Saturday, November 06, 2010

Weekly Wordzzle Challenge # 134


Well my apologies for running late with this weeks Weekly Wordzzle challenge - #134. It's a measure of how rotten I feel that it only now occurred to me that I could post the words and Mr. Linky even if I don't post my own stuff yet. Sorry to be running so late.

4:00 PM Monday.  FINALLY got mine posted. Whew.


Words for this week's 10-word challenge were: charity, clouds, empty bottle, Give me liberty or give me death, medicine, shrimp, clear as a bell, credible, hole, Aunt Sally  and for the mini: just like you, leaves, everything in the store, continuing, dramatic


My mega:

Charity MacDougal looked at the empty bottle of Aunt Sally's sleeping pills and picked up the suicide note, which, in typically dramatic Aunt Sally style, read "Give Me Liberty or Give me Death," and was glad that there had only been enough pills in the bottle to give the sweet old woman a good rest and not a bad death. Looking out the window at the Autumn leaves blowing in the a chill, damp wind, Charity felt guilty for neglecting the tiny shrimp of a woman who had always made her feel loved and protected, no matter what. Aunt Sally had always found the sunshine behind the clouds and had had a gift for transforming the worst tragedy into "good medicine" as she liked to call it.  She had a laugh that was clear as a bell and a smile that could fill the holes in the most hardened heart. Her own heart was as big as the world and her generosity was boundless. In better days, Charity mused - Aunt Sally would have bought her everything in the store if she had even looked like she wanted it. Charity gazed fondly at the sleeping woman, warmed by the continuing flow of memories kept flooding over her. In her younger days Aunt Sally had done a pretty credible imitation of the Wicked Witch of the West that had delighted Charity and still made her laugh just thinking about it. I wanted to grow up to be just like you, Aunt Sally, but I guess I forgot that you were getting old and fragile and needed my love as much as I have always relied on yours. Thank God it's not too late to fix that. And saying that, she kissed the sleeping woman on the forehead and started making calls to make sure Aunt Sally would never feel alone again.


My mini:

Dante Smith's new store was called JUST LIKE YOU.  He had designed every dress in the store himself. They were dramatic and unique and infinitely - in his opinion - wearable. Despite his creative genius, business was not good... it was, in fact awful.  Even his continuing "everything in the store" half price sale didn't seem to be drawing new customers. He had been feeling hopeless... and then she walked in, tried on dress after dress (looking awesome in every one) and bought dozen. Next day she came back with five friends. He was a success.


My 10-word:  (sorry... about this one...)


Watching the clouds drift across the moonlit sky, Aunt Sally shook her head in dismay as she listened to the election results. Some announcer or politician - she had stopped paying attention - announced that the public had made their feelings "clear as a bell." Clear as a bell in an iron box with cotton wrapped around the ringer, she muttered to herself  unhappily and headed to bed for a restless sleep. In the morning, she looked at the empty bottle of medicine on her counter and shook her head that the people of her country had thought it was a good idea to elect to Congress a bunch of people who would cut taxes for rich people and food stamps and health care for the poor.  But that is what had  happened. There was no credible explanation for it except that they were the most easily duped bunch of dimwits ever to eagerly offer a shovel to their enemy and then help dig the hole into which said enemy hoped to push them. She especially hated that the same people who were eager to devastate the poor considered any acts of public "charity" to be socialism and had duped the very people they would most hurt into chanting slogans like "Give me Liberty or Give me Death," and had them talking about reclaiming freedoms they hadn't lost. It was tragic and infuriating both. She shook her head listening to someone interview a shrimp fishermen whose business had been decimated by the BP oil spill vilifying those who would put curbs on the rights of those industries to run rough-shod over the environment and the people who inhabited it.  Global warming wasn't real, the poor were just lazy, the rich were being picked on... surely she was in an episode of the Twilight Zone and would wake up to find out it had all been an unhappy nightmare. But alas, she knew the nightmare was just beginning.


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Word for next week's 10 word challenge are:  chilly, free for all, fit as a fiddle and ready for love, cows, phone book, casserole, witch, wedding, courage, passionate

And for the mini:  martini, galloping, stallion, ocean, musical


Thank you for playing.  Newcomers can check here for guidelines (there are no rules) to make the game easier and more fun.


4 comments:

MommyWizdom said...

Feel better, Raven. Take lots of vitamin C and zinc.

MommyWizdom

The Bug said...

I'm up. Hope you feel better soon!

The Bug said...

Love these! I like that Aunt Sally (the 1st) won't be alone anymore. And you KNOW I agree with your 10 worder - you said it better than I could!

Argent said...

Your mega was very tenderly drawn. It's only when we think we've lost someone that we really appreciate them. Your little story is a good reminder to cherish people which they are still with us.

Dante Smith! What a great character name. Your mini was a nice little self-contained gem this week,

Your 10-worder was a very well constructed piece I thought. It is a great shame that people in large groups sometimes behave like idiots.

Hope you're feeling better now. My short pieces are up now.