, and it didn't want it to fall out.

It went into the living room, then, where it slowly started turning around and around, tipping itself this way and that to keep the big stick from falling out. It picked up speed, and spun faster and faster, till you'd think it would be suffering from nausea.

Then it suddenly threw the stick at the stepladder, which promptly fell over, sending the cat tumbling. A little bird in a cage hanging from the ceiling sat in its swing and watched, its eyes big and worried.

"Sufferin' succotash," the cat said. "What was that?"

The little bird leaned forward, its eyes narrowing in anger. "Serves you right, you bad old puddy tat! Now go away or I'll hit you again!"


Mini Challenge:

aggravation,
protective,
bargain basement,
take me out to the ballgame,
break a leg

"Take me out to the ballgame," the bargain basement radio played, for the third time in a row. I was starting to feel some aggravation toward it.

"Can't you play anything else?"

"I just do what I'm told."

"Fine, play something else."

"Let me clarify something. I do what I'm told by certain people. You're not one of them."

"If I had spent a little more money, this wouldn't be happening. I just know it."

"Yes, but you're too protective of your wallet. Now you're stuck with me. I think I'll play the song another four or five times, just to make sure you know all the words."

"No! I'd break a leg off you and beat you into little pieces with it, if you had any legs."

"I don't, but you wouldn't anyway. You're too cheap. You couldn't stand to destroy something you paid money for."

"I don't understand it! I've never had these problems with a radio! I've never had one talk back to me, either."

It turned toward him and grinned. "Who said I was a radio?"


Mega challenge:

nausea,
everything is on sale,
expect great things,
frying pan,
pledge,
birds of a feather,
stick,
Saturday morning,
liver and bacon,
caterpillars

aggravation,
protective,
bargain basement,
take me out to the ballgame,
break a leg

"Here's your liver and bacon," she said.

He groaned. "It's Saturday morning. Why do I have to get up so early?"

"You were going to take me out to the ballgame, remember?"

"I just took you to one last night. What is this with ball games? It's not for hours, anyway."

"I just like them right now. I get these streaks where I like certain things. Here, eat this, it's your favorite."

"It was my favorite, before I had it ten meals in a row."

"Well, at least I'm not serving you something weird, like ants or caterpillars."

He sighed. "No. but that will probably be next." He sat up in bed and took the tray and started poking at the food, resisting an urge to put his hands protectively over his stomach.

"Hurry up and eat it," she said. "If you wait too long it'll get cold and I'll have to put it back into the frying pan again."

"I still don't understand why I'm getting up so early."

"We have to go to the store. Everything is on sale today, real bargain basement prices. We have to get there early, before the good stuff is gone. We already talked about this, remember? You promised you would go with me. You pledged!"

He stared at her. "I pledged? I don't remember anything about it!"

"Well, I'm sure I saw you nod. That's close enough. Now eat your food."

Looking somewhat haunted, he took a big bite of the liver and bacon. A wave of nausea went through him, but he managed to suppress it. "What is it you were trying to buy?"

"Oh, probably lots of things, but I particularly wanted to get some sports stuff. You know, caps and T-shirts with team logos, bumper stickers, stuff like that."

"I really could stay here," he said, a trace of aggravation in his voice. "I don't have to be there."

"It's more fun with somebody with me. And I need you to help carry things."

"I'm not sure I'm strong enough to carry all that."

"Oh, I'm sure you can. I expect great things of you. Now, come on, break a leg and get moving. We have to hurry."

He paused, the fork partway to his mouth. "That's 'shake a leg.' If I break a leg, will you let me stay home?"

"No, we'll just rent a wheelchair. Now stop complaining, you like sports, too. We're birds of a feather."

"Well, I liked watching them on TV, I never went to the games much. Until now." He finished the food and handed her the tray. "At least this game is early in the day."

"Yes," she said. "It's a good thing too. We have to go grocery shopping afterwards. We're almost out of liver and bacon."