Wordzzle 72 - Horse play

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 sixteenth time I've played the game.


Ten Word Challenge:

corn pone,
delegation,
nectarines,
happiness,
12 going on 13,
prancing horses,
magenta,
butterflies,
fragmentary,
arthritis

I was eating corn pone and nectarines, when magenta prancing horses, accompanied by a cloud of butterflies, came up. They weren't young horses either, maybe 12 going on 13, and some of them seemed hampered by arthritis. Nevertheless, they continued prancing, radiating happiness.

After a time they finished, and one of them, evidently their leader, came toward me. He began to speak, in broken, fragmentary English. It was hard to interpret what he was saying, and I had to ask him to repeat it several times. He kept eyeing my food, too, which made me nervous. I finally gathered that they were a delegation of some kind, on their way to something, though I was never able to determine what. The horse was looking more and more upset and frustrated.

Finally it backed up, its eyes looking strained and a little wild, and rejoined the others. The others gathered around him and he talked to them, evidently about what had happened, though I couldn't hear anything from where I was. Some of them turned toward me, though, giving me hurt looks. Then they all galloped away, to wherever else they were going, I guess.

One of the butterflies came and settled on my shoulder. "You could have at least offered them part of your food."

"I don't have enough for a herd of horses. Divided up that much, there wouldn't even be enough to taste."

"You could have offered the leader something. There would have been enough for him to taste."

"Perhaps, but then he would have eaten it in front of the others. I wouldn't have had anything to offer them."

"Well, I'm here. Are you going to refuse to offer me part of your nectarines, because you're afraid that you can't feed all the butterflies?"

I sighed. "Alright, would you like to have some of my nectarines?"

"Why, thank you!" the butterfly said, and flew off my shoulder and landed on one, and began to eat. Suddenly, the butterfly transformed into a beautiful woman. She snuggled up to me and said, "Now, isn't that much better?"

I drew back a bit, still in shock, and said, "But, how? How did... How was I supposed to know?"

She began to kiss me. "Why, silly, you were told over and over, it came straight from the horse's mouth, you just refused to listen."


Mini Challenge:

lavender cowboy,
over the moon,
preparation,
zebra,
area rug

I was out walking one day and had stopped, making preparations to eat, when a lavender cowboy rode up on a zebra, with an area rug for a saddle. He took off his hat and began singing, "Oh bury me not, on the lone Serengeti..." The zebra rolled its eyes. The cowboy finished the song and started another. "As I walked down the streets of Nairobi, as I walked down Nairobi today..." The zebra looked at me, its eyes pleading. The cowboy finished and started yet another. "I'm back in the Sahara, again, back where an oasis is your friend..." The zebra wept openly, then suddenly turned and galloped off a cliff. I went over and looked. Beyond was an almost vertical, ragged slope, with a distant river at the bottom. I saw no sign of them.

That night, over the moon, I saw a cloud that looked like a horse and rider. The wind carried to me sounds of "Ghost riders in the Olduvai...." accompanied with a mournful wailing. I guess some things are just meant to be.


Mega challenge:

corn pone,
delegation,
nectarines,
happiness,
12 going on 13,
prancing horses,
magenta,
butterflies,
fragmentary,
arthritis

lavender cowboy,
over the moon,
preparation,
zebra,
area rug

A delegation of prancing horses went by. On each horse was a lavender cowboy. On each cowboy's hat was a nectarine, and on each nectarine was a butterfly. Each cowboy also had a magenta leather bag containing corn pone, and they kept reaching into it and getting another piece to eat, occasionally sharing one with their horses. Though it was daytime, the moon shone faintly in the sky, and over the moon a few bright stars could be seen. The wind brought to me fragmentary bits of song. Happiness seemed everywhere.

The zebra, standing beside me, said, "I'm 12 going on 13, but I'm tempted to join them. My arthritis has been better lately."

"I don't have much in the way of preparations," I said, "but I could put this area rug on you for a saddle."

The zebra looked at me doubtfully. "You're not going to sing again, are you?"

"Don't worry, I'll change the songs to make it seem like they're about Africa."