Word: Idem

 

idem

\ AHY-dem, ID-em \  , pronoun;

1. the same as previously given or mentioned.

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Grena waited impatiently in the opulent waiting room.  Her eyes looked around at the many magical items dotting the room.  Most of them were purely decorative.  Others were on display to show the abilities of the Master Enchanter.  She didn’t necessarily mind the obvious showboating.  It just meant she was in the right place.  She just hoped it would be worth the month it took to get an appointment with him.

               A gilded door on the far end of the room opened and a tall, spindly woman stepped out.  She gave Grena a small bow in greeting.

               “The Master will see you now.”  She said.  Grena stood and returned the sign of respect to the woman before entering the room behind the door.

               The Master Enchanter was a worn man in his evening years. The many lines that crossed his face and grey hair were a testament to his age that he seemed to wear like a badge of honor.  He looked at Grena with bored eyes that matched his hair. 

               “Yes, what is it?”  He asked.

               “Master, I have brought what I believe to be…”

               “Stop.”  The Master said, cutting Grena off.  She did her best to hide her annoyance at the interruption.

               “Let me guess.  You’ve found the most important magical find in a century, right?  I’ve heard it all before, and it’s always exactly the same.  Show it to one of the apprentices if you must.”

               “But, sir, I really have found the most important magical find.  And I don’t think it’s just this century either.  I believe it’s the most important find in recorded history.”  She said as firmly as she dared.  The Master looked at her for a minute.  She was tempted to just set the bottle on his desk and be done with it, but she needed his permission just to approach his desk.

               “I’m sure you feel that way.  But from your robes you are a practitioner of the Arcane, are you not?  I don’t think you qualify to be the judge of what is and is not important.”

               “With all due respect, Master, I have studied some enchantment during my schooling.  Not enough to make anything of significance, but enough to read an enchantment.  I have done so with this, and it is worthy of your attention.  I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sure of that.”

               The Master sighed and regarded her with eyes that spoke of his frustration.  She knew he had probably dealt with people exactly like her before.  They had all probably said something exactly like she did, and had most likely been proven wrong. 

               “Fine, fine.  Let me see it.”  He said. 

               Grena set the small golden bottle on his desk.  The Master took it and closed his eyes.  It was with no small satisfaction that she watched his expression go from bored and uninterested to surprise to downright fear.

               “I see.”  He said once he had finished.  He immediately began writing something on a piece of parchment.  “Take this…abomination to the Deconstructors with this note.  They’ll make sure to dispose of this properly.”

               “Sir, I’m sorry, but I’m not sure that’s the best thing to do.”

               “Oh?  I hope you’re not thinking of using it.”

               “Not as it is.  But perhaps it could be changed?”

               The Master leaned back in his seat with his hands locked in front of him.  This was not something he had ever heard before, and so had caught his attention.

               “What do you mean?”

               “Well, sir, as it is this is the most dangerous object in the world.  But perhaps there is a way to turn this divine prison into a vessel?  Instead of imprisoning a deity against its will, make it so that the deity is willing to lend its power to a mortal.  Make it an exchange type situation.  The god or goddess enters into a contract with a mortal, using the bottle as a channel.  They store a portion of their power in it for mortal use in exchange for the holder performing a task that the deity is unable to do on the mortal plane.  That will not only make it an extreme benefit to both man and god, but will also eliminate the cost of mental energy it currently requires.”  Grena said enthusiastically.  She had been working on the idea for quite some time, and it felt good to finally be able to say it.

               “Hm, it’s not a bad idea.  Certainly what you say has a great deal of merit.  But it may not be possible.”

               “What do you mean, sir?”

               “This is a highly advanced enchantment.  It is very complex and very dangerous.  As I said, it may not be possible to alter something like this.  And even if it is, it is beyond even my power.”

               “So, it’s impossible?”  She asked, crestfallen.

               “Not impossible.  Remember, I said power, not skill.  If I had help, it may be possible.”

               “S-so then.”  The Master took out another sheet of parchment and began writing again.  This note was much longer and more complex than the first one.

               “Go to the High Magister and show him both the bottle and this note.  I’ll ensure you get in to see him right away.  With his help, and maybe a few more, it should be possible to alter this thing as you have presented.”

               “Y-yes, sir, I’ll go immediately.”  She grabbed both the note and the bottle.  She had to restrain herself from running out the door, and only just managed to show the proper respect to the Master Enchanter.

               Once clear of his office though, she couldn’t help but run.  Not only was she seeing the High Magister, which in and of itself was an honor, but he might even put an idea she came up with into practice.  This was going to be a good day.

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Hmm, not sure if this story really fits the word, but I did my best.  It's just that I've been holding on to this one for almost as long as I have been the other story about my fantasy group.  It's just taken so long to find the right word, and this is close enough.  There probably would be better at some point, but oh well.  Now I just have to figure out what comes next.

Word: infinitesimal

 

infinitesimal

\ in-fin-i-TES-uh-muhl \  , adjective;

1. indefinitely or exceedingly small; minute: infinitesimal vessels in the circulatory system .

2. immeasurably small; less than an assignable quantity: to an infinitesimal degree .

3. of, pertaining to, or involving infinitesimals.

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Todd craned his neck to look at the huge man who loomed over him.  Todd wasn’t exactly a tall guy, but this was ridiculous.  It was like he was an infinitesimal speck next to this giant.  He felt his blood run cold as the huge man stood there looking down at him.  The large man’s fist rose into the air, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.  Todd could swear he saw his life flash before his eyes as he looked at the fist that he swore was the size of his head.  He needed to do something.  He needed a way to deal with the huge man without injury.  In this case, he was David about to be attacked by Goliath.  He just needed the sling to take down the giant. 

               His eyes flitted around the scene.  There was a small group of people behind the large man, none of them looking very pleased with what was going on.  Could that be it?  Could that be the solution?  It was a long shot.  Really, his chances were as small as he felt next to the giant.  But, it was something.

               “W-wait a sec!”  Todd called out.  He held his breath as he waited for his assailant to respond.  A sigh of relief escaped his lips when the large man’s fist lowered.

               “What is it now?”  The man’s deep, low voice said.

               “Are you sure you really want to go through with this?  I mean, I don’t think it’ll end too well for you.”

               “How so?  Seems pretty clear cut to me.”

               “Oh no no no, not like that.  I mean, it’s pretty clear who’d win a fight.  But it’s that same clear cut win that’ll be bad for you.”

               “Huh?”

               “Well, you seem like you pride yourself on your strength, right?  And I bet you’re pretty good at fighting.”

               “Both true.”

               “Well then, I bet you really like beating guys that can put up a fight, yeah?”

               “Sure.”

               “Well, what will people think if you fight me?  I’m not strong, I can’t fight, and I’m tiny.  So yeah, you could break me in a second if this happened.  But what would people think about you if you did that?  You won’t be seen as a great fighter anymore.  You’ll just be a bully, no matter how many tough guys you beat up.  It’ll ruin whatever reputation you have now.”

               The big man looked behind him at the people with him.  One of them gave him a small, quick nod.  It was all Todd needed.  He had his safety now.  At the very least he was assured to not be walking out of the situation with the use of all his limbs. 

               “Ok, so I don’t pound you.  But I still gotta do something to you.  Matter of pride, you know?”

               “Oh yeah, sure.  What we need is a contest where we stand on even footing.  One where I have a chance to beat you, but you’re still reasonably sure you can win.”

               “Yeah, that sounds good.  You got something in mind?”

               “As a matter of fact, I do.  It’s something I’m kind of good at, so it should pose a decent challenge for you, but still keeps your rep intact.  And it’s low key enough that if, by some small chance, you lose, your palls there will just be able to laugh it off.  Sound good?”

               “Uh, yeah, sure.  What is it?”

               “Thumb wrestling.”  Todd said.  The big man looked at his friend’s.  They looked back at him with a mix of curiosity and humor. 

               “Ok, sure.  Why not?  Let’s do this.”

               “Alright then.  We just need a place to sit.”

               “There’s a café across the street.”  Said one of the giant’s friends.  All were in favor of that. 

               The competitors sat across from each other and clasped hands.  The big man’s completely enveloped Todd’s hand, with just his thumb sticking up.  It was all Todd needed for this particular contest.  Even so, it was a more than a little ridiculous looking.  The man’s thumb was more than three times bigger than Todd’s, and much thicker.  Most of those watching would think that Todd’s loss was a foregone conclusion.  Todd knew otherwise though.

               “Ok, let’s do a quick three count pin for this one.  Now, let’s start this.  Someone want to give us a count?”  Todd asked.

               One of the big man’s friends counted down, and the game started.  Immediately, Todd’s quick, nimble fingers lashed out with the speed of a snake striking.  He hit the side, front and top of his opponent’s thumb with lighting quick strikes.  The guy probably didn’t even feel them, but that was hardly the point.  The big man wiggled his thumb back and forth in an effort to both avoid Todd’s strikes and to find an opening to pin the smaller man. 

Suddenly, Todd seemed to slip up, moving his thumb low to their hands targeting the base joint.  The big man took the opportunity and dropped his thumb like a stone.  Todd’s thumb darted out of the way.  He struck the big man’s nail and knuckle with rapid hits.  The big man quickly recovered, and the game began anew.

Todd kept up his strikes, wearing his opponent down little by little.  Todd’s eyes darted from their joined hands to the big man’s rough face.  He was getting to the big man.  It would be time to end the game soon.  The big man attempted to pin Todd again.  This time though, when Todd avoided, he placed his thumb directly on the man’s worn out knuckle.  The big man tried to pull his thumb up.  Normally, it would have been easy for him to overpower Todd’s skinny digit.  But now that Todd had been plugging away at it for awhile, it was sensitive.  When the big man tried to pull his finger away, all he got was an uncomfortable twinge.  The more he tried moving his thumb, the worse it would get. 

“One.”  Todd said.  The big man kept his thumb still, hoping to see an escape route. 

“Two.”  The big man twisted his thumb in an attempt to wiggle out.  Todd anticipate the move though, and moved his thumb in tandem. 

“Three.”  Todd said. 

               The onlookers looked on in amazement at what had just happened.  The big man himself was just as stunned.  With his far larger hand, he had been certain he should have won.  His loss made little sense to him. 

               “I told you, I’m pretty good at this.”  Todd said as he stood up.  He may have won the small challenge, but there was nothing to keep the giant from trying to get violent again.  “Well, this was fun.  Have a nice day.” 

               He walked off, only looking back once he felt he had put a safe distance.  He saw the giant’s friends huddling around him.  He didn’t know what they were talking about, but he didn’t really care.  He was just glad that his tiny little chance had played out in his favor.

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So, what do you think, did I make a thumb wrestling match sound at least a little exciting?  Bet nobody's ever tried that before.  Who knows what I'll try and spice up next?

Word: Welkin

 

welkin

\ WEL-kin \  , noun;

1. the sky; the vault of heaven.

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Kyle stared up at the tiny hole in the ceiling of the cavern.  It was a bright, sunny day on the surface and a thin beam of light filtered through the hole.  His mind raced, trying to figure out how to make use of it to contact the outside world. 

               “Hey, Kyle, look what the felines made.”  Jill called out as she jogged over to him.  Kyle’s train of thought was instantly broken.  He wasn’t terribly off put by that though, since he had been unable to come up with any feasible plans.

               “What is it?”  Kyle asked.

               “Here, I’m pretty sure it’s a painting of what they think of the world.”

               Jill had been working on a way of communicating with their feline hosts since the two of them had been made religious figures.  She had met with only slightly more success that Kyle’s attempts at contact with the outside.  It had quickly been determined that language was out due to simple biological restraints.  It was obvious to anyone that their vocal cords were simply too different to allow verbal communication.  Jill had tried music, but had quickly discovered the felines had no concept of that art.  It had come down to visual communication.  The felines used a blue paint like substance for various marking purposes, and Jill was teaching them how to use it as a crude written language. 

               Currently, she held their latest attempt.  It was a thin stone slab covered with the irradiant glow of the fresh paint made from the glowing butterflies that lived in the cave.  Kyle looked it over and was able to get a rough sense of what she had meant.  There were two large curved domes there, one over the other.  The inner dome was clearly meant to be the cave, as there was a small gap in the top and what looked to be the scraggly apply tree under it.  The upper dome was most likely the sky.  It was like a giant, vaulted roof covering everything.  There was no indication at all of any kind of surface world, seeing as the sky dome simply wrapped around the stone cavern.  They may have even thought the two were in direct contact, given how close they were depicted.

               “Huh.  Interesting world view these guys have.”  Kyle said.  “Wonder what they’ll think if they ever get out of this place and see the real sky.”

               “Probably something like heaven or something similar.”  Jill replied.  “Speaking of the sky, any luck getting us under it again?”

               “Not even one.  The only thing I know is that that hole is lined with something reflective enough to get sunlight all the way down here.  The problem is, we don’t have any lights powerful enough to shine anything back up, even at night.  Maybe if we could shine a flashlight directly under the hole, but we don’t have any way of getting up to it.”

               “Maybe if we used our climbing gear we can scale the walls?”  Jill suggested.

               “We don’t have enough rope to do that.  Plus, I’m not too keen on climbing the inside of a large dome.”

               “Oh, right.” 

               The walls of the dome were smooth, so there were precious little hand and foot holds to grab onto. Plus, even with their gear, the inside of a dome was an extremely difficult thing to climb, and neither really wanted to risk it with the small amount of rope they had left.   

               “Do you have any flares or anything?”  Jill asked.

               “I have one flare.  And it won’t matter.  Again, it would be too far away to notice up there.  A flashlight would actually have a better chance of being seen, and even that won’t work.”

               “Oh.  So what’s left to try?  Maybe we could build a ladder out of rocks or something.”

               “It’s a nice thought.  But building one high enough would be way too much effort, and would be unstable at best.  The risk to the locals of a stone ladder like that would be too great.  We don’t really want these guys angry at us after all.”

               “What about cell phones?”  Jill threw out.  Kyle looked at her blankly.

               “You really think we’ll get a signal down here?”  He asked.

               “Well, maybe.  I mean it’s unlikely, yeah, but you never know.  Maybe whatever surface is reflecting the light will also bounce a reception signal down here.  I know it’ll be weak, but it’s something to try, right?”

               “I guess so.  And it’s not like I have anything else to try out.”

               Jill rummaged through her pack until she found her heavy duty cell phone.  She had turned it off early on to conserve battery life, but now was the time to at least give it a shot.  She turned it on and looked hopefully at the reception.  The words ‘No Service’ flashed on the screen.  Undaunted, Jill raised the phone to the sky, shifting her position from time to time and checking.

               Suddenly, she stopped, staring at the phone’s screen.  A slow smile crossed her lips and she let out a jubilant cry of triumph.  Just about every feline in hearing distance stopped what it was doing at looked at her curiously.

               “I got it!”  She called out.

               “Wait, really?  You got a signal?”  Kyle asked.  He felt like he might be able to see they sky in all its glory sooner than ever.

               “It’s weak, only one bar.  And it looks like it comes and goes, but it’s there.  If I time it right, I should be able to send out a SOS to people who know where we are.”

“That’s great!”  Kyle could hardly contain his excitement.  “Oh, but make sure they bring something sturdier than rope, and lots of it.  Also…”

“I know, I know.  Hang on, let me take care of this.”  Jill said.  Her eyes were wide with joy as she typed out a message.  “Ok, I’m letting them know about the ropes, and to bring some kind of defense and such.  They’ll know to watch out for dangerous animals.”

Jill raised the phone to the sky once she was done with the message.  She stood there without sending it, looking intently at the signal bar.

“Well?”

“Not yet.”  A long pause.  “There!”  She quickly hit the send button and waited.  When she lowered it, her eyes had filled with tears. Kyle waited expectantly for her to say something, hoping it wasn’t bad news.  “It was sent.  Someone’ll get it any time now.  We might be able to go home in a matter of days.” 

Kyle ran up and grabbed Jill in a massive hug as they both burst out laughing.  The felines, not knowing what was going on, mimicked their joy as best they could.  It was like a bunch of cats trying to laugh, but somehow it seemed right.  Neither Kyle nor Jill knew exactly how long they had been down in that cave, but they didn’t care much.  The place was filled with the sound of the felines celebrating something they didn’t even know about, but all the two of them could think about as they looked up at the sky through their tiny window was that they could go home.

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And thus, an end is in sight.  I'm not sure how many more stories will feature these two, but given what happens in this one, it probably won't be too many more.  But that's not such a bad thing, is it?  After all, every story must eventually end, and this one is no different.  We'll see what actually happens though.  Even I don't have any real good ideas yet.