Weekly Wordzzle Challenge # 141

Friday has whizzed around again and with it another wordzzle challenge.


Words for this week's challenge were:  sugar cookies, muscles, drama, chimes, heating vent, paprika, runes, envelope, candle holder, stubborn  And for the mini: caustic, cloudy skies, ballet, cell phone, covert




My 10-word: 


Muscles O'Toole sat staring at the envelope in his hands, trying not to feel any emotion. The stillness of the moment was broken by the clunk of the furnace and a blast of sound and warmth blowing out of the heating vent on the floor. Although the return address - Paprika, Illinois - wasn't familiar to him, he recognized the handwriting and knew that nothing good could come of opening the envelope. Warning chimes were ringing through his whole body: "Don't open it. Don't open it. Don't open it."  Nothing his ex-wife did brought anything but drama and pain. He knew this. Setting it down on the table he went into the went to the kitchen to distract himself with a glass of milk and a couple of large sugar cookies he had picked up at the bakery earlier as a special treat for his birthday. While there he picked up a fresh candle, stuck it into a candle holder and carried the lot back to the dining table where the envelope continued to stubbornly call to him like a Siren's song wooing him to crash on the rocks. He reached out tentatively towards the vile thing, then pulled his hand back as though it was a coiled snake. "Runes," he muttered to himself. I'll check with the runes. Maybe they will tell me what I need to know."   Reaching into his pocket for the little bag of runes he carried with him everywhere, he asked his question and much to his surprise - pulled the rune for "Movement" rather than some dire warning. "Well," he muttered to himself, "who was I kidding? I was always going to open the damned thing. Now I just feel a little better about it." And so saying he opened the envelope to discover a birthday card, a check for $8,000 and a note from Hannah. "Honey Babe, I know I done you wrong," she penned. "I know I can't undo the hurt, but I thought maybe at least I could pay you back the $5,000 I stole, with some interest. You're a good man. You deserved better. I did love you, best as I'm able. I'm sorry I hurt you. I don't expect you to forgive me. I just hope you can put this to good use and have a happy future. - Love, H."  Movement, indeed, he thought, smiling.  Happy Birthday to me.   




My mini: 


There was no dimming Jane's mood today, she thought, as the cell phone in her purse buzzed with unrelenting persistence. No caustic remarks from her brother, no sneers from her father could spoil it. Outside her home, even the weather seemed to be on her side. The cloudy skies were clearing and the sun had begun to shine brightly. Tonight she would dance her first ballet as prima ballerina and after the show, she would elope with Franz and together they would become the world's foremost dancers. No more covert meetings at the coffee shop, no more sneaking around. She could taste the wonder of all the new adventures that awaited. Ah - there was the lake at last. Reaching into her bag, she glanced at the call list.... all messages from her father, who considered her to be his personal slave and handmaiden. No more, she thought, tossing the phone into the lake with a joyful leap. Now off to the theater and her new name and her new life. 




My mega: 


Paprika (her husband's nickname for her because of her red hair) Runes, had not expected married life to be full of quite so much drama. Of course, she had also not expected to have triplet boys one year into it either. Triplet RED-headed boys, she should add. Followed by a red-headed daughter only 18 months later. The were now stubborn teens and her life was full of covert (their mother was SO uncool) grimaces and caustic remarks, not to mention the various chimes of 4 cell phones ringing every second of the day. The boys were all muscle and and boy/man hubris and daughter Amanda could think of nothing but how her hair looked and how repressive her parents were about what she could and could not wear and where she could and could not go. Mark - who was wonderful, it wasn't his fault really - got to escape to work every day while she  was left to deal with this troop of hormonal terrorists and their unrelenting demands and complaints. Gone were the days when a glass of milk and a plate of sugar cookies sweetened their mood and made her a goddess in their eyes. Now they seemed to view her as a mix of jailor and maid. On very rare occasions, she was a shoulder to cry on.  She didn't know quite when she had turned into the enemy. She knew it was part of the cycle of growing up, but she missed being Mommy. Life these days seemed to lack not only romance, but sunshine as well. It seemed her world was full of cloudy skies - both literally and figuratively. I'm tired, she thought to herself, wishing very much to close the curtains, lock the doors. put a lavender scented candle into her favorite candle holder, open the heating vent in the bathroom to full blast and soak in a warm bath for about a week. This lovely fantasy was interrupted by the sound of the door bell and she wondered what new problem was about to infest her day. To her great surprise it was her beloved father-in-law, who swooped her up in a big bear hug before handing her a bright blue envelope with a gold seal on it. Open it,  Pap.... you're going to like what it offers. He was practically jumping up and down with excitement and she already felt the burden of her exhaustion lifting. Opening the envelope with shaking hands, she read the following: Beloved wife. It has come to my someone benumbed attention, that I have neglected of late to tell you how much I love you and how grateful I am that you manage to handle our brood of young monsters without losing your mind completely. In an effort to remedy this grievous oversight, I have planned a surprise that I hope will please you and restore me to some worthiness of the love you have continued to bestow on me despite my failures. I have taken the liberty over the past week or so to pack a suitcase which you will find waiting in the hall closet. Mom and Pop have agreed to take custody of the kids for the next two weeks, while you and I spend a romantic 10 days in New York City. I've booked us a suite at one of the finest hotels there, and gotten us tickets for the ballet and for two of the best reviewed shows on Broadway. I've set aside funds for a day shopping for things just for you. My very wise mother pointed out that you might enjoy your time in New York more if we spent a day or two at the spa first, so... the limo to take you to there is waiting outside. See you in a couple of hours. I Love You, Mark.  She found herself laughing and crying and jumping up and down all at once. Oh, Pop. I love  you and I love your son. You don't know how much I needed this. And without a backward look she literally ran out the door and jumped into the waiting limo where she found not only the promised luggage, but a dozen roses. I am the luckiest woman on earth she thought. Life is good.

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Word for next week's 10-word challenge: sweetness, soap opera, leather jacket, matches, corn, pregnant, operation, mustache, crib, earrings

And for the mini: closet, camera, cheese, flagrant, music

Thanks you for playing.  Newcomers can check here for some guidelines to make the game more fun. There are no rules, just some general guidelines and tricks.