Word: Lapidify

lapidify

[luh-pid-uh-fahy] / ləˈpɪd əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with or without object)

Archaic.

lapidified, lapidifying

1. to turn into stone.

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                Ted was barely paying attention to the tour guide. He was not even sure why he paid for the thing. He would much rather have made his own way through the museum. Well, he would rather not have gone in the first place, but he felt a bit obligated to at least try. He was on vacation, and when on vacation going to museums was just one of the things one did.

                For some reason he had let himself get talked into going on the tour even before he had gone on vacation, singing up for it weeks prior. Which meant now he was obligated to actually go. And it was awful. The tour guide was dull and spoke like he was just reciting the information off a script. Plus, he did not even give them a chance to really appreciate the art. Not that Ted had a great appreciation for art to begin with.

                 “We come now to one of the museum’s crowning pieces.” The guide droned. “This statue is called The War Goddess. The artist is unknown, as is the subject.”

                The statue in question was oddly lifelike. Moreso than any statue Ted had seen before. It depicted a woman, beautiful and built like a swimsuit model combined with a CrossFit athlete. She wore armor that was built for use, not for ornamentation, and held a sword and shield made for the same purpose.

                As he looked at the statue. Ted felt something. It felt like someone poking his thoughts.

                Are you to be my new master?

                The words nearly made Ted jump and scream. He was almost surprised he did not. The words were heard in his mind, and clearly came from a woman. He looked around furiously, aiming to see if anyone else was reacting to the voice. But no, nobody else was acting differently. In fact, the guide was moving on.

                Speak with your mind, and I shall hear it. The voice said.

                Ted closed his eyes and thought. Who are you?

                I am Arlise, Shieldmaiden of Ventaire. Are you he who shall be my new master?

                Shieldmaiden? A sudden thought came to his mind. Are you the statue?

                I would appear to be a statue to your eyes, yes.

                Ted went closer to the statue and walked around it. He could not see anything unusual about it, save for the realism worked into the stone.

                I have no idea what’s going on. Are you…are you alive?     He asked.

                I am. I would think that would be obvious.

                Not really. What the hell is going on?

                If the voice was coming from outside, he would think that he was being pranked. But the voice, her voice, was clearly coming from his mind. Was he going crazy?

                I do not know how long ago it was, but I served under the great king of Ventaire. I protected him from any threat that could be rendered by arms. Alongside the wizard Devin, we kept the king safe. But when my master’s life ended, our duty was not finished. We both knew that our power would be needed again. So, until we found a new master worthy of our service, Devin cast a spell that would allow us to turn our bodies to stone and our minds to rest until we felt one we could serve. My mind woke in your presence. As such, I believe you can be my new master.

                As she “spoke,” Ted moved to a nearby bench and sat down. Hearing all this did not help his thoughts about his mental state. A country he had never heard of. Wizards and magic. It made no sense.

                So you can, what, turn back into a normal woman and back into stone whenever you want?

                That is so. I have not tested this power in battle, but I can imagine its use there. I shall turn back now.

                No, wait! Uh, you said your mind was sleeping. Can you see and hear now?

                I cannot. Nor do I know how long I was sleeping.

                Well it’s probably been a while, since I’ve never heard of this Ventaire. I mean, I’m not a history expert, but still. Also, do you know what a museum is?

                I do not.

                Well, it’s a place for art to be displayed. This particular kind of museum is for old and rare art.

                I am…art? Her mental voice sounded quite happy with that.

                Yeah. And I don’t think one of the place’s works turning into a person and walking away would be taken too well.

                Yes, I can understand that. Art has always been something to be prized. Very well, I shall wait.

                Also…

                Yes?
                I’m not sure you want me to be your master.

                Oh? Why would you say that?

                Ted signed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. First of all, you said you’re some kind of bodyguard, right? Well, I don’t really need guarding. My life is too boring for that. I don’t have any enemies. Just people who don’t like me much. And even if I did have enemies, they wouldn’t be the kind of people to threaten me physically. Beyond that, I live in a peaceful place. While there are still wars and stuff, I don’t live anywhere with armed conflict going on. You wouldn’t have anything to do.

                He hesitated before going on. Also, I’m just…I’m just not much of a person. Not worthy of someone who used to protect a king. I’m just a normal guy with a normal life. I’m a nobody. A loser who can barely hold down a crappy job and live in a run down apartment that isn’t worth even half of what I pay in rent. You don’t want anything to do with me.

                Arlise was silent for a moment. He wondered if his mind was just done messing with him. Then he heard her again.

                I do not believe that is the case. Had you truly been such a low person, I would not have woken. Your life may not be as grand as a king, but I believe there is more to you than even you realize.

                You think so, huh?

                I do, yes.

                Ted leaned back as much as he could in the backless bench. Fine. How about this. We do this as a trial run. I’m on vacation. A trip to another country, if you didn’t know. If you can get out of the museum on your own, do so after it closes. I’ll come by a few minutes before the place closes. You can get a bit of a preview of what my life is like until my vacation ends. If you still think I’m worthy, you can come home with me. If you find that I’m not, which I’m pretty sure you will, you come back, turn back into a statue, and go to sleep until someone better comes along. How’s that sound?

                That…will be acceptable.

                Great. I’m going to go now. I have other things I want to do today. Plus, I still need time to process this. I’ll come back before the museum closes and let you know, then you can leave on your own.

                Very well. I shall await your return.

                Ted stood and headed off. He did not rejoin the tour. He had other things to deal with. Like whether or not he had actually meant some kind of ancient warrior woman, or if he was going crazy. And if he was actually going to show up. He probably would. At the very least, he could see more of the museum on his own terms. And maybe he was not going crazy. Maybe this was something interesting finally happening in his life.

Word: floriferous

 

floriferous

[flaw-rif-er-uhs, floh-] / flɔˈrɪf ər əs, floʊ- /

adjective

1. producing blossoms; flower-bearing. 

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                   Grandma sighed as she looked at the bushes. Toby knew that sigh. It was the one Grandma used when she was sad but didn’t want to show it.

                   “Grandma? What’s wrong?” He asked.

                   “Hm? Oh, nothing, nothing. I was just thinking.”

                   “About what?”

                   Grandma slowly bent her knees, crouching by the bush. She touched the slender branches. Toby thought she was checking the plant for something.

                   “A few years ago, this bush and all the others like it were so green. They had little white flowers that bloomed all over them. But I don’t think they’re going to bloom this year.”

                   “Why not?”

                   “A few reasons. You probably don’t know about this, but the weather’s been changing.”

                   “I know that.” Toby said with a big smile. “The weather changes every day.”

                   “Yes, it does. But I don’t mean like that. What I’m talking about is how the weather is so different than it used to be. This time a few years ago, and the weather was perfect. A little chilly, but you only needed a small jacket. And it was mostly consistent. There were cold days and hot days, sure. But not like now. Now, it could be like winter one day and summer the next.”

                   “Really?”

                   To Toby, the weather had always been like this. He could not understand the idea of weather that did not change wildly from day to day. That was just how the world worked.

                   “Yes, really. Now, the thing is that the weather changing so fast might be fine for us. We have clothes and homes and all kinds of fancy things to deal with the changes. But the plants and animals don’t have that. They can’t keep up with the changes. Take this bush. It doesn’t know if it wants to act like its spring, winter or fall. It’ll start making leaves, only for them to freeze off in the night. That’s not how things are supposed to be.”

                   That sounded bad. He thought about if there was a way to help the bush make leaves and flowers again, but he did not know enough to come up with anything.

                   “Can we help it?” He asked.

                   “Hm?”

                   “Can we help it make leaves and flowers and stuff?”

                   Grandma gave a gentle chuckle. “No, dear, I don’t think we can. All we can do is treat the plant as well as we can. Give it food and water whenever it needs some. Then we just have to hope the weather gets better.”

                   “Do we need to do that now?”

                   “No. If we put water on it now, it’ll just freeze. And that’ll hurt the bush too much right now, when it wants to act like it’s getting warmer out.”

                   “Oh. But when it really does start getting warmer?”

                   “That’s right. Maybe in a few weeks it’ll be better and all the plants will be able to wake up. I think it might be too late for this one, but I’m sure we’ll see at least a few flowers again. If the weather ever really gets better.”

    

Word: Eidolon

 

eidolon

[ahy-doh-luhn] / aɪˈdoʊ lən /

noun

1. a phantom; apparition.

2. an ideal. 

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                   Alex swung his flashlight around the dark hallway. He paused when the beam passed over some floating dust. He watched it move through the air for a few moments, only stopping when he realized the others were leaving him behind.

                   “Man, this place sucks.” Jim said. “There’s nothing here but junk and cobwebs.”

                   “I don’t know. Some of this stuff is pretty neat.” Ben said, looking at a partially broken dresser.

                   “It’s dumb is what it is. I thought the whole point of a haunted house was that there’s ghosts and stuff.”

                   “You actually expected to find ghosts?”

                   Even Alex got a good chuckle out of that. Sure there were a lot of rumors about the old house, but nobody expected there to actually be anything supernatural about it. Well, except for Jim, apparently.

                   “I…I just thought there’d be something, you know?”

                   As the three boys went through the house, Jim grumbled his way through. Ben occupied himself looking for anything that might be reasonably intact. Alex’s mind wandered. He wondered what a real ghost would look like. His answer came only a few minutes later.

                   Ben and Jim stopped in the middle of the room they were currently in. Jim’s flashlight began to flicker as it passed over the middle of the room.

                   “What the? This thing had brand new batteries. No way it’s dying already.”

                   Ben shined his light in the same area, only to have the same thing happen. “Okay, that’s super weird.”

                   Alex looked closely. The dust was behaving oddly. It looked like it was flowing around something. Something in the rough shape of a person.

                   “Hey guys, I think there’s something there.” He said.

                   The other two looked at him quizzically, then to the area the flashlights flickered over. As if on cue, a figure appeared. It was tall, floating and translucent. A spectral woman floated in the air, looking at the three of them. Alex’s breath caught in his throat. It, she, was beautiful. It was like an angel had appeared before them. The other two froze as her eyes moved over them. Alex assumed they were as entranced as he was.

                   “Wha-what the hell?” Ben asked.

                   “Oh god, we’re all going to die.” Jim said weakly.

                   Alex turned to look at Jim. The other boy’s eyes were open wide, but not with awe. With fear. Ben was much the same. In fact, Ben was shaking. The two of them took shaky, slow steps back. Alex had no idea why. The specter was anything but scary.

                   Her mouth opened and she let out a long, melodic cry that filled Alex with wonder. It was like the essence of an orchestra distilled and purified into one single note. Jim and Ben screamed their heads off and ran.

                   Once they were gone, the specter looked at Alex. Her head tilted from side to side. She let out another of her melodic calls. Alex smiled.

                   “Beautiful.” He said quietly. The specter seemed to have heard him. She looked surprised.

                   Alex heard footsteps behind him. He turned and saw an old man walking towards him. The man wore loose clothes under a long coat, and moved with a slight hunch to his back.

                   “What did you just say?” He asked.

                   “Uh…I…I said beautiful?” Alex said nervously.

                   “Beautiful, is it. Tell me, when you look at her, what do you see?”

                   “I…I see a beautiful woman. Kind of. She’s floating and glowing and stuff, but she’s really pretty.”

                   A slow grin formed on the old man’s face. He moved next to the specter, who floated around him like a dog around its owner.

                   “That’s a rare thing, young man. Most people look at my eidolon here and see something terrifying. Twisted, ugly and inspiring of the worst fear they’ve ever felt.”

                   “What?”

                   “To see her as something beautiful is a rare thing. And it means you have the gift.”

                   “The gift?”

                   “Oh yes. In modern times you would call it magic, although that word doesn’t quite do it justice.”

                   Alex paused for a moment, thinking about what he had just been told. It sounded crazy, but given what he was seeing, he had hope that the old man was being honest.

                   “Are you saying I can be a wizard?”

                   “Hah! A wizard, he says. No, boy. You can be something far greater than any mere peddler of cantrips. You can be something far greater. Now, it won’t be easy. The journey to true power never is. But if you’re willing to learn, I’m willing to teach.”

                   Alex looked at the specter, the eidolon, and back to the old man. For some reason, Alex did not think the man was lying or tricking him. He stood a little straighter.

                   “Will I be able to do something like her?”

                   “The eidolon? Yes. Not right away, of course. She’s a very advanced working. But eventually, yes.”

                   “In that case, I’m willing.”