Word: Gaslight

 

gaslight

\ GAS-lahyt \  , verb;

1. to cause (a person) to doubt his or her sanity through the use of psychological manipulation: How do you know if your partner is gaslighting you?

noun:

1. light produced by the combustion of illuminating gas.

2. a gas burner or gas jet for producing this kind of light.

adjective:

1. gaslit ( def 2 ).

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The door to the cabin opened and then quickly shut with a loud bang.  The dim, gas lit lamps flickered briefly as the sudden breeze hit them.  The man who had just entered the small building stood just inside the door, his eyes wide and his breaths coming fast and deep. 

                “I think I just saw something.”  He said.

                “Like what?”  Said another man, this one having been sitting in the cabin already.

                “I don’t know, just something.”

                “Look Hector, you can’t just tell me you saw something and then not say what it was.”

                “I don’t know what it was.  It was big though.  And no, it wasn’t a plant.  It moved.”  Hector said.  He made his way into the cabin, mud and dirt trailing behind him as it fell off his heavy boots.

                “Yeah, so?  It was probably a deer or something.”

                “No way, man.  This wasn’t a deer.  It was…I don’t know.  It was something big though.”

                “A bear than.”

                “No, it…Joey, you’re not listening to me.  This wasn’t anything like that.  It was…”  Hector paced around the room as he spoke, “I don’t know what it was.  But it wasn’t an animal.  At least, not any animal I’ve ever seen.” 

                Joey looked at his companion and sighed.  The two of them had been alone in the cabin in the woods for going on two weeks now, and it was clearly starting to get to Hector. 

                “Well, why don’t you tell me what it looked like?”

                “It looked like…I don’t know…Something.  It was tall, and big.  I couldn’t see it very well so I can’t really tell.  It was definitely not normal though.”

                “How so?”

                “It was like, floating or something.  No footprints or anything behind it.  I checked, and there was nothing.”

                “Huh.”

                “Yeah, I know.  I think there’s something wrong with these woods, man.”

                “I’m sure there is.  You know, Hector, maybe you should consider leaving?  You know, go back to civilization for a few days.” Joey said, looking at his friend’s panicked expression.

                “W-what?” Hector asked.

                “I think this place is starting to get to you.  I mean, you’re starting to see things.  Next thing you know, you’ll be hearing voices in your head or something.”

                “You think I’m crazy?”

                “No, no, of course not.  I just think some R&R will do you good is all.”  Joey said in an overly slow, clear voice.

                “You do.  You think I’m going nuts.  Well I’m not.  I tell you what I saw was real.  I really saw it, man, and…”

                “Hector, stop.  Listen to yourself.”  Joey said.  He got up from the simple wooden chair he had been sitting on and placed a comforting hand on Hector’s shoulder.  “You’re talking about mysterious floating creatures in the woods.  Does that sound like something you’d say if you were in your right mind?”

                “I-I…”  Hector pulled away from Joey, looking at his friend with wide eyes, “I’m sane.  I just know it.  I…I mean, there’s no way I could be crazy, is there?”  He said, even as he began doubting his own words. 

                “Of course you are.”  Joey said slowly.  “Why don’t you go lie down and think about what you saw for a moment.  In the morning we can talk about it more.  Maybe get you into town to talk to someone?”

                “Uh…Uh…yeah.  Yeah, ok.  That sounds good.”  Hector said.

                Joey guided Hector over to one of the two small bed set up on the far side of the cabin.  Hector didn’t bother to change out of his outdoor clothes, opting to simply collapse into the not quite comfortable bedding.  He lay there, thinking about what he saw, and his own mental condition  while Joey went back to whatever he had been.

                Joey returned to the chair he had been sitting on with a large grin on his face.  As he sat down, a small chunk of still fresh dirt fell off his boot. 

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In honor of my dad, who has made use of this word quite well, I present this humble offering.  I do hope you all enjoy it.

Word: Star-crossed

 

star-crossed

\ STAHR-krawst, -krost \  , adjective;

1. thwarted or opposed by the stars; ill-fated: star-crossed lovers .

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“So, are you done stargazing yet?  It’s cold out here.”  Said Ray.  He could feel the cold of the night even through his hat, gloves, and jacket. 

                “Not yet.  And if you’re cold you’re free to wait in the car.”  Kelly replied.  She was too busy looking up at the night sky to be concerned with the chill in the air.  Once he said it though, she couldn’t help but shiver a bit.

                “Oh yeah, great options.  Staying out here in the cold, or waiting in your tiny box with wheels car.”

                Kelly groaned quietly.  She used a small flashlight to look down at a heavily marked up star chart she held.  She repeatedly looked from the sheet of paper to the star filled sky with a furrowed brow.

                “So, you see next week’s lotto numbers up there?” Ray said after a few minutes of silence.  Kelly’s arms flopped to her side in frustration.   

                “Would you take this more seriously?  This is important you know.”

                “Oh yes, of course, my mistake.  Looking at the starts to see the future is really crucial.  I’m sure all the most important people live their lives by their all knowing influence.”

                “ You, sir, are an idiot.  How many times have I told you, I’m not seeing the future.  I’m seeing omens.  The stars don’t tell the future, they give warnings and portents.  I can only tell when something in a very broad category will go right or wrong.”

                “Yeah, yeah, you’ve told me.  The thing is, I don’t really care.  See, I don’t think the stars can do all that.  I mean, they’re just stars.  Little dots of light that come from much bigger dots of light.  That’s it. No precognitive powers there.”

                “Uh huh.  Well, maybe you should start believing.  And pretty soon.”

                “Why?”

                “Well, I’m seeing something really bad happening involving the sky.  It’s so bad that it could be fatal.”

                “Ok, so?”

                “So, I don’t think you should be going skydiving next week is all.”

                “Ah hah!  I knew it!  I knew this was all just an excuse to get me to call of my trip.”  Ray exclaimed triumphantly. 

                “No!  It’s not that.”  Kelly replied.  “I don’t care if you go or not.  The starts, on the other hand, are giving me a big no-no on that front.”

                “Right.  Well, I hope you’ll forgive me if I trust the highly trained and experienced instructors and professional skydivers more than I trust some big balls of fire a few million miles away.”

                “I’m telling you it’s a bad idea.  I’ve been doing this all my life, and they’ve never steered me wrong before.”

                “Really?  What about the time you swore the stars were warning you not to go to college because of some mysterious danger?”

                “Uh, well…That was…a misreading.  Yeah, I probably just didn’t read them right.  Or maybe a small cloud blocked one of them.”

                “Yeah, you keep thinking that.  All I’m saying is the stars probably don’t care what happens down here on planet Earth, so you shouldn’t put too much stock in them.”

                “You know, if something bad happens, you’ll get no sympathy from me.  I mean, I’m warning you not to go.  It’s all on you if you don’t listen.”

                “I’ll keep that in mind.  If something bad happens, I give you full permission to rub it in my face as much as you like.”       

                “Uh huh.”  Kelly’s shoulders slumped in resignation.  There was no way she would convince him what she saw was real.  “You’d just better survive whatever happens so I can while you’re still breathing.”

                “I make no promises.”  Ray said with a large, smug grin on his face.  It only lasted until a particularly chilly gust of wind reminded him of the cold.  “Now can we go home?”

                Kelly took one last look up at the stars.  Her lips pursed in thought for a moment before she said anything.

                “Yeah, I think I’m done.  I’ve learned all I can for tonight anyway.”

                “Great, let’s go.  Just, next time you do this; remember not to bring me along.”

                “I make no promises.”

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 Not really sure what to say for this one, so I'll just leave you all with some pretty pictures and call it a night.

Word: Clowder

 

clowder

\ KLOU-der \  , noun;

1. a group or cluster of cats

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Meredith stood in the mostly empty street and blinked.  She had been walking home from work, but was, at the moment, not.  Her path had been blocked.  The one who kept her from moving forward was still there.  It sat on the sidewalk and looked up at her.  Meredith had been stopped by a cat.

                It wasn’t an unusual cat.  A simple grey and black feline with nothing special about it really.  Meredith would have simply walked passed it without a second thought on most occasions.  The only reason this one was any different was its actions.  It had come out onto the sidewalk from a nearby ally, looked at her, and stopped.  Just stopped, right there in the middle of the sidewalk, and stared at her.  The feline’s actions were odd enough that it caused Meredith to do very much the same thing. 

                “O-Ok, kitty, I’m, uh, I’m gonna go now.  Bye?”  She said, as if expecting the cat to react in some way.  Quite predictably, it did no such thing.  Its ear twitched a bit, but that was the full extent of the animal’s reactions to her words. 

                True to her statement, as unneeded as it was, Meredith started moving again.  The cat watched her go with its unblinking, green eyes.  She kept walking for a few minutes until curiosity got the better of her, and she turned around.  There, on the sidewalk behind her, was the cat.  It had followed her.  And it was no longer alone.  Another cat had joined in, and the two felines were standing side by side behind her, looking at her as if they expected her to do something.  All Meredith did was turn around and keep moving.

                A few quite meows caused her to stop once more.  This time when she looked, even more cats had joined in.  There were now five of them.  And, as she watched, another hopped down from a nearby windowsill, as if it had responded to the call of whichever had spoken out.  For some reason, Meredith’s heart beat a little faster and an odd feeling of unease entered her mind.

                She continued her trek towards her home, somehow knowing the cats were still following her.  Why should they follow her like that?  She had nothing on her that would attract them.  No fish or meat of any kind on her person.  In fact, she hadn’t even eaten meat that day at all.  And, not having a cat herself, she had nothing else they would be interested in.  And yet, whenever she turned around, there were more of them.

                Every time she stopped, they stopped.  Every time she started moving, they followed.  They simply looked at her and followed along.  Sometimes one would use her pauses as an opportunity to groom itself, and the occasional light meow could be heard, but other than that, they followed behind in total silence.  She really started panicking when it got to the point where she could hear them following her through sheer numbers of their tiny paws.

                She wanted to run.  She didn’t know why, but she did.  Surely a few cats posed her no harm.  Well, there weren’t a few anymore.  There was a quite sizable group trailing her.  But if they hadn’t done anything to her by now, they were unlikely to do so.  But, then again, isn’t that was cats do?  They play with the things they kill.  But did they even mean to do something so grizzly to her?  There was nothing to suggest such a thing.  Who knows, maybe they just wanted to play, and be affectionate.  But no, several of the animals wore collars or other sings of human ownership, so could they really be seeking it elsewhere?  Whatever the case may be, she wanted to get away from the cats as quickly as possible for no other reason than she did.

                She walked faster and faster towards her home.  Her sanctuary.  The cats managed to keep pace quite well, sticking as close to her as ever.  She eventually got to a full blown run, doing her best to outpace her furry pursuers.  She risked a glance behind her.  The cats were running behind her, unwavering in their pursuit.

                Soon though, it came into view.  Meredith’s home.  She was going to make it.  The cats couldn’t follow her once she got there.  All she had to do was make sure to close the door behind her and she would be safe, regardless of whether or not she was in any actual danger.

                As quick as she could, she unlocked the doors.  The cats just stopped and watched her do this, unmoving.  She slipped quickly into the house and shut the door before any other them got close enough to enter.  She took a deep breath and leaned against a wall.  Her run and taken her breath away, but at least the cats could no longer follow her.  Suddenly, Meredith heard a small sound from the nearby living room.  She lived alone, and was expecting no company.  Slowly, she made her way towards the room in question.  When she got there, she froze.

                “Meow.”     

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Don't underestimate cats.  They are truly vicious creatures.  I mean, just look at them.  Look how fearsome and terrifying they are.  Especially in large groups.  Beware!

Word: pusillanimous

 

pusillanimous

\ pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-muhs \  , adjective;

1. lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.

2. proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.

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“D-Do we really need to go in there?”  Asked Kevin nervously.  His two friends, Jeff and Lauren, groaned at his hesitance  

                “Yes.  Yes we do.”  Jeff said.  “Just like ten minutes ago.  And ten minutes before that.  And, unless we’re on the trail in ten minutes, the answer will still be the same.”

                “B-but why?  I-I mean, can’t we just, you know, stay here and eat?”

                “No, we can’t.” 

                “But there’s tables here.  We can sit on a bench and eat.”

                “What’s so great about that?”  Lauren asked.  “I mean, we can do that any time we want.  Besides, the view’s way better up there than t is here.”  She pointed to the trail.

                Kevin’s heart beat like a drum as he looked into the forest path the three of them stood in front.  He had protested the entire way to the hiking spot, but his friends practically dragged him there.

                “I can see that view from a computer screen.”  Kevin said.

                “It’s not the same.”  Lauren said.  “Just seeing it is way different from really being there.”

                “Exactly.  Besides, the fresh air will do you good.”  Jeff said, nodding his head.

                “B-but isn’t it dangerous?”  Kevin said.  “I mean, it looks dangerous.” 

                “Are you kidding?”  Jeff exclaimed, “There’s nothing in there that can hurt you.”
                “Bears.  There’s bears in the woods.”  Kevin said, shuddering at the thought.  “What would you do if a huge black bear came out and attacked us?”

                “Oh please, there’s no bears here.”  Jeff said.  “And even if there was, they’d keep well away from the trails.”

                “B-but, what if…”

                “No buts.  Look, hundreds of people walk these trails every day, and not one has ever been attacked by a bear.”

                “W-well then, probability says that I’d be the first, doesn’t it?”

                “Yeah, no.”  Lauren said dryly.  “Probability doesn’t work like that.  The only animals we’re likely to see are squirrels and songbirds.”

                “S-squirrels?  T-those can be dangerous too.  I mean, have you ever seen the teeth those things have?”

                Jeff and Lauren sighed and looked at each other.  They had known Kevin wasn’t the bravest of individuals, but this was pushing it to the extreme. 

                “Seriously, you can’t tell me you’re honestly afraid of squirrels.”  Jeff said, getting a bit concerned.

                “A-aren’t you?  I mean, first of all, who knows what diseases they can carry.  And you’ve heard to them throwing acorns and things?  Well, what if one of those hits you in the eye of something?  Squirrels can be very dangerous, you know.”  Kevin said. 

                “You’re imagining things.  Seriously, just come on.  Nothing’s gonna happen.”  Jeff said, doing his best to comfort Kevin.

                “H-how do you know?  I mean, who knows what horrors could be out there.”

                “Oh yes, because squirrels are terrifying.”  Lauren said.

                “I-it’s not just the animals.  What if there’s like, I don’t know, a serial killer lurking out there or something?”

                “A serial killer?  Really?”  Jeff said blandly, “Dude, it’s the middle of the day.  There’s people everywhere.  Trust me, nothing is going to leap out and attack you.”

                “B-but what if…”

                “No buts.  Nothing will hurt you on the bright, well traveled trail in the thin woods.  Now come on, let’s go.  I want to eat at something like a reasonable time.”

                “Y-you two can go on without me, right?”  Kevin said in a last ditch effort to avoid going into the woods.  “That way you can risk whatever dangers are there, and I can stay out here, where it’s more or less safe.”

                Jeff and Lauren looked at each other again.  Both knew what they had to do.  They stood near Kevin, each on opposite sides of him.  Acting nearly in unison, they each wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and started walking.  Kevin had no choice but to start moving with him.  That didn’t mean he couldn’t complain about the entire way though.     

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It takes a special kind of talent to be scared of squirrels, doesn't it?  That must mean this guy is one of the most talented people ever!