Word: Kerplunk

 

kerplunk

[ ker-pluhngk ]

adverb

1. with or as if with a sudden muffled thud:

   The huge stone hit the water kerplunk.

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               The group was standing in front of a very large hole in the ground. It was quite large around, being at least 200 feet across. But it was even deeper. So deep that it seemed to swallow the light that entered it. So deep that some thought it to be without a bottom at all. And the group of three were going to try and go down into it.

               “So…should we test it first?” Asked on of them, a thin, wiry man named Josh.

               “How?” Asked another, much larger, man called Will.

               “I don’t know. Throw something in and see how long it takes to make a sound?”

               The three looked over the edge for a moment before backing up. Will grabbed a rock with enough weight that it should make a sizable noise when it hit the ground. He threw it into the hole. Then they waited. And waited.

               “Is it supposed to take this long?” Asked the third member of the group, a fit woman named Alice. “I feel like it shouldn’t be taking this long.”

               Not a moment after she spoke, the sound came. It was a faint, echoing thump. One that sounded like it could either be from a large stone hit water or solid ground. It was so faint and distorted that it was nearly impossible to tell which.

               “Okay, so it has a bottom.” Josh said. “That’s a start.

               “I don’t think we have enough rope to reach though.” Alic said. She cast a glance over at the coil of thick climbing rope they had brought.

               “Or enough pitons.” Will said. “In fact, I don’t think we have enough of anything to reach the bottom. Not if it took that long for the rock to hit.

               “Come on guys, this is an adventure, right? A challenge for us to overcome.” Josh said. Although he tried to bring as much excitement into his words as he could, his nerves were getting the better of him. “We’ll be the first to see what’s down there.”

               “Do we have to actually climb down to do it?” Will asked.

               “What?”

“I mean, can’t we get a drone and use that?”

“I agree wholeheartedly with the drone plan.” Alice said. “We can still explore the creepy super deep hole while not risking our lives doing so. Sounds like a win-win to me.”

“Oh come on. We told everyone we’d do it. We can’t back out now.”

“I think we can. Will? Would you care to demonstrate whey we can?”

Will threw another rock into the hole. Once again it took far too long for the muted thud to reach them. Both Will and Alice looked pointedly at Josh. He looked between the two of them and then to the very large, very deep hole. He sighed.

“Okay, fine. You made your point. We won’t try and climb down it.”

               The other two nodded their agreement. Will went over and patted his friend on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get a good long range drone and come back. We’ll still see what’s down there first. And then, maybe if it isn’t too bad we can bring enough supplies and equipment to make it down ourselves.”

“Yeah.” Josh said heavily. “I guess so.”

“Come on,” The larger man said. “Let’s pack up and go look into some stuff we can use.”

The three went and gathered their supplies. Alice and Will went about it normally, while Josh did so sullenly. Once they were done and headed back to their car, he looked back. He would see the bottom. Somehow. 

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

The human desire to see things and go places is strong. Even when it's REALLY obvious that they shouldn't be seeing or going to that place. 

Word: Splendiferous

 

splendiferous

[ splen-dif-er-uhs ]

adjective

1. splendid; magnificent; fine.

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

                  Molly was at a party. It was a truly splendid affair. People in fancy clothes talked and laughed. They drank wine and ate small bits of food carried around by waiters in fine uniforms. A few people even danced to the music of a small orchestra. To any onlookers, it was the very picture of a high class ball. Even Molly was dressed in a fine dress. Silk, if the feel of it was anything to go by.

                  The only problem was that she had simply woken up there after going to sleep in her apartment, dressed in a T-shirt she had owned since college, and a pair of pajama pants she had owned even longer.

                  “Greetings, fair lady.” Said a man. He was dressed in an immaculate tuxedo, and top hat. He even had a monocle. No cane though. And, thankfully, no handlebar mustache. “I cannot say I’ve had the pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Edmund of Corvain, at your service.” He continued, giving his name with a deep bow.

                  “Uh, sure. Right.” Molly said. She was about to give her name, but stopped herself. “Nice to meet you.”

                  “I notice you have yet to avail yourself of our host’s generous arrangements. Would you like me to fetch you a morsel to dine on?”

                  That set off alarm bells in Molly’s mind. “Before I say anything else, I have to know something. Are you or anyone else in this place a fairy? Or elf. Or goblin. Or, well, any kind of fae creature.”

                  “Oh no, no, no. Everyone here is quite human. You are wise to be cautious of those little devils though. Although, I do wonder why you would ask such a  thing?”

                  “Well, first of all, you’ll forgive me if I need some proof of your claims to humanity. I don’t want to lose my name by introducing myself. As for why, I went to sleep in Manhattan, dressed in my jammies. Now I’m where this is and wearing some Victorian ball gown.”

                  “Ah. I see. One of those, are you. Well, that makes your reluctance quite understandable. Later on, I must introduce you to my chef, Claire. She claims to be from a place called Austin and arrived as suddenly as you did. She was much more willing to divulge her identity though. Perhaps a difference in culture amongst nations in your mysterious lands?”

                  “Austin? As in Austin Texas?” The fact that there was another American in whatever place she was in was somewhat comforting. And it probably meant she was safe to eat something. The food did look and smell amazing, after all. But she had to confirm something. “What kind of foods does she make?”

                  “Ah, a confirmation question. Very good. She has an interesting love of cooking things in large amounts of oil. She calls it frying. She also enjoys cooking things in smoke for long periods of time. The methods and seasonings she uses baffle me, but I cannot deny the results.”

                  Fried and smoked foods. That checked out. She would give him some cold iron to make sure, but she had no idea what anything in the place was made out of. She looked around at the high class party goers. Only Edmund was paying her any attention. She sighed. If she was going to get by in whatever place this was, she was going to have to take a risk.

                  “Fine, fine. I’ll get something to eat. But I’m not telling you my name until I know for sure. Until then, Joyce will do.” It was not even a lie, as it was her middle name. She could do without that if something went wrong.

                  “A fine name indeed, Ms. Joyce. It is a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to hearing all about your homeland. Manhattan. I can almost feel the magic in the name of it. Well then, please wait here. I’ll make sure to select only the finest delicacies for you introduction to this fine nation.”

                  Edmund went off to get something to eat. Molly sighed heavily. Fae magic or not, this was going to be a headache. She just hoped that was all it would be. 

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

   Other world stories are pretty popular these days. I figured I might as well give it a try. Well, sort of anyway. 
   

Word: Pandemonium

 

pandemonium

[ pan-duh-moh-nee-uhm ]noun

1. wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos.

   Synonyms: babel, turmoil, bedlam

2. a place or scene of riotous uproar or utter chaos.

   Synonyms: babel, turmoil, bedlam

3. (often initial capital letter) the abode of all the demons.
4. hell.

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               “Look at it. Isn’t it beautiful?” Asked one of the two beings on the hill.

               The other looked at the scene below without any outward emotion showing. “I fail to see the beauty in this situation. Wholesale slaughter is one of the least visually appealing sights available.”

               The battle below had gone from two mighty armies exchanging blows to utter and complete chaos. There were no lines. No orders being given. Men simply fought the first person with a weapon they saw. Even the commanders had given in and were swinging their weapons wildly from atop their horses.

               “That’s because you lack vision. You don’t see it like I do.”

               “That has little to do with my dislike of the current spectacle. I simply find the useless loss of life to be unnecessary and unappealing.”

               The first being scoffed. “Oh don’t try and play the morally superior one. You loved it when they were killing each other in neat little rows.”

               The second being said nothing the refute that. To do so would be to lie, which was contrary to its very nature. But it could still save some amount of face.

               “It was not the killing I enjoyed. It was the well ordered discipline of the soldiers. Many bodies working together to produce something greater.”

               “Uh-huh. You keep telling yourself that. We both know you’re even more bloodthirsty than I am.”

               “That is an incorrect statement.”

               “Oo, lying to yourself, huh? I’m rubbing off on you. I’m sure you know I’m right. How many people are killed daily in your name versus mine again? Hell, this very battle could be said to be because of you. I just made it more interesting.”

               Your very nature is destructive while mine is constructive.”

               The first being laughed. “Changing the subject, are we? And not even for making a new point. How droll. You wouldn’t happen to be trying to get me to leave by boring me to sleep, ate you?

               “It is a valid point that I will continue to make.”

               “Boring. You’re so boring. Part of what makes you you, I suppose.” It let out a low chuckle. “And by now you already know the response, right? That you might be the one who plans what to build, but I make it more interesting. You’d do nothing but make big hollow stone cubes. But that’s hardly important now, is it? We’re here to watch the humans kill each other in spectacular ways, not to rehash the tired old argument of our natures.”

               The humans in question continued to kill with abandon. There were less of them now, so each soldier was getting some precious few seconds to see what was around them. It meant that the orderly rows of soldiers might come back. Maybe. There was still quite a bit of time before order could be reestablished though.

               “I seems as if the battle is beginning to wind down.” The second being said.

               “There’s still plenty of time left on the fun parts before it gets boring again. Oh, I think we’re about to get to the best part. The humans are starting to figure out what’s going on and it’s all going to hit them at once. And then they’ll either have an emotional breakdown or fight even harder to make the pain go away.”

               “I still do not know why you enjoy such things.”

               “Oh, just shut up and watch. Maybe you’ll figure it out one day. Until then, there’s plenty of fun stuff going on, so just learn to enjoy it a bit.”

 ***********************

Just a little something on the nature of chaos and order. Very small. And probably not all that insightful. But I am a very shallow person, so...