Word: Decoration

decoration

[ dek-uh-rey-shuh n ]

noun

something used for decorating; adornment; embellishment: The gymnasium was adorned with posters and crepe-paper decorations for the dance.

the act of decorating.

interior decoration.

a badge, medal, etc., conferred and worn as a mark of honor: a decoration for bravery.

   

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           “So, what do you think?” Heather asked.  Her arms were spread wide, presenting the room.  Her eyes were bright and she wore a wide smile on her face.

               Chris was much less enthusiastic.  “It’s…it’s nice, I guess?”

               He had no intention of actually saying what he thought.  That could only lead to problems.  Even so, Heather dropped her arms and her smile evaporated.

               “You don’t look happy.” She said.

               “Oh, no, no.  I’m…I’m super happy.  Thrilled.  I mean, we finally have our own place, right?”

               She did not look convinced.  She turned and looked around the room.  She looked at the peeling paint and large splotches caused by deep water damage.  At a loose pipe poking out of the ceiling.  At dented walls and pock marked floorboards. 

               “Ok, so it’s not the nicest place in the world.” Heather admitted.  “But we can change that.  We just need to liven it up a bit.”

               “Liven it up?  How are we supposed to do that?”

               “Oh you know, get some potted plants, a few paintings.  And, of course we’ll need a few rugs and some nice furniture.”

               Chris resisted his urge to rub his forehead.  “Really?  Your idea of how to fix this place is to decorate?”

               “Well, yeah.  A few decorations can do a long way.”

               “Heather, this place is way beyond a few plants and some art.  This building is in dire need of serious maintenance.  We’ll have to fix the walls, the pipes, the floors, the ceiling, and probably a bunch of other things.  And don’t say it’s a fixer upper.  This is goes way passed that.  Honestly, with all the things we’ll have to do, we could probably save a few hundred bucks by just buying a new house.”

               “Oh come on, it’s not that bad.”

               As if the prove Chris’ point, a small chunk of plaster fell off the ceiling, landing between the young couple.  It was immediately followed by a slow drip of water from a now exposed pipe.  Heather winced at the interruption.  Chris folded his arms over his chest and looked at his fiancé. 

               “I…I just wanted a place for us, you know?” Heather said.

               “We’ll get one.  You know we will.  But just not this one.  By all means, this place should be condemned.  We need to get a place that we can actually live in.”

               He moved to her side and placed an arm around her shoulder.  She turned away from him and looked the damp wall.

               “It’s just that this place is super cheap.  I thought we’d save so much that we could afford to fix it up, and then we’d have a home that we could afford.”

               “I know, I know.  But that’s not what we need.  We need a good place that isn’t likely to collapse in on us.  We need a place that we can actually live in and be proud of.  It’s not this one, but that place is out there.  And once we find it, you can decorate however you want.”

               She looked up at him hopefully.  “Really?  You mean it?  However I want?”

               “Yup.”  He said it to make her feel better.  He knew he would have little input on decorations, no matter what he said.  But it was important for her to hear it.  “Now let’s get out of here and go start looking for a real home.”

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When looking into a new home, things like loose pipes are generally a sign that you should look elsewhere.  Unless you want a house that needs pretty much everything fixed.  In that case, go nuts!

Word: Stellate

stellate

[ stel-it, -eyt ]

adjective

like the form of a conventionalized figure of a star; star-shaped.

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               “Becky, can you come here a moment?  I’ve got a special present for you.” Grandma Polly said.

               Becky looked at the old woman excitedly.  She had just turned 12, and was expecting something extra special from her grandma.  The woman was known for giving some of the best stuff.  And, since 12 was such an important birthday, she was expecting something really amazing.

               Grandma Polly held out a small jewelry box.  Becky already liked where things were going and she had yet to even take hold of the small container.

               “Now this is a special item that has been passed down in our family for generations.” The old woman said, handing the box to her granddaughter.

               Becky opened it and she eyed the necklace contained within.  The thin, delicate chain looked to be gold, but it was the pendant that really caught her attention.  Like the chain, it was gold in color, and even Becky could tell it was very well crafted.  It took the form of an ornate star, with three concentric rings coming out of it.  Each ring had a small gemstone on it:  A ruby on the outer ring, then a sapphire, and finally a diamond on the smallest inner ring.

               “Wow.” Becky said, in awe of the intricate accessory.  “It’s beautiful.”

               Becky’s mom , Carol came up to see what her daughter was holding.  She let out a sharp, exasperated sigh at the sight.

               “Really, Mom?  That’s what you give her?”

               “It’s her time.” Grandma Polly said.  “Really, it should be you giving it to her, but you turned it down.”

               “It’s ridiculous, is what it is.”

               “What’s wrong with it, Mom?” Becky asked.

               “Just some crazed story your grandma tells.”

               “It’s not ridiculous.” Grandma Polly said.  “It’s all real, I swear.  Becky, dear, hold the star in the middle and tell me what it feels like.”

               Becky did as her grandma asked.  It was warm, like a gentle flame.  She even swore she felt it pulse, like it had a heartbeat.  When the girl told her grandma this, the old woman smiled triumphantly.

               “I knew it.  I knew you would have the touch.”

               “Oh stop it, Mom.” Carol said.  “Don’t even try filling her head with that nonsense you told me.”

               “What is it, Grandma?  Come on, tell me.”

               “You see?  She wants to know.” Grandma Polly said.  Carol scowled, but before she could say anything in protest, the old woman continued.  “You see, dear, this necklace is special.  It was made long, long ago by people with knowledge we can’t even begin to comprehend.  For most, it is simply a pretty piece of jewelry.  But for others, those like you and me, it is so much more.  This necklace holds fantastic power.  The power of a star.  With it, you can do wonderous things.  Well, once you learn how, at any rate.”

               Becky’s eyes widened.  She had no reason to believe her grandma’s words.  They sounded crazy.  But as she held the pendant, she could not help but think the old woman was being honest.  Something about it just felt like it contained something great.  Her mother did not think so.

               “Mom, just…just stop it.  Stop trying to push those fairy tales on my daughter.  You already tried filling my head with it too much already.  Becky, give the necklace back to your grandma.  She’ll give you something actually useful later.  Won’t you Mom?”

               “No.” Becky said.  “I like it.  I want to keep it.  Even if it doesn’t have super powers, it’s still really, really nice.”

               “Becky…”

               “Oh, let the girl keep it.” Grandma Polly said.  “Look at it this way, if I’m right, you’ll never have to worry about her getting hurt ever again.  And if I’m wrong, well, she’ll still have the nicest necklace around, won’t she?”

               Carol groaned.  “Fine, fine.  She can keep it.  But you will not try getting to...to, I don’t know, throw fireballs or something.”

               Carol stormed off,  muttering to herself as she went.  Becky leaned in close to her grandma.

               “Hey, Grandma, will I actually be able to throw fireballs with this thing?”

               “Fireballs?  That’s minor league stuff.  Trust me, you’ll be able to do so, so much more once I’m done with you.”

               “Sweet.” Becky said with a wide grin.  “When can I start learning?”

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

If you're going to give an item with the ability to channel a star's power through it to someone, maybe a 12 year old isn't the best idea for a candidate.  Just my opinion, take it or leave it.

Word: Consent

consent

[ kuh n-sent ]

verb (used without object)

to permit, approve, or agree; comply or yield (often followed by to or an infinitive): He consented to the proposal. We asked her permission, and she consented.

Archaic . to agree in sentiment, opinion, etc.; be in harmony.

noun

permission, approval, or agreement; compliance; acquiescence: He gave his consent to the marriage.

agreement in sentiment, opinion, a course of action, etc.: By common consent he was appointed official delegate.

Archaic . accord; concord; harmony.

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              Chris rapped the pen against the table quickly as he looked at the paper.  He would have preferred to be actually reading it, but the words were tiny.  So small that he would need a magnifying glass to have any chance of seeing what was written, and even then it would be difficult.  The only part that was easy to read was the last line, with the words “sign here” printed in neat letters next to a large blank space.

               “Look, it’s not hard.” The woman sitting across from him said.  “Just sign your name and you’ll get everything you’ve ever wanted.”

               Chris looked at the woman.  She made a tempting offer.  After all, when faced with a woman more beautiful than any super model, there were a lot of things he wanted.  But his rational mind was suspicious.

               “So, I sign here, and you’ll do anything I want?”

               “That’s right.  That little sheet of paper is my letter of consent to give you anything and everything.  I will happily do whatever you ask, and give you whatever your heart desires.”  She leaned forward and looked him in the eye.  It allowed him to see quite a bit of a certain area of her body, helped by the low cut of her blouse.  It made it very hard to concentrate.  “And I do mean anything.”

               He looked again at the paper, and then at the woman.  It was too good to be true.  And that was a dangerous thing.

               “Anything, huh?  What about something that doesn’t exist?”

               “It will once you ask for it.”

               Chris could do a lot without the limits of reality.  There were a lot of fun toys that existed only in his mind.  And if she could bring them to reality, then there really were no limits on what he could do.  He could change the world.  He could solve so many problems.  Go down in history as the man who ushered forth a new golden age. 

               “Look, it’s easy.” She said.  “Just sign and anything is possible, no matter how trivial or how grand.  You want a good slice of pizza?  Done.  You want to be the king of the world?  I can make that happen.  And I’ll do it all with a smile on my face and not a bit of argument.”

               There had to be something else.  Something more.  Something she was not telling him.  Such an offer made no sense.  She was basically agreeing to be his magical slave woman with no benefit for herself.  Nobody did that.

               “What’s the catch?” Chris asked.

               “Catch?”

               “You make a good offer, you really do.  But there’s no way this is free.  There’s a price to this, I know it.”

               The woman leaned back.  Her face never shifted.  Never betrayed what she might have been thinking.  “Well, there is a small price involved.  Oh, but it’s so small that you really won’t care.  I could go into detail, but really there’s no need to.  It’s all written down in black and white.”

               And in such small lettering that it was effectively impossible to read. 

               “You’re not going to take my soul or anything, are you?”

               The woman laughed lightly.  “Your soul?  Good lord, no.  What ever would I want with that?  I’m not a demon, you know.  A human soul is completely useless for me.  Like I said, the cost to you is tiny.  Insignificant.  Really, I’m damn near losing out with this deal.  My willing servitude for the rest of your life in exchange for something so small you probably won’t even know it’s missing.  I mean, what do you have to lose?”

               Chris looked into her eyes.  Eyes that seemed to cast a spell on him with their brilliance.  He sighed and lifted his pen to the paper.

               “Okay, sure.  Might as well give it a shot and see what happens.”

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Remember kids, if something seems to be too good to be true, it usually is.  Especially when it involves contracts with people with supernatural powers.  Those never go well for anyone but the person offering the deal.