Word: Retrograde

 

retrograde

[ re-truh-greyd ]

 

adjective

1. moving backward; having a backward motion or direction; retiring or retreating.

2. inverse or reversed, as order.

3. Chiefly Biology. exhibiting degeneration or deterioration.

verb (used without object), ret·ro·grad·ed, ret·ro·grad·ing.

4. to move or go backward; retire or retreat.

5. Chiefly Biology. to decline to a worse condition; degenerate.

verb (used with object), ret·ro·grad·ed, ret·ro·grad·ing.

6. Archaic. to turn back.

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               The world was moving backwards. Not in a metaphorical sense of culture or technology, but in a very literal way. At least, that was how it looked to Jack. He stood in place, just under the awning of his apartment building. There, he watched the world move backwards.

               People moved backwards. Cars drove backwards. Even birds flew in reverse. He could hear snippets of conversation that he could not understand, because the words were backwards. It was as if time itself had been thrown into reverse, with him being the only one still moving forward.

               The speed everything moved was normal. It was just the direction that was wrong. The people looked completely normal, like they were just living their everyday lives. He watched a pigeon with a piece of bread in its beak land, drop its morsel, and then fly off, facing the wrong way. He watched a woman walking a dog bend down to empty a bag of her dog’s droppings before persona and animal walked backwards towards wherever they had come from. He did try and forget what else had gone in reverse in that particular instance though.

               Jack leaned against the wall, wondering what was happening. There was little he could do about it, at least as far as he was aware. How could he set the entire world to rights? Did he even need to? He was moving just fine. At least, he thought he was. He took a step forward, just to make sure. He nearly collided with a man who, presumably, was going to work. Well, in his case he was going from work to home. At least, that’s how Jack thought of it. Really, time moving backwards was a difficult thing to wrap his head around and he was not sure how to think about anything.

               He idly wondered what would happen if he tried to trip any of the people, but decided against it. He had watched enough science fiction to know that trying to mess with time was a recipe for disaster. Although that brought up a lot more thoughts that just made everything more complicated than it already was.

               That was why Jack opted to go back inside. He was not sure how he would interact with the world now, but he had used the door just fine. That told him he could probably still use things. Probably. At least he hoped so. He figured time was probably hardy enough that things would go back to normal soon. Or at least start affecting him like everything else. That would probably be okay as well. Either way, things would go back to normal from his perspective, and that was good enough for him. And if not, he could see about doing something about it later. Maybe once he had a bit of time to really let things settle into his mind. And after the panic attack he knew would come after.

               But for now, Jack went back to his apartment, sat down and let his mind wander. He could figure things out later.

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I'm not really sure where this came from, but here it is. Enjoy!

Word: Radiant

 

radiant

[ rey-dee-uhnt ]

 

adjective

1. emitting rays of light; shining; bright: the radiant sun; radiant colors.

2. bright with joy, hope, etc.: radiant smiles; a radiant future.

3. Physics. emitted or propagated by radiation.

4. Heraldry.

1. noting a partition line having a series of flamelike indentations formed by ogees joined in zigzags; rayonny.
2. (of a charge, as an ordinary) having an edge or edges so formed.

noun

5.a point or object from which rays proceed.

6. Astronomy. the point in the heavens from which a shower of meteors appears to radiate.

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               A brilliant, warm light filled the air around him. It soothed him. Made his injuries a thing of the past. Easily forgotten and ignored. He knew in his mind that he should not be feeling anything. That he should be a slab of cooling meat on the ground. Yet, here he was, surrounded by gentle light.

               He opened his eyes and saw he was in a room. The area was simple. A round room with pure white walls and no decorations. The floor under him looked like stone, but was softer than any mattress. The ever present light filtered in through the dome window of the room’s roof.

               He sat up, feeling his muscle pull and his bones shift. He was definitely alive. Either that, or the afterlife was not as great as all the religious people claimed it was. He also saw that he was not alone. A woman stood near a wall. She was tall and beautiful, wearing a flowing outfit the same color as the walls. And there was something off about her.

               She turned to look at him. But her movements did not quite line up with what he saw, somehow. It was like she was an afterimage of something unseen. Smooth, but delayed in a way he could not quite place.

               “Welcome, Adam Scott Nichols.” The woman said. Her voice matched her appearance and movements. Beautiful, alluring, and wrong in a way he could not quite place.

               “Who are you? Where am I?”

               She moved closer. Her steps seemed to match the room’s light somehow. Like she was using the light to move instead of her body. She stood over him and sat.

               “Questions that seem so simple, and yet are so complicated.” She said. “I am sorry that telling you those would take quite a bit of time and may not be as enlightening as you think.”

               “Uh-huh, sure. How about this one: Am I dead?”

               “Yes. An no. You are dead to the world that you knew. But you are very much alive here, in this place.”

               “So, I guess this isn’t heaven? Or any of those other afterlives?”

               “No. It is not. Nor is it another world, as your people call them.”

               “So, what is it?”

               The woman leaned back slightly. He tried not to look too closely at her, finding that made her easier to tolerate.

               “That is harder to answer than you know. But if you want a simple answer, I suppose it would be Between. Yes, the Between place.”

               “Between what?”

               “All things. Life and death. In and out, up and down. Between your world and others. Between the familiar and the unknown.”

               Adam leaned forward. “Well, that told me a whole lot of nothing.”

               “I did tell you the answer was complicated.” She said with a  smile. It did not seem right. Like it was both there and not there at the same time.

               “Yeah, you did. And I guess if I try asking who you are I’ll get the same kind of answer?”

               “Indeed you will. I can try giving a simplified answer again, if you like.”

               “No need for that. Do you at least have a name?”

               “I do. But it cannot be heard by others. I mean that in the most literal sense of the term. If I was to try, you would hear nothing at all. You may call me whatever you wish to, if that makes it easier.”

               “I’ll think of something. Will asking why I’m here do anything?”

               The woman stood slowly. “You are here because you are needed. It is as simple as that. What you are needed for is more complicated, but you will find that out very soon.”

               He took a deep breath. Talking to this woman was tiring for a number of reasons. “I guess whatever it is isn’t in this room, is it?”

               “It is not. Come, I shall show you the way to where you need to go. After that, all is for you to decide.”

               Adam groaned as he stood. He knew he should be suspicious of this woman who he had just met. But at the same time, it was not like he had much else to do. He would just have to be careful. He nodded and the woman headed to the wall in her odd, light reliant movement. The wall fell away, revealing a hallway that was almost identical to the room, save for the shape. The woman entered, leaving him to follow. He muttered to himself about hallucinations and medications as he followed her into the hallway, and wherever it lead. 

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I'd give that whole "maybe this will go somewhere" thing, but let's be honest, it's not. Not because there isn't a lot of potential, but because I just don't do that sort of thing. I'm just kind of bad at following through, I guess.

Word: Aurora

 

Aurora

[ uh-rawr-uh, uh-rohr-uh ]

 

noun, plural au·ro·ras, au·ro·rae [uh-rawr-ee, uh-rohr-ee] for defs. 2, 3.

1. the ancient Roman goddess of the dawn.Compare Eos.

2. (lowercase) dawn.

3. (lowercase)Meteorology. a radiant emission from the upper atmosphere that occurs sporadically over the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres in the form of luminous bands, streamers, or the like, caused by the bombardment of the atmosphere with charged solar particles that are being guided along the earth's magnetic lines of force.

4. a city in central Colorado, near Denver.

5. a city in NE Illinois.

6. a female given name.

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               The air was cold and clear, as was the sky. But it was not dark. The sky was lit up with a dazzling display of colors. The ever-shifting greens, reds and yellows seemed like a grand celestial dance. And there were only two men around to view it for miles in any direction.

               One of them looked up, taking in the splendor of the the aurora. He barely blinked, as if afraid to miss even a second of the lights. The second man was more interested in the computer and equipment he had brought with him.

               “Man, how can you look at that screen when you have all this going on?” The first man asked, spreading his arms to the sky.

               The other man looked up for a moment, then turned his attention back to the screen. “Yes, very pretty. Now be quiet. I don’t want anything to disturb the equipment while it’s running.”

               “Come on, how often can you say you’ve seen the Northern Lights? Unless you live around here, it’s not the kind of thing you can just go and see. Come, share the moment with me. Your experiment will still be there when it’s over.”

               The scientist huffed and ignored the sky watcher. He hit a few keys on the computer. The equipment let out a low hum that was drowned out by the night breeze.

               “If I really wanted to see a light show, I’d watch a video of it.” He said.

               “It’s not the same and you know it. It’s more than just the lights. It’s the place. The wind, the stars, the smells and feel of the ground. That’s something you can’t get from a video.”

               “Better than being out here in the freezing cold. If I could run this experiment remotely, I wouldn’t be here.”

               “Well, you are here. You might as we make the most of it.”

               The scientist made no move to turn his head towards the sky. If anything, he buried it deeper in the static glow of the screen.

               “Hey,” the sky watcher said after a few moments. “Does that experiment need constant attention? Is it time sensitive?”

               “What?”

               “Will it fail if you aren’t constantly monitoring it?”

               “Well, no, but—”

               “If something does go wrong, does it matter? Do you have a strict time limit that means it has to be done now, on this very night?”

               “No, I suppose not.”

               “Will anything change if you step back for a moment? Will it change anything if you turn the screen off?”

               “As long as it’s just the screen, no.”

               “Then take a break, my friend. Not even you can work all night without a break. Come and join me as I watch one of the greatest shows of nature.”

               “If I do, will you stop bothering me?”

               “Of course.”

               The scientist put his computer on idle, letting the screen go black while it still ran. His steps were heavy as he joined the sky watched on the cold ground. He leaned back and looked at the swirling kaleidoscope of color that covered the sky. And the two men sat in silence, watching the lights dance across the sky.

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I am not very well traveled. There are many things I haven't seen. One of that very long list is indeed the Northern Lights. Maybe some day I'll go and see them. Maybe.