Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Word: Capacious

 

capacious

[ kuh-pey-shuhs ] 
adjective
 
1. capable of holding much; spacious or roomy: a capacious storage bin.

 ************************************

               Jeff stared wide eyed and open mouth. He thought this was the stuff of stories, and yet, here it was. Two people that had appeared in his bedroom in a burst of light. One was a man wearing armor polished to a mirror shine, with a sword almost as big as he was strapped to his back. The other was a woman wearing elaborate robes and carrying a staff that seemed to glow. And both of them were freakishly good looking. Jeff swore that they came out of some teenager’s imagination when asked to think about comic book characters in a fantasy setting.

               The two looked around and saw Jeff, still sitting on his bed. The man smiled and said something in a language Jeff did not recognize. When the only response the swordsman got was a blank stare, the woman said something, then smacked the larger man upside the head. The two bickered back and forth for a moment. Just long enough for Jeff to begin seeing a family resemblance. Both had the same clear blue eyes and vibrant brown hair. Both had the same distinctive jawline and cheekbones.

               When the siblings stopped arguing, the woman spoke again. The words she used were different though. Deeper, somehow. Like she was speaking to the world itself. Her staff pulsed and a bright light settled on Jeff. He felt something in his mind. A presence he could not begin to fathom. It was not unpleasant though. More like an old friend who was just there to ask a few questions. The feeling quickly retreated, leaving Jeff more confused than ever. Was that magic? Real magic?

               “Now then, can you understand me?” The woman asked.

               “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I can.”

               “Good. I’m sorry for my idiot brother.” She said, glaring at the swordsman. “He spoke without letting me cast my translation spell. It was quite rude, and I’ll ensure he doesn’t step out of line again.”

               “Uh, sure. Yeah, Okay. No, uh, no problem.”

               “Excellent. My name is Evora, and my brother is Eron. And you are?”

               “Jeff.”

               “Jeff? What an odd name. We must have traveled quite far.”

               “Oh yeah. A lot farther than you think, I bet.” Jeff had no idea where they were from, but he was willing to bet he had never heard of it, nor had they heard of Philadelphia.

               “I’m sure. If you’re willing, perhaps you can aid us? We do need a guide. I don’t know if you’ll accept this as payment, but we have plenty of coin, and gold is usually a fairly safe bet for money.”

               She reached into a small bag at her hip. She frowned a moment, muttered something in her original language, then shoved her entire hand into the bag. It was smaller than a fanny pack, but her hand disappeared below the wrist. She must have found what she was looking for, as she withdrew a small pouch, where she emptied a few gold coins into her hand.

               “That’s uh, that’s quite the bag you got there.” Jeff said, focusing more on that than the gold.

               “Hm? Oh, yes, the dimensional bag. It’s quite useful. Much bigger than it looks, you know. You don’t have these in this country?”

               “Nope. We have stories about them, but they’re just stories.”

               “Oh, that’s too bad. I know they aren’t all that common, but every good adventurer should have one. They make travel so much easier. If you like, I can make one for you, instead of gold.”

               “You…can make those?”

               “Oh yes. I’m quite the enchanter, you know. I can make all kinds of magic items.”

               “And your brother?”

               “Oh no. He’s not magically gifted. He just has brute strength on his side.”

               The man in question was looking from Jeff to his sister and back again with a confused look on his face.

               “He…doesn’t understand us, does he?”

               “No. I didn’t cast my spell on him. Let him stew for a while. That’ll teach him some manners.”

               Jeff shuddered. He was very glad his sister did not have magical powers. That would have made growing up with her unbearable, instead of just highly annoying.

               “Okay, putting that aside, Evora, right? I think we can work out a deal. You make me one of those dimension bag things, and I’ll show you around town.”

               “Wonderful.” She said with a glowing smile.

               “You and your brother will need some new clothes though. You two stand out too much like this.”

               “I have plenty of spares in my bag.”

               “Well then, I’ll show you where you can change, and then we can get started.”

 *******************************************

Ah, the Bag of Holding. One of the greatest creations of fantasy every. Others way swear by the ever classic fire sword, and the magic shield. But we all know the real star of the show is the bag that can hold as much stuff as a typical warehouse.  Where would games and stories be without them?

No comments:

Post a Comment