Word: Coronach

 

coronach

[ kawr-uh-nuhkh, kor- ]

noun

(in Scotland and Ireland) a song or lamentation for the dead; dirge.

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               The stone rested on top of a cliff. It was plain to look at. Just a pillar of stone with some grooves worn out by time. Really, the sign in front of it was more interesting. It told a brief story, about a woman whose family was lost, and began to sing a song of mourning for them. It went on to say that at night, people could still hear her singing. Most people just ascribed it to the grooves in the stone catching the wind just right, so that it sounded like a dirge.

               Jack, however, was a believer in the supernatural. It was not that he had ever seen anything that would count as such, he just had a feeling. And so it was that he stood there, hiding behind a tree and waiting for the stone to sing. He was not waiting long.

               As the wind blew over the cliffs, he could indeed hear the sound of a slow, somber song. A song in honor of those long passed. Jack felt it, deep in his soul. The low, slow notes tugging at emotions he had not experienced in his life. This was not the song of wind and stone. This was something much, much more.

               He poked his head out from behind the tree. He did not see anything strange. Certainly no spirit. Of course, it was very dark. But still, he had to know. And so, he left his hiding place and approached the stone. Once he was closer, he could feel something. Nothing he could put a finger on, but there was definitely something there. He just had to figure out how to coax it, or rather her, out. And he knew the best place to start.

               Jack started to sing. Although there were no words, he did his best to match the notes. It was hard, especially for his untrained voice, but he managed to mostly get it right. And when he did, he was proven right. The figure of a woman appeared, hovering over the stone. She was clothed in a billowing dress that did not match the breeze as it fluttered. She was pale white all around, and slightly translucent. But she was there.

               Together, the two sang her dirge. A memorial to a family he did not know. But he felt her loss. Her longing. Her sadness and her pain. They came through the notes better than any words. He did not know how long they sang together. Only when she stopped did he take notice.

               She turned to look at him. There were slightly darker lines under her eyes and she gave him a sad smile.

               “Thank you. She said. Her voice was thin, and had a slight echo to it. “Nobody has sung with me since my passing. It is nice to finally have someone to share my sorrow with. Even if it is clear you have not felt it yourself.”

               “Of course.” He almost said it was his pleasure, but he stopped well before the words left him. “It’s important to bring comfort to others whenever possible.”

               “Yes, it is. I just wish I could really feel it.”

               “If you don’t mind my asking, ma’am, why do you sing? I mean, I know the story. It’s right there on that sign. But if you’re willing, maybe you could tell me the truth of it? They say talking about things like this can help.”

               “I…think it would be nice to have someone to talk to after all this time. But, it will have to wait. The sun will rise soon, and I can only be here under the light of the moon. If you come tomorrow night, then I will share my story with you. About why I am with this stone, and why I sing, and will continue to do so for a long, long time.”

               “Of course. I’ll be here.”

               She gave another smile that seemed slightly less sad, and faded from view. Jack bowed his head slightly before heading off. He needed to get back to the hotel and get some rest. He had a long night ahead of him. 

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Not all ghosts need to be mean, you know. Some just want some company.

Word: Avouch

 

avouch

[ uh-vouch ]

verb (used with object)

1. to make frank acknowledgment or affirmation of; declare or assert with positiveness.

2. to assume responsibility for; vouch for; guarantee.

3. to admit; confess.

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               Jack was tired. So tired that just sitting made him want to close his eyes and sleep. He felt it all the way through to his bones. That was what barely sleeping for days did to a man. The only reason he was currently awake was that the chair he was sitting in was rock hard, and the people talking were loud enough that he was constantly being woken up.

               He tried to sit up and pay attention, but the subject matter was dull enough that he was zoning out. He knew he should be paying attention, considering it was his life on the line. But all the legalese that was being thrown around had the same effect on him as a sleeping pill. His current exhaustion only made the problem worse. And this had been going on for days. He needed to get this to end. And there was only one way his sleep addled mind could think to do that.

               He leaned forward, let out a big yawn and slammed his hand down on the table. The two lawyers nearly jumped out of their seats. Jack took a deep breath.

               “You know, this has been going on for a long time. What has it been, a week? Yeah, a week sounds right. And all this arguing about what I did or didn’t do.” He yawned again. This gave the time for his lawyer to speak up.

               “Don’t worry about a thing, Jack. This will all be over soon. Just sit back and let me handle everything.”

               “Yeah, no. That’s what I’ve been doing, and all that’s gotten me is sleepless nights and a lot of headaches. So yeah, you can shut up and let me talk.”

               “Jack, don’t say anything stupid.” His lawyer warned.

               “Shut it. I’m going to say what I need to so that this’ll end. I’m going to say the one thing that’ll actually let me get some sleep.” He looked from one lawyer to the other and then said three words. “I did it.”

               His lawyer reacted quickly. “Disregard everything my client says. He’s clearly sleep deprived and not in his right mind. Nothing he says here can be construed as a confession or used in court.”

               “Well, you’re right about one thing. I am sleep deprived. I’m so damn tired this table is looking real tempting. And yeah, this is probably a huge mistake. But damn it, I need some rest. And right now, it’s looking like the only way to get some is to come clean and do the one thing I was told not to do. Tell the truth. So yeah, this is my confession. I did it. I’m guilty and that’s all there is to it. Case closed, pack it up, we’re done.”

               “Jack, don’t do this.” His lawyer said. The man’s skin had gone paler than it normally was.

               “Too late.” The other lawyer said, looking much happier, “He already confessed. It’s all been recorded. It can’t be taken back now.”

               “Good.” Jack said. “Does that mean we’re done here? Can I go and get some sleep?”

               “Yes, I do think we are. Or, at least you are.” The opposing lawyer said. “All that’s left is for us to come to an equitable agreement, which does not require your immediate presence. It is recommended that you be here, so as to not overshoot your financial means, but it isn’t strictly required.”

               “Great. In that case, I’m out.” He looked at his lawyer. “Call me later with the details and what I need to do. But not today. I’m going to be sleeping for the rest of the day.”

               And with that, he got up and left the room, feeling much better already.

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I have no idea if this is how this kind of legal proceeding works. I've never been to court. Well, I have gotten a few traffic tickets, but that's about it. I imagine it's a lot more complicated than what I have written here though.

Word: Conundrum

 

conundrum

[ kuh-nuhn-druhm ]

noun

1. a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words, as What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.

2. anything that puzzles.

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               Callie could feel her eye twitch. The rest of her so-called friends were wandering out the room, looking at the various items there. All while she did all the actual work. This involved pouring over the carefully carved words in the stone walls.

               “You know, this would be a lot easier and faster if you guys actually helped.” She said.

               The others did not even look up. “Yeah, but you’re so much better at riddles than we are.” Chuck said.

               Adam nodded his agreement. “You don’t want my help, trust me, Cal. I’m likely to get the wrong answer anyway.”

               Shirley picked up a random object. “I’m helping.” She said. “I’m gathering clues from the various objects around the room. Scouting them out, taking inventory. That sort of thing.”

               Callie did not believe Shirley for a moment. But at least the shorter girl was pretending to do something productive. The guys may as well not even have been there. She stuffed the urge to hit them deep down and went back to the riddle. Some nonsense about colors, letters, and numbers. She had thought it was obvious, but her initial ideas had all lead to dead ends. Now she was forced to pour over each word with a fine toothed comb, trying to parse out even the slightest bit of meaning.

               “Well, if you’re not going to help me find an answer to this, you could at least get to work on some of the other puzzles.” She said, only avoiding speaking through clenched teeth with an effort of will she was not aware she possessed.

               “Uh, like what?” Chuck asked.

               “I don’t know, look for a key or something. Or a combination lock. Something to start actually being productive with.”

               “Oh, right. Yeah, I can do that.” The big man said. He did not make any move to actually start an earnest search.

               “And you.” Callie said, pointing at Adam. “Look for anything with a keyhole in it. That way if someone finds a key, we have some ideas on where to use it.”

               “Uh, right. Sure. I think I can handle that.”

               To his credit, Adam actually did start looking. That was more than she had hoped. She turned next to Shirley, who gave what was probably meant to be a helpful smile.

               “Just…just keep looking for anything helpful.” Callie said with a sigh.

               “Okay!”

               With her friends, or at least most of her friends, occupied, she went back to the riddle. No matter how she spun it, it was meaningless. She occasionally asked one of the others if a number meant something, or about a color in a significant place. But none of them yielded any results. She let out a growl and ground the knuckles of one hand into the palm of another.

               Chuck came over and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. “Hey, come on, it’s not that bad. Take a break and look at something else. Maybe I should take a look at it?”

               She turned sharply to him. He just looked at her and grinned. She sighed.

               “Fine, fine. I’ll go look at one of the other puzzles. But don’t bust your brain about it. This is a hard one.”

               Chuck spend a few minutes looking at it, then pulled out his phone. He looked at the stone words and typed a few things out. Callie, meanwhile, went to work on a small puzzle cube. That was more up her ally, and she went to work solving it.

               “Red herring.” Chuck said eventually.

               “What?” Callie asked.

               “That’s what it is, red herring. See? All the letters are part of those words, and all the numbers turn into other letters, and the colors all start with one of the letters. It spells red herring.”

               He showed her his phone screen. He was right. She hated to admit it, but he was right. Her eye twitch came back. She had spent almost fifteen minutes trying to piece together a clue meant to waste time. A low rumble formed in her throat, before erupting as a scream of frustration and anger. She even threw the cube at a nearby wall. Then she plopped down in the middle of the room and crossed her arms.

               “Uh, Callie, you okay?” Adam asked.

               She glared at him, refusing to elaborate. He seemed to accept that as an answer and went back to the puzzle hunt.

               Shirley sat next to her. “Hey, don’t worry about it. We all get distracted sometimes, you know? And it’s not something super important either. It’s just a game, right? So cheer up and help us look for stuff. We’ll get out of here, go get some ice cream and laugh about it.”

               Callie had to admit that did sound good. Especially the ice cream part. She sighed and stood up. “Fine, fine. Let’s get back to it. Hopefully the next thing isn’t put there just to mess with us.”

               And with that, she resumed the search, pointedly ignoring the words written solely to taunt her. 

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I once did an escape the room thing. I wasn't super helpful, I'm afraid. My group did get out before time was up, so that's good. Not something I'll probably do again though.