Word: erinaceous

 

erinaceous

[er-uh-ney-shuhs] / ˌɛr əˈneɪ ʃəs /

adjective

Zoology.

1. of the hedgehog kind or family. 

   ***************************** 

                It had been too long since Dan visited his aunt and uncle. They just lived so far away that it could be a hassle to get there. It was a shame though. He wondered if his cousin, Rick, even remembered him. The kid hadn’t even hit double digits in age yet, so probably not.

                He found Rick in the basement, right where his parents said he’d be. The boy was huddled over a desk with a scattered mess of colored pencils lying around and a sheet of paper in front of him. So Rick was into art, huh? Dan was not much of an artist himself, but he could appreciate the talent when it emerged.

                Dan waited a little while before speaking. He did not want to interrupt the young artist’s flow. He may not be an artist himself, but Dan could still understand not wanting to be interrupted while in the middle of something.

“Hey there.” He said once a good moment had come.

Rick turned and immediately shied away. Which likely meant that he did not remember Dan. It was disappointing, but not unexpected.

“I guess you don’t remember me, huh?”

Rick shook his head.

“Yeah, that’s not a surprise. I think the last time I saw you, you were barely in school. My name is Dan, and I’m your big cousin.”

Rick’s brow furrowed in deep thought. Dan could imagine what was going through the kid’s head.

“If it helps, I’m your aunt Jenny and uncle Roy’s son. That means we’re what’s called first cousins.”

“Why first? Aren’t cousins just cousins?”

“Kind of. There’s a lot of different kinds of cousins, actually. But the kids of brothers and sisters are first cousins. It gets tricky after that though.”

“Oh.”

Rick clearly did not understand. That was fine. Dan barely understood himself. Best not to complicate things too much right now.

“So, you like to draw? That’s cool. I can’t draw very good, so it’s good to know there’s at least one artist in the family.”

“Yeah, I like it.”

“Can I see?”

Rick nodded, so Dan went over and looked. Dan stiffened for a brief moment. The drawing was not very good, which was to be expected of someone who was only eight. But it was competent enough that he could tell what it was meant to be. And it could lead to so many places. Horrible, terrible ones if not handled carefully.

“That’s a cool picture. What, uh, what is it?”

“It’s a character I made up. I found a really cool game with neat characters that I like, so made one up that could play with them.”

It was as he feared. Hopefully Rick would not fall to the dark side of that particular fandom.

“Oh really?”

“Yup. It’s called Sonic Rumble Party, and it has a bunch of characters like this one. And...and I found out that there’s a lot more games with them in it, but I haven’t played them yet, but mom and dad say I can when I’m older.”

“Yeah, Sonic’s pretty cool. He’s been around longer than I have, and has a lot of games. The series might even be as old as your mom and dad.”

Rick’s eyes went wide. The boy likely could not even comprehend that idea.

“But listen, it’s cool if you want to make a character from the Sonic universe, okay? Just don’t look up anyone else’s, okay?”

“Why not?”

“Because some people aren’t cool and creative like I bet you are. They might want their characters to do some weird stuff. So just, you know, be careful with it, okay?”

“Okay?” Rick looked more confused than anything. Dan would have to guide his younger cousin. Make sure the boy did not stumble upon the hellhole that was the Sonic the Hedgehog original character community.   

Word: Terra Firma

terra firma 

[ter-uh fur-muh] / ˈtɛr ə ˈfɜr mə /

noun

1. firm or solid earth; dry land (as opposed to water or air).

  ******************************

                Terry had never understood why characters in shows kissed the ground when disembarking from a ship. Now he did. He wanted nothing more than to lie on the ground and not move, reveling in its stability. He did not even care that the ground was hard and a bit rocky. All that mattered was that it was solid and unmoving. While he did not quite get to the point of fully reclining, he did get down on his knees and nearly hugged the dirt.

                “What are you doing?” Leslie asked. She was the second member of the crew to disembark, and she looked at Terry with a look that spoke volumes about what she thought about his intelligence.

                “What’s it look like? I’m enjoying the lack of movement of the ground. The stability of solid earth under us. There’s nothing else like it.”

                “Oh, come on. The trip wasn’t that bad.” She said, rolling her eyes. “Also, should you really be calling it earth?”

                “Don’t ruin this for me, Les. Besides, you know what I mean.”

                “I’m just saying, you can’t really call it ‘earth’ considering Earth is several light years away.”

                “Yeah, yeah. I’m just glad the ground isn’t moving. Nice, solid ground that won’t shift suddenly. It’s beautiful.”

                “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. So we had to dodge some debris fields. Most of the trip was smooth flying and you know it.”

                Terry finally stood. He became aware that other members of the crew were disembarking and looking at him with a similar expression to Leslie’s. They just chose not to comment. None of them carried equipment. That would come later.

                “Don’t tell me you’re not happy to be back on a planet. I heard how you spent three days in the med bay due to nausea during one of those ‘not so bad’ debris field maneuvers.”

                “That was not because of nausea!” Leslie said quickly. “A few tools and screws came loose. I got a few bruises and cuts. I said it was fine and nothing major, but you know how medical is.”

                “And now that we’re on a planet, we don’t have to worry about that sort of thing.” Terry said proudly.

                “Well, to be fair, we don’t know the geologic situation here. This area could be prone to earth…planet quakes.”

                Terry shuddered. “Don’t say things like that. You’re just asking for trouble. I had trouble dealing with shaking on the ship. I don’t know what I’d do if the ground started shaking as well.”

                Leslie looked at him for a moment. “How you got chosen for this mission, I’ll never know.”

                “Oh you know I’m not the only one who thinks the same. I’m just the only one who’s voicing them.”

                “Right. Sure. You keep thinking that, Terry. Now then, if you’ll excuse me, some of us have work to do. But you enjoy your…ground hugging session.”

                “Thank you, I will.” Terry said quickly as Leslie turned and started off.

                Terry did hate to admit it, but she was right in a way. There was a lot to do, and he should really be doing his own job. That did not mean he couldn’t take some time to just enjoy the stability of the ground though. For a few more minutes, at least.

               

Word: Clowder

 

clowder

[klou-der] / ˈklaʊ dər /

noun

1. a group or cluster of cats. 

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

                   Neil set out the trays. Currently they were empty, but that would not last. He would not get very far otherwise. He reached into the canvas bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out several cans. He opened them and spread the contents onto the trays. Immediately, they were assaulted by a group of small, furry bodies.

                   He stood and moved a few paces away to let the group of feral cats eat. He sat against a wall and watched. Neil wondered if today was the day. The day when one, or maybe even two, of the cats would finally allow contact for anything other than delivering food. He had his eye on two of them in particular. An orange male and a cow patterned female. The two were obviously a bonded pair, so if he took one, he would take the other as well.

                   But that was only if the cats accepted him as their human. So far, that had not happened. Neil had been feeding the clowder for a few months, but cats were cats. Their trust was slow to earn, and he did not want to uproot the animals without feline approval. He was confident he was winning them over though. When he started the feedings, they wouldn’t get anywhere near the cat food until he was gone. Now they waited for him to arrive.

                   He did consider trying to TNR the entire group, but that would be hard. Trapping them would inevitably ruin what trust he had built with them, and none of the local vets or shelters were equipped to handle this many. He had checked several times and places. At least the town was aware of them. Hopefully someone would be able to make sure the local kitten population did not explode too much.

                   Suddenly, all the cats stopped eating. They looked up and all in the same direction. Neil followed their gaze. Was there another animal there? Maybe something big enough to be a threat? No, there were no large predators in the area. The cats moved away and lay down. Several of them rolled over, showing their bellies. That was not something he had seen before. Or even heard of.

                   Two cats came from down the road. Two cats followed by three kittens. The newcomers moved slowly, moving each leg with a sedate pace. They arrived at the feeding area and sniffed the food. Neither ate any of it though. Instead, they moved towards Neil. They sat upright, tails curled around themselves. Both of them were grey tabbies, with one being a male and the other female. But there was something odd about them.

                   The way they acted. They way they looked at the human. Neil got a sense that they were examining him. Judging him. And not in the way people often joked about cats doing. Actually judging him. Like a human would.

                   The female turned to the three kittens and stood, moving behind the tiny bundles of fur. She nudged the three of them forward with her head. The kittens sat, looking like children who were being forced to sit still.

                   One of the kittens was black, another white, and the third grey. And they were solid in those colors. Even their noses were the same as their fur. The only parts that were of different colors were their eyes. Neil looked over the three of them. They were tiny things, and damn near the cutest kittens he had ever seen.

                   The black kitten was the first to move. It went right up to Neil and climbed up onto him. The white one was next, with the grey baby being more hesitant to join its siblings. Once all three were on his lap, the two parents turned and left without another look back. The kittens watched their parents go without complaint. Well, the grey one seemed like it wanted to go after them, raising a tiny paw in their direction, but even that one did not say a thing.

                   Neil watched as the two parent cats turned a corner and vanished. Whatever spell that had come over the rest of the clowder vanished and the regular cats dove on the food again.

                   He looked at the three kittens and a small smile crossed his face. It looked like he was going home with cats after all. The circumstances might have been odd, but life and cats worked in mysterious ways.

Word: Odoriferous

 

odoriferous

[oh-duh-rif-er-uhs] / ˌoʊ dəˈrɪf ər əs /

adjective

1. yielding or diffusing an odor.

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

                When Henry opened the door, a small bell rang. Nothing unusual. The store smelled of herbs and fragrant oils. The shelves were lined with jars of incense sticks. For the type of store this was, it was all incredibly ordinary. At least, that’s what Henry thought. How could this be the place he was looking for? It made no sense. But he would trust his source.

                An older woman emerged from the back room of the store at the sound of the bell. She was tall, and thickset. Sturdy though, not fat. She wore a stained apron over her clothes and had her greying hair up in a tight bun.

                “Good afternoon. You looking for anything in particular, or just browsing?” She asked with a small smile.

                “Uh, yeah. I’m looking for something specific. Something not sold in other incense stores.” Henry replied.

                “Ah, something a bit on the rare side, eh? Well, I do all kinds of custom scents. It’ll cost you more, but they’re worth it.”

                Henry moved towards the counter. This was not a conversation to be held from across a room. He even looked around and made sure they were alone.

                “I’m not looking for something normal. I’m looking for something a bit more special. Something that can…expand someone’s perspective.”

                The woman’s smile faded. Her face hardened.

                “I don’t know what anyone told you, but I don’t do drug laced sticks. You’ll have to go somewhere else for that.”

                Henry shook his head quickly. “No, no. Not that. At least I hope it’s nothing illegal. I’m looking for something a bit more, uh, revelatory?”

                Once again, her expression shifted, this time to one of curiosity. “Really now? And who told you I could provide something like that?”

                “I don’t know his real name, but he called himself Savant.”

                Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then a wide, toothy grin came to her face. “Is that so? That old codger is still around? No, maybe an apprentice that took the name? Did you meet him in person or was it through a proxy?”

                “Does the internet count as a proxy?”

                “Hm. Tricky. I’d say it does, yes. So, you met online and he told you…”

                “That I should come in here and ask you for a revelation. That I could handle it.”

                “He did, huh? Did he tell you what kind of revelation you could handle?”

                “He said something about a rainbow light?”

                The shopkeeper sucked in a breath of air. “Rainbow, are you sure?”

                “That’s what Savant said.”

                “Hm. I hope he knows what he’s doing. A rainbow revelation is not something to be taken lightly.”

                “I still don’t know what that all means. He wasn’t really very clear about the fine details. Only that it would change my life.”

                “That it will. What you’ll go through with what I’m about to give you will indeed alter everything you know about the world. Whether it’s for better or for worse depends on you. Now, wait here, I’ll be right back.”

                The shopkeeper went into the back room. Henry waited, looking over the regular stock. The woman came back out with a plastic bag that she placed on the counter. Henry looked inside to see an incense stand with odd patterns on it, and seven incense sticks, each with a different color.

                “Now, only use this stand. None other will work. It has holes for each stick, color coded. Light them in color order. I hope I don’t need to tell you what that is? Once they’re all lit, it’ll only take a few minutes for the effect to kick in. Also, it’s best to do this in a closed room where you won’t be disturbed. Got it?”

                “Yeah, I got it. Is there a time limit that they have to be lit?”

                “As quickly as you can. The longer all seven are lit together, the better. Oh, and when you’re done, come back around. I want to hear all about what you experienced. And what happened to you afterwards.”

                “Uh, okay? Uh, so…”

                “No charge. Hearing about your revelation will be payment enough. Now get going. You’ve got a long and very interesting afternoon ahead of you.”

                Henry nodded and left. He looked at the bag again. He wondered if this was really the right idea. If he had not been roped into some kind of weird cult. Well, he would find out soon enough.