Word: Finagle

 

finagle

[ fi-ney-guhl ]

 

verb (used with object),fi·na·gled, fi·na·gling.

1. to trick, swindle, or cheat (a person) (often followed by out of): He finagled the backers out of a fortune.

2. to get or achieve (something) by guile, trickery, or manipulation: to finagle an assignment to the Membership Committee.

verb (used without object),fi·na·gled, fi·na·gling.

3. to practice deception or fraud; scheme.

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               Jack left the bar, and the woman he was talking to, and headed to a small table, where his friend, Allan sat, nursing a drink. Allan watched the woman like a hawk, and not for the reason most men in the vicinity were. They were all focused on the low cut of her cocktail dress. He was more focused on how she was acting.

               “So, what do you think?” Jack asked.

               “I think she’s playing you.”

               “Really now?” Jack eyed the woman. He did not seem all that surprised or offended by Allen’s statement.

               “Oh yeah, definitely. I’ve seen her kind before. She’s acting all sweet now, but she’ll fleece you out of everything you own. Trust me, man, that woman’s no good. She’s a liar and a cheat. A real parasite. I’d call her a gold digger, but they at least give something back.”

               “You think so, huh?”

               “Think nothing. I know. I’ve seen it happen way too many times before to not recognize the signs. You’re better off ditching her as soon as you can.”

               Jack nodded slowly and pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen a few times before saying anything.

               “Hey, Allen, remember last year when my brother got scammed out of almost everything he owned?”

               “Yeah? You told me about it. He said there was a…” Allen paused and thought. I did not take long for him to connect the dots. “Wait, that’s her.”

               “Yup.”

               “So you know she’s a rat?”

               “She’s not a rat. Rats have a valuable purpose in the world, even if it isn’t always a pleasant one.”

               Allen looked between Jack and the woman. “So why are you even bothering to talk with her?”

               Jack put his phone down. It showed a group text. It had a few words about “her” and “it’s starting,” followed by a lot of texts saying they would “be there soon.”

               “Turns out my brother wasn’t her first victim.” Jack said. “He wasn’t even her most recent mark. She’s been cheating guys out of their stuff for years. The two of us found other victims of hers. We got in contact with them and arranged a little…reunion, of a sort.”

               “Wait, so she’s trying to scam you out of your stuff, and you’re going along with it to trick her right back?”

               “That’s one way of putting it. I prefer to call it poetic justice though.”

               “Holy crap, that’s gutsy. What if she finds out before you can spring your trap?”

               “Then the plan will change. It’s a very fluid plan to begin with. Besides, with how she operates, it won’t be too hard to lure her in. And all the victims I could find will be there waiting.”

               “You’re not gonna hurt her, are you?”

               “More psychological than physical. Although some of those guys are angry enough to go further. Most of them don’t want that much trouble. They just want to put the fear of god in her. And maybe get as much of their stuff back as they can.”

               Allen nodded. The woman looked over at the two of them and waved at Jack. He gave his best love struck smile and waved back.

               “Sorry, looks like she’s getting impatient. I’d better get back to it.” Jack said.

               “Good luck, man.”

               Jack went back to his plan, making it look like he was falling for her tricks. Allen watched the two fake flirt with each other before leaving the bar. He headed out not long after. He did not know where they were going, and so could not follow to support his friend. Hopefully his plan would be a success. The world could do with one less parasite.

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Not much to say right now. So, uh, I hope everyone in the US has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Try not to eat too much, you know?

Word: Verdure

 

verdure

[ vur-jer ]

noun

1. greenness, especially of fresh, flourishing vegetation.

2. green vegetation, especially grass or herbage.

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               Ted was crouched behind a large rock. It was not ideal, but it was the only hiding spot around. He needed to keep a close eye on the entry. The door in question was a large, heavy steel door built into a concrete mound that clearly went underground. It was the only thing of note in an otherwise barren landscape. And that meant it was probably dangerous. But nobody had come in or out for over a day, and Ted needed to find shelter soon.

               His respirator was clogged after only one night out in the open, so he needed a safe place to clean it out. And this was the only spot that might have clean air. Even if it was occupied, he would need to either beg for shelter, or kill those already there. He made sure his weapons were readily available. His gun only had three bullets in it, so he would save that for emergencies. His main weapon would be his crude axe. Well, calling it an axe was generous. It was just a thick metal pipe with a piece of sharpened scrap tied to it. But it got the job done, and that was all he needed of it.

               He slowly approached the door, keeping his head on a swivel with every step. Nobody bothered him. He made it to the door without any trouble. He took his axe and banged on the door. Hopefully the inhabitants would be friendly. Something clanked and turned on the other side of the door, but it made no move to open. Ted took hold of the worn handle and pulled. The door was heavy, and it moved slowly, but it did open.

               He rushed in, keeping the door open in case he needed to make a quick retreat. The hall was dimly lit with low powered electric lights. Whoever lived in this place was loaded if he could afford those. He made his way down the sloped hallway. He was halfway down when he realized the door was closing on its own. He did not bother to chase it down though. He wanted to be inside. He would just have to hope he was not walking into a trap.

               The hall was long, but oddly clean. No dust or dirt anywhere. It took him several minutes to get to the bottom, and the sight took his breath away. Plants. There were real, growing plants. There were a lot of them, and they were not coming from pots or planters. They were coming from the ground. Ted’s breath caught in his chest. For a moment he could almost forget the state of the world.

               That did not last long though. He did take his respirator off though. In a place like this, the air would definitely be clean. And sure enough, it was. There was no hint of the poisons that permeated the atmosphere. He took a few long, deep breaths, feeling the clean air flow through him. Now he really hoped the people here were friendly. This was a place he would love to stay.

               “Ah, a guest.” Said a voice. Ted whirled around to see the speaker. It was a slender young woman dressed in a dress that blended in with the surrounding plant life. “How wonderful. It’s been so long since I’ve had company.”

               “You own this place?” Ted asked, keeping a firm grip on his axe.

               “I do. Well, as much as anyone can own the land and those who live upon it. I am its keeper though.”

               “Great. You okay with me crashing here? I just need to clean out my gear and then I’ll be gone.”

               Best not to seem too desperate. Better to be a transient presence than a permanent residence.

               “Oh I certainly do not mind. But I wonder if you won’t consider staying longer. I have plenty of food and water.”

               The woman moved a few steps closer. There was an odd quality to her movement though. She did not walk so much as float. Oh her feet touched the ground, but each step was like she was stepping on the air instead of the well kept grass. She reached out to Ted, but did not touch him.

               “And I can always use some help with my work.”

               “Your work? The plants?”

               “That and so much more. I can teach you all about it, if you chose to stay with me.”

               Ted looked around. He might as well. Some of the plants had fruit growing from them, which meant he would have something good to eat. And the air was clean, so he would not have to worry about that. Besides, he did not exactly have anywhere else to go.

               “Yeah, sure. I can stay for a few days and help out.”

               The woman smiled wide. “Excellent! I can’t wait to get stared. But first, you should rest. I can tell you’ve been traveling for a long time. Rest, for I have much to teach you, and we have much to do.”

               “Yeah, sure. Thanks. I’m Ted, by the way. And you are?”

               “Hm, don’t be worried about names. But I suppose if you must call me anything, you can call me Gaia. Now come, I’ll show you to your room, and we can begin in the morning.”

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Feels weird to update on a weekend. I don't think I've ever done that before, but oh well. I guess the day doesn't matter as long as it gets done, right? 

Word: Entre Nous

 

entre nous

[ ahn-truh-noo; French ahn-truh-noo ]

adverb

1. between ourselves; confidentially.

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               The group of four teens looked into the hole they had painstakingly dug. It was not particularly deep or wide, but it seemed to be larger than the Grand Canyon.

               “Okay, we all know what to do now, right?” One of them, a boy named Kyle, asked. He was the oldest, if only by a few months. That meant he had to at least appear calm.

               “Bury the bag and never talk about it again.” Another member of the group, a small boy named Henry, replied.

               Kyle nodded. He turned to the bag in question. It was the size of a large potato sack, but was made of much finer material. It was half filled with something that made it lumpy and irregular. He went over to it and grabbed a section of cloth. The contents were too heavy for him to move on his own, so he had to wait until one of the others helped.

               “I still don’t get why we’re burying them.” Said a hefty boy named Jonas, chimed in. He still moved to grab another part of the bag. “I mean, these have to be worth a lot, right? We can all be rich.”

               “That’s the problem.” Kyle said as the two teenagers started to drag the bag towards the hole. The contents rattled and jangled as it moved. “This kind of thing doesn’t just appear. Someone’s probably looking for it. And I’m not sure it’s someone friendly. If we go around spending them, whoever left the bag will probably not be too happy. And someone who drops something like this probably has the means to hurt guys like us. Or even kill us outright.”

               “So? Just give it all to the cops and be done with it.” Jonas said through gritted teeth. “And someone can help out here.” He glared at Henry and the last member of the group, Nick. Those two were the smallest, and it took some coaxing to get them to help.

               “No way we go to the cops.” Nick said. “My uncle’s a cop, so I know. If we go to them, they’ll just ask way too many questions, and we’ll probably get in all kinds of trouble. And we’ll probably still get our brains blown out by whoever dropped it.”

               Jonas grunted something that could generously be called acceptance. It could easily have bee the effort though. Even with all four of them, moving the bag was not easy. But they got it done. The bag hit the bottom of the hole with a loud crash. Some of the contents spilled out. The glint of gold coins caught the waning afternoon light. The four of them stood there, catching their breath.

               “Great. Let’s get this filled in.” Kyle said after a minute. “And remember.”

               “Never tell anyone.” All of them said at once.

               They nodded and began to slowly fill in the hole that they had dug, now filled with the treasure that loomed over their lives, for better or for worse. 

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So, teen adventure story anyone? Probably some life lessons about growing up or friendship or something like that. You know, the whole "the real treasure was the friends we made" kind of stuff. Meh, probably not.