Friday, August 07, 2009

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 75





This is week 75 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. I had an awful, awful, awful time with this weeks words. I mean awful. Hope the rest of you did better.





The words for this week's ten word challenge were: reluctant, sacrilege, territory, humiliating, master of ceremonies, gesture, dirty deed, crumbling, thaw, token For the mini challenge: official portrait, personal bank account, shoulder bone, unbearable, widow







My 10 word:


It feels like sacrilege to be as reluctant as I am at the moment to do wordzzles this week. I am, after all, the mistress/master of ceremonies, so to speak. This is my territory and it feels humiliating to have my creative energy crumbling away like this. Anyway, this dirty deed, token gesture of 10-word is all I can come up with until my brain and spirit thaw from whatever is troubling me.







My mini:

For Widow Margaret Johansenn the pain of her loss - even after all these months - remained almost unbearable. Today was the unveiling of the official portrait that had been begun just before the accident which killed George and left her with little more than bruises and a broken shoulder bone. Cynics thought she had married him for his personal bank account, but they were wrong. She had loved him with her whole being. Not that she didn't enjoy being rich. Money was nice. But George had been nicer.


And the maxi:

Climbing over crumbling rocks outside his tiny cabin in the Northwest Territory, George Johansenn felt liberated and free in the isolation and beauty of this retreat. While he waited for the Spring thaw, he rested and read and contemplated the radical choice he had made four months earlier. He had reluctantly realized that the life he had been living had become unbearable. The commissioning of an official portrait had been the final straw for him. The burden of his responsiblities had felt overwhelming. Quitting was not an option. It would have been humiliating, a sacrilege to the altar of family honor. So he had decided that he would have to die... or at least seem to die. He had planned his death with great care, leaving a substantial personal bank account and estate for his "widow," whom he deeply loved. He had It was a measure of the depth of his despair that he had been able to leave her behind. The only thing that had gone wrong with his plan was that she too had been injured. Luckily it was only a broken shoulder bone. She would recover, he was sure. He had hated to cause her grief but he knew the life ahead would not suit her and he wanted her to be happy. In token of his love he had sent a puppy for her to love and which he hoped would comfort her in her grief. He had hated hurting her, but it had felt like his only choice. Now he had to put it all behind him. The dirty deed was done, gestures of love made and there was no turning back. He was master of ceremonies for his own future and free of both old burdends and joys.




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Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: superlative, flea market, falling leaves, disinformation, who was that masked man?, keeping kids out of trouble, I'm a believer, bonnet in the attic, staff, generation

For the mini challenge: deep in the forest, government, charming, heirlooms, flabbergasted





Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.






Enjoy! See you next week.






DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!





11 comments:

MommyWizdom said...

I swear, I did not read yours before writing mine. I guess these words just lent themselves to suicidal husbands... I loved "George was nicer."

I thought your stories were great, despite your crumbling muse.

Have a great week and thanks for hosting!! Wow, 75th!


MommyWizdom

Carletta said...

Hi Raven,
I read your first two. It's great how you can take the words and make something out of your everyday life with them.
Yes, I also liked 'George was nicer.'

Sorry I haven't been here - migraines have me down.

quilly said...

Poor Margaret!

And I hope you are feeling better soon!

DawnTreader said...

Raven, I think your stories this week were really excellent, and especially the 10-worder - using the words to convey the struggle you had with those same words!!! That shows real fighting spirit ;)

gabrielle said...

Sometimes there is no choice but to make a clean break of those things that imprison the spirit. It was so endearing how George thought not only of his own future, but Margaret's as well.

Kudos on 75!!!

I am sorry you are feeling weary. Please be gentle with yourself.

Richard said...

Great stories this week. My fav was the last.

Argent said...

Wow! If this is you when you're struggling, I can't wait to see what you come up with on a good day. I love all three of these this week and George and Margaret's story superb!

Dr.John said...

s always you are the Master. I loved the last two stories that are really one story. Making them all come together is a good thing.
If this is what you do when your " creative energy is crumbling away" then you may be the greatest ever.

Reston Friends! said...

I like how you self-examine in your writing, and share what you're learning in the process. You're a wonderful writer, Raven. Give yourself a big hug of affirmation and praise -- you DESERVE it!

I have Vacation Bible School duty all day today, so I'll read everyone else's when I get back!

Stephen said...

I thought that the 10 word story used up the words very nicely and in a creative way. The next two stories, forming the story of George and Margaret Johansenn, were very good. I can understand how George might have felt he had no other choice but to fake his death, but the outcome may not be good for either of them. He feels happy now, alone in the wilderness, but at the cost of everything else. His wife, who thinks he's dead, misses him greatly, and while he left her plenty of money, and the puppy, it's not the same as him being there with her. They were good stories, though, and people do make decisions like that in real life.

I'm very late, but I have my own stories up now.

Stephen from Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
http://stephen-has-spoken.blogspot.com/

Akelamalu said...

You always do such a great job with the words, even when you're saying you can't think of anything to write!!

Sorry I've not played for a couple of weeks but we just got back from another weekend jaunt - I know you won't blame me. x