Friday, March 02, 2012

Weekly Wordzzle Challenge # 193





This is the 33rd installment of Paragon of Virtue, Fred Johnson's adventure in the Kingdom of Sunday.  Not sure if I'll post mine this evening or if I'll wait until tomorrow, but thought I'd put Mr. Linky and the words up awhile on the off chance that someone besides me may want to participate.


The MUSE is apparently vacationing in the tropics (boy do I envy her), so for the moment, I'm just going to post the words and Mr. Linky and do my exercises either later this evening or tomorrow. Sorry. I'm just stumped at the moment.  


Saturday afternoon: The MUSE continues to be hiding out of reach. I have been avoiding facing this without her all day. It's 3:23 and I'm finally going to start to at least try to write something. My apologies for being irresponsible and not posting anything yet.


5:22... Finished. I really had to twist myself in knots to get some of the words to fit this week... and alas, I fear it shows. But... I'm done, muse or no muse.



Words for this week's 10-word challenge: accountable, amber, quake, layers, graffiti, emerald, eager, weighty, fluke, blanket   And for the mini: conscience, charitable, claustrophobic, cargo, companionship


My mega:  

"So close to the end and still each decision seems as weighty as the ones before.," the Paragaon said, his voice quaking a bit with either exhaustion or emotion or perhaps both. "So many layers of evil we have met so far. My intuition says that Psy.... - I mean Brave Heart's - mother is probably in the cave, but perhaps we should temper our eagerness to rescue her with caution. It would not surprise me if one accountable for as much evil as the Count's father - a man who apparently - forgive the blanket statement - had no conscience or a single charitable impulse in his entire life - would try to defeat us even when it is clear that he himself has lost.  My thought is that we wait here check outside the cave for booby traps or spells while Cane and Parchment check the manor house. Bubbles and McFlash can provide the Count with companionship to distract him and ease his anxiety. If by some fluke our mission fails, better that he not add witnessing his mother's death to his other suffering." This was perhaps the most words Fred Johnson had spoken all at once in a very long time and he felt shaky and as tired as if he had spent the last hour unloading a cargo ship of extra heavy crates. "A well thought out plan of action, Paragon," the Wizard said nodding with approval. "I too agree with your plan, Paragon," Dragon Paraphrase  replied, though I think we should bring Painter Purchase Perfidy to join us. He created this world and may be able to help us navigate - or even paint over any magical "graffiti" that has been super-imposed on it by the Count's father and his sorcerer." "Good idea," the others agreed in unison and within an instant the painter joined them outside the cave he had painted long ago. "The emerald cave!" he gasped. "Do you think that is where they have kept her all these years? I hope she's not claustrophobic. It is a rather small cave as I recall.... Where did that amber come from? I never painted any amber...."




My mini: 


Back in the toy shop, Bubbles and McFlash were trying to offer comfort and companionship to the emotionally overwrought Count Brave Heart, who was distracting himself from his hopes and fears abut his mother by going through agonizing pangs of conscience and unloading one by one the cargo of his life's misdeeds prior to his recent redemption. Watching him, Bubbles found herself surprised that should could have such charitable feelings towards the man who had done so much harm, including killing the father of the child in her womb. Truth was, that much of what he had done had been controlled by the evil perpetrated against him by his own father. She supposed that if the Bird of Paradise could forgive him, she should be able to do so too. With that thought, she lay a hand on the Count's shoulder and said. "You are forgiven." And she meant it. As if to re-enforce her words, the child in her womb made it's presence felt with a massive kick. "Oh, my," she gasped..."I think my baby is getting claustrophobic. Come, Good Heart" she said, laying his hand on her swollen belly,. "Take your mind off the past and feel the pulse of the future."  The look of delight on his face would have melted even the hardest heart.




My 10-word:  


Meanwhile, outside the cave, the team was proceeding with caution. Cane and Parchment - shielded with magical protection - had entered the manor house with no problem, finding it a few chairs covered with layers of dust and some worn moth-eaten blankets. The walls were unaccountably covered with a kind of graffiti, which on closer inspection, the wizard recognized to be a series of magical curses.  It was an odd fluke of luck that he also recognized their source - a weighty volume of truly execrable spells written by a particularly odious sorcerer named -Quillard Quake - thought to be long dead.  "Off to seek advice. Back in a flash," he said and vanished briefly and returned carrying a large black tome and a smaller turquoise one. Leafing through the first, he found what he was looking for... "Here it is! The Amber Enchantment.... yes, yes.. vile... yes... Now let's see what we can find about counter spells in this one," he said, turning to the smaller blue book. "Devilishly clever, the Count's father and his minions. The Amber enchantment is particularly difficult to counteract when matched with emeralds.... but not impossible, my friends, not impossible.  Paraphrase, I believe we could use a few more dragons in our quest. Can you call some of your oldest and wisest to join us?"

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Words for next week's 10-word challenge:  proper, egg shells, missed, graphic, participate, boost, snack, understand, normal, bear

And for the mini: Pandora, practical, glory, school bus, tornado


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.

2 comments:

The Bug said...

Another fascinating installment! Can't wait until next week.

Argent said...

You did really well with those tricksy words. My muse is also indulging in an extended break.