giraffe

Very good everybody! Very little time here.

Doug, you may have misused 'qualm, but you made up for it with ethanol.

ladyhwin

Yes, Doug I enjoyed it, considering all the strange stories I've read from you. Excellent job!

Jocelyn? *applause* as always. Not the direction I expected from you either, I must have gotten your thinking messed up

Keep it up!!!

midnightpoet

Have to give my muse a little bit of the credit on this one. 277 not counting title...

"The Honeymoon"

“I hate you, Ethan!”
“My name's not Ethan...”
“Well, then I don't hate you. But I obviously don't love you enough to remember your name after ten years of marriage!”
“Honey, we just got married yesterday. This is our honeymoon...”
“Well then who have I been married to for ten years?!”
“Hopefully no one. We've been dating for two years.”
“Wow...you must be really devoted to date a married woman...”
“You're MY wife. We JUST got married!”
“Did you know I'm a queen, and you're a king. King Ethan!”
“My name's not Ethan!”
“Well, it should be Ethan. I declare that your name is Ethan. Tell my kinsmen!”
“What are you talking about?!”
“Shall we have cabbage soup for dinner?”
“Okay, this may have started as a joke, but now I ardently hope that you've lost your mind. I have no qualms about having you committed.”
“Committed? We must be, if we, as you say, just got married.”
“Yes, dear. That's what the ring on your finger symbolizes.”
“What a lovely ring! Is it of elven origins?”
“Elves are fictitious.”
“Of course they are. I just want to know if they made it, silly.”
“Honey, you really slay me with your rye sense of humor, but I'm getting seriously freaked out now.”
“Shouldn't we be having sex?”
“What?!”
“Well, if we're on our honeymoon, shouldn't we be having sex?”
“We just got done. I've screwed the sanity right out of you.”
“That's why I love you, Ethan.”
“My name's not Ethan.”

ladyhwin

HAhahahaha, very nice midnight. Enjoyed the entire thing, especially the idea of conversation without description. *applause* to you too!

Dragon

That was fun midnight, interesting use of rye.

giraffe

ARDENTURE Ch.2

Ethan told me later that when I refused to go, he lost his sense of power AND humor for over a week. He was thinkin', "How could someone so ardently refuse to follow their own heart then let it turn cold on purpose? 'There must be some other influence like elves or witches. This couldn't be just a matter of kin."

I didn't want him knowin' thet Pa swore he'd slay any man thet asked for my devotions. I was Pa's 'Billie Queen' an he weren't about to let me go. Ma knew. I swear she did, but she jes pretended not ta notice.

So like a lost soul always does, Ethan got stupid an come back. He's comin' thru the rye fer me. He went straight up to Pa at the mill and asked if he could take me with im. Well Pa took about one second to turn all red and puffy. He raised a shovel to kill Ethan when the foreman grabbed it away from im.

"Whadda you got aginst this boy, Jeb?"

"He been amessin with my Billie's head. He wants the two of em ta run off. Ya know I won't stand for somethin that sick."

"Ya mean he's like....... that?"

"Yep."

"Jeb's right. Git outta here, son, before we both kills ya."

Ethan ran to my house an told Ma he decided ta break it off with me. He jes needed ta talk in private like a gentelman. Ma knew. She remembered Pa in my room. She jes pointed at my bedroom door.

We ran fast, found them other folks an lived happy. Pa ain't the same..

"Aargh, aargh. We're sailin mighty sea, matey."

giraffe

I'm not sure what this is about. Defiance, authority, polarizing, sameness, romance, prejudice, humor. It's at least about the unknown.

Midnight, your delusional bride is charming. Can I marry her next? Really good writing.

Doug

Back again for another stab at wowing the audience or maybe just quenching this writing bug I have right now. I will need to take a brief break. I just got Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol and with my work schedule it doesn't leave me a lot of time to read so something has to give. I'll pop in and comment. This one's a thinker. I'm sure somebody or all of you will "get it" but this one I didn't just bang out although the idea rushed in and grabbed me until I put pen to paper. 277 words including title...

Lost Souls

“We don’t need no education…”

An empty stool sat in the corner of Ethan’s classroom. Ethan thought too many empty stools to himself. It’s not that he had any qualms about teaching what few students showed up, but he still lamented that maybe his years of educating youth seemed worthless or pointless..

“We don’t need no thought control…”

Ethan spent four years at Queens College and got his masters at Harvard. Coming from an Ivy League background his views skewed towards the right wing fire and brimstone thinking and his teaching style emulated that.

“No dark sarcasm in the classroom…”

Ethan wished his students were more as he was “back in a day”. Education was the way to set your life on the right path. Today, Ethan felt like time had passed him by, an aging dinosaur, caught up in the muck and mire akin to teaching cabbage heads.

“Teachers!...Leave those kids alone”.

Ethan’s’ school, Kiski Prep, had a long history of churning out the best of the best including two presidents and enough generals to fill an armory. Sure, it was a tough school. The headmaster Dr. Slayton ran the school with a bullwhip. Idle chatter and laziness need not apply. What few scholarships the school did offer the “common youth” still went to friends of the establishment. Whether by elven magic or a nod from ardently devoted alumnus Kiski prep was “the” school for higher learning.

Ethan stared at the empty stool again…The one in the corner by the window that had a grand view of everything green….A tear came to his eye.

“All in all we’re just another brick in the wall…”

Doug

Nylecoj: A bit iffy for me. (a stream through the dessert?) ..desert....glimps +e=glimpse. The typos kind of threw me off.

giraffe: ardenture ch. 2...loved it better than the first one. I could just see the whole thing happen and the hick speak was hilarious. I think ya planned for Pa not to kilt the hillbilly so ya' could ponder yourself on chapter 3. lol.

Doug

midnight: You and your "muse" really wanged up a whopper this time. It was brilliant and delicious. The part about having "sex" was a superb riot. Outstanding....I bow down to greatness....Love it!!!

Qsilv

Doug - I love this one!
You've painted a tone poem... paced it... created such a believable "Ethan" type and chosen wonderful other names... all without pushing it over the edge into maudlin or merely peculiar.
(Of course that damned song'll be playing tag in the back of my mind all day...)

ladyhwin

Celynor
Tales are told in mortal kingdoms of princesses, true love and happiness.
Tales are told in elven realms of maidens, magic and sorrow.
Let me, the Storyteller, weave you the legend of Celynor. Only a part may be told here, for it is long and intricate.
Celynor was born a princess and grew up among her kin. But the time soon drew near for her to take up the crown. Celynor trembled at the idea until finally her qualms overpowered her desire to please and she passed the role of queen to her younger sister; choosing instead to reside in a beautiful tree, eat rye bread and watch the other elves.
Celynor’s beauty was acclaimed far and wide – and most righteously was it deserved. Tall and straight, with glistening black hair and a charming smile, already she drew attention, but it was only by looking at her eyes that one could believe in magic. Dark brown, they showed a carefree happiness and mischief danced constantly, causing such a mystical appearance one was forced to blink in astonishment.
Celynor’s heart could not be claimed; many had tried in vain and never succeeded. She loved freely, but was devoted to few and those she valued most ardently.
Wearily, Celynor arose from her seat and looked at the drawing – nearly completed. She frowned. Ethan was a most complex subject and cabbage was nearly impossible
Oh well, tomorrow would be a new day, she could try again. If not, she would return to writing and slay the man who had advised her to draw.
With a deep breath, the elf turned and stepped into her home, contented with her day.

ladyhwin

AAAAANnnnnnnddddd.... giraffe, very nice continuation of the Ardenture story. I'm enjoying it.... 3rd chapter coming soon?

Doug, very very well done. Of course, your stories always interest me and absolutely no exception this time!!

Doug

ladyhwin: Thanks! Though I'm pretty sure I missed the word "rye" I do apologize but I passed the torch to you so no "give backs". I can just have a little fun. Love to write those "thinkers". I think the thread is called "THINKwrite". lol.

Nylecoj

WOW, Amazing stories just popped up! Ladyhwin, Doug, Giraffe, and Midnight all were brilliant!

Doug: sorry about the typos, and thank you for the corrections.

marius

ladyhwin, love your word list. Am still sick with last week's stuff so hope to catch up on all the stories in a few days. Looks like you've got a great TW going! Hands clapping for ya!

Angelia

"Look at that Ethan!"

(a story in which, Molly is VERY intrested
in things. there is a dragon, and he wishes for quiet.)

(and many other things happen.)

"oh Ethan! come and see! look do you see it? there, behind that tree! sticking out you see, is a horn of a unicorn!'
and now Ethan, don't you hear? the dwarfs are playing their drums!"
BOOM, DOOM, boom boom BOOM! boom, DOOM!
"did you know? the flowers are having a ball today! and look! there they are! I wonder if they would let a cabbage dance with them? that would be such fun to see!'
oh! listen! the elves are singing! and ...ah their queen has the the most beautiful voice of all!
'and, ugg! the sound of 500 goblins going to a terrible war, full of slaying. I would have a qualm, if we should meet them!
'now look there. those nomes are digging! and with a lot of devotion, don't you think so Ethan?
'oh! now the fairys are singing! I ardently wish to join them!'
and there are the Ents! they seem to be having a meeting. hours they have been standing there and I didn't even notice! I wonder if they're finished with the roll call yet?'
and Ethan! the eagles! they are flying over there! it's a hunting party I think. but wait! that one is not an eagle! it's a dragon! oh Ethan! it's flying this way! and now-" GULP!
"...that person talked to much." the dragon said 'it tasted good to, she would have gone good with rye bread." and the dragon flew off, leaving Ethan to wonder why the goblins wre singing about elves eating rye bread. at least... that's what he chose to think he heard



(277 words including all of the above)

ladyhwin

Hahahaha!!!! That was amazing, Bri!!! I loved it and laughed so hard!

giraffe

Angelia. I think I chose to think I heard a lot of social commentary. Unicorn is future hope. Dwarfs are conformity. Goblins are soldiers. Gnomes are working class. Ents are congress. Eagles are fighter planes. Dragon is the bomb and the rye is "Let them eat cake." I don't know if you meant it that way, but that's what I think I heard.

giraffe

Doug, Yeah (sigh).