Wordzzle 91 - No telling
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 two weeks after the previous one, as a week was skipped for Thanksgiving.
This is my entry number 35, for Wordzzle week 91.
Ten Word Challenge:
edge,
haven,
sunglasses,
sprightly,
telling,
frazzled,
juicy,
quartet,
tied,
necklace
There was no haven here. His eyes, hidden by sunglasses, looked out, surveying the land. More dirt crumbled from the edge of the cliff, taking a chunk of pavement with it this time. The man stepped back slightly, and checked the time on his broken watch. It didn't tell him anything useful. Looking a bit frazzled now, he stepped back a little more. From somewhere, it seemed, he thought he heard the sound of a quartet singing. It was a sprightly tune, or could be, but it seemed distorted by distance, almost slowed down. Looking at the edge again, he noticed a spiderweb on one of the posts. Just the thing for catching juicy flies, he thought. Not much good for larger things. His shoes needed polishing he noticed, and one had become untied. No matter. It didn't seem important now. He started to look at his watch again, and then put his arm back down. He loosened his tie, and finally took it off. Women are lucky with their necklaces, he thought, and don't have to wear these choking things. He wadded it up and tried to stuff it in a coat pocket, then finally got frustrated and threw it away. He watched it sail out over the cliff, slowly turning. That probably wasn't the most prudent thing to do, but it was just the latest in a long line of not-so-prudent things. He walked back and forth a little, then tapped his foot in impatience. The sun was setting now. This certainly was taking a long time. He almost looked at his watch, then stuck his hand firmly in his pants pocket. It used to be you could depend on things, but there was just no telling now.
Finally, a large white horse trotted up. It had a saddle on it, but no rider. He was unfamiliar with horses, but this would have to do. He put a foot in the stirrup, then swung into the saddle. It felt right, somehow, to be sitting there. He peered out over the cliff one last time, at the burning car far below, then rode away.
Mini Challenge:
bees,
crackling,
wooden,
staple,
earful
The bees buzzed boundlessly,
all across their flowered spot.
The crackling footsteps going by
disturbed their working not.
The squirrel got an earful and looked
from its wooden home to see.
A bear, in the woods that day,
peered out from behind a tree.
A caterpillar munched happily
upon a tasty leaf,
for leaves were its staple food
and its food in chief.
The woman strode upon her way,
no creature did she see.
Oblivious to the world she went,
lost in reverie.
In dreams of colored cloth and colored thread
and sewing merrily,
and contemplating the age-old thought,
of whether to bee or not to bee.
Mega challenge:
edge,
haven,
sunglasses,
sprightly,
telling,
frazzled,
juicy,
quartet,
tied,
necklace
bees,
crackling,
wooden,
staple,
earful
"Mind your own beeswax," she said.
"Huh?"
"You heard me, keep your nose out of it."
He sighed, in a frazzled sort of way. He knew he was going to get an earful if he kept this up, but there seemed no other way. "Look, we've got to settle this..."
She turned to him and pulled his sunglasses off and punched him in the eye, then put them back on. "That settle it for you?"
"Ow!" he said, in what he hoped was a sprightly manner. "Not really!"
She started to reach for his sunglasses again, and he stepped back quickly. "Surely we can talk about this."
"Enjoy yourself. Let me know when you're done."
"That's not very helpful."
"Apparently not. Let me try this." She took off his necktie, wrapped it tightly around his mouth, and stapled it together at the back of his head. "How about that?"
"Ib's harb bu balk bike bis."
"I'm glad you noticed." She then began to staple the sleeves of his coat to his pants.
"Mmmph!"
"You brought this on yourself." She reached down and untied his shoes, then tied them to each other. She put another quartet of staples in his pants at the knees, binding them together.
She turned and started to walk away, and he hopped after her, then tripped and fell on the wooden floor. He hoped the crackling sound he heard wasn't him. He squirmed and twisted and managed to pull his sleeves lose, with a sickening ripping sound. He then tore his necktie loose, and let it fall on his shoulders like a strange necklace.
"I wish you hadn't done that," he said.
"We all have our dreams."
"I have to know the year you were born. It's not like I'm after some new bit of juicy gossip. I have to have it to do a proper astrological chart."
"I told you," she said, looking frazzled, "that I'm not going to tell you."
"But how will we ever know if we're compatible?"
"Look," she said, a real edge in her voice, "you're driving me crazy."
"At least it's a short trip."
"What?!"
He wasn't sure what happened after that. The nurses at the Merciful Haven Hospital kept the charts hidden, and the doctors weren't telling.
This is two weeks after the previous one, as a week was skipped for Thanksgiving.
This is my entry number 35, for Wordzzle week 91.
Ten Word Challenge:
edge,
haven,
sunglasses,
sprightly,
telling,
frazzled,
juicy,
quartet,
tied,
necklace
There was no haven here. His eyes, hidden by sunglasses, looked out, surveying the land. More dirt crumbled from the edge of the cliff, taking a chunk of pavement with it this time. The man stepped back slightly, and checked the time on his broken watch. It didn't tell him anything useful. Looking a bit frazzled now, he stepped back a little more. From somewhere, it seemed, he thought he heard the sound of a quartet singing. It was a sprightly tune, or could be, but it seemed distorted by distance, almost slowed down. Looking at the edge again, he noticed a spiderweb on one of the posts. Just the thing for catching juicy flies, he thought. Not much good for larger things. His shoes needed polishing he noticed, and one had become untied. No matter. It didn't seem important now. He started to look at his watch again, and then put his arm back down. He loosened his tie, and finally took it off. Women are lucky with their necklaces, he thought, and don't have to wear these choking things. He wadded it up and tried to stuff it in a coat pocket, then finally got frustrated and threw it away. He watched it sail out over the cliff, slowly turning. That probably wasn't the most prudent thing to do, but it was just the latest in a long line of not-so-prudent things. He walked back and forth a little, then tapped his foot in impatience. The sun was setting now. This certainly was taking a long time. He almost looked at his watch, then stuck his hand firmly in his pants pocket. It used to be you could depend on things, but there was just no telling now.
Finally, a large white horse trotted up. It had a saddle on it, but no rider. He was unfamiliar with horses, but this would have to do. He put a foot in the stirrup, then swung into the saddle. It felt right, somehow, to be sitting there. He peered out over the cliff one last time, at the burning car far below, then rode away.
Mini Challenge:
bees,
crackling,
wooden,
staple,
earful
The bees buzzed boundlessly,
all across their flowered spot.
The crackling footsteps going by
disturbed their working not.
The squirrel got an earful and looked
from its wooden home to see.
A bear, in the woods that day,
peered out from behind a tree.
A caterpillar munched happily
upon a tasty leaf,
for leaves were its staple food
and its food in chief.
The woman strode upon her way,
no creature did she see.
Oblivious to the world she went,
lost in reverie.
In dreams of colored cloth and colored thread
and sewing merrily,
and contemplating the age-old thought,
of whether to bee or not to bee.
Mega challenge:
edge,
haven,
sunglasses,
sprightly,
telling,
frazzled,
juicy,
quartet,
tied,
necklace
bees,
crackling,
wooden,
staple,
earful
"Mind your own beeswax," she said.
"Huh?"
"You heard me, keep your nose out of it."
He sighed, in a frazzled sort of way. He knew he was going to get an earful if he kept this up, but there seemed no other way. "Look, we've got to settle this..."
She turned to him and pulled his sunglasses off and punched him in the eye, then put them back on. "That settle it for you?"
"Ow!" he said, in what he hoped was a sprightly manner. "Not really!"
She started to reach for his sunglasses again, and he stepped back quickly. "Surely we can talk about this."
"Enjoy yourself. Let me know when you're done."
"That's not very helpful."
"Apparently not. Let me try this." She took off his necktie, wrapped it tightly around his mouth, and stapled it together at the back of his head. "How about that?"
"Ib's harb bu balk bike bis."
"I'm glad you noticed." She then began to staple the sleeves of his coat to his pants.
"Mmmph!"
"You brought this on yourself." She reached down and untied his shoes, then tied them to each other. She put another quartet of staples in his pants at the knees, binding them together.
She turned and started to walk away, and he hopped after her, then tripped and fell on the wooden floor. He hoped the crackling sound he heard wasn't him. He squirmed and twisted and managed to pull his sleeves lose, with a sickening ripping sound. He then tore his necktie loose, and let it fall on his shoulders like a strange necklace.
"I wish you hadn't done that," he said.
"We all have our dreams."
"I have to know the year you were born. It's not like I'm after some new bit of juicy gossip. I have to have it to do a proper astrological chart."
"I told you," she said, looking frazzled, "that I'm not going to tell you."
"But how will we ever know if we're compatible?"
"Look," she said, a real edge in her voice, "you're driving me crazy."
"At least it's a short trip."
"What?!"
He wasn't sure what happened after that. The nurses at the Merciful Haven Hospital kept the charts hidden, and the doctors weren't telling.
posted by Stephen at 12/04/2009 11:53:00 PM
4 Comments:
A poem this week too! Enjoyable as always. Your humor and dialog always delight me. Your first one was intriguing and left me with unanswered questions.... well that last one had some unanswered questions too.
I enjoyed the playfulness of the poem - especially the neat ending. The first story was intriguing. It occurs to me that the man had died in the crash and this was his afterlife, in any case the piece had a very cinematic feel - I could see it clearly. I really enjoyed the last story too with the woman going at the man with those staples - highly entertaining.
Great writing - I love the poem!
I like Raven have some wondering in one and three. I liked the poem.
Post a Comment
<< Home