Word: Quorum

quorum

[ kwawr-uh m, kwohr- ]

noun

1.) The number of members of a group or organization required to be present to transact business legally, usually a majority.

2.) A particularly chosen group.

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

               The Circle of Mages meeting was getting smaller each time they met.  The last meeting held twenty members.  This time, they were down to fifteen.  The missing members weighed heavily on those present.  They still had enough to conduct their business, but only just.

               The Head of the Circle spoke.  “Let the 1,543rd meeting of the Circle of Mages come to order.” His voice was grave and heavy.  They were also unneeded, as nobody spoke.  He used to have to enhance his voice with magic to be heard over the chatter.

               “Should we talk about the missing member?” One of the councilors asked.  Nobody answered her.  “What happened to them, exactly?”

               “Dead, of course.” Another said.  He kept track of all the dead mages, but it was getting harder.  “Died of magic depravation.”

               Every mage present shifted and fidgeted.  They all had similar thoughts.  How could such powerful mages ever run out of magic?  They all had more power than any other mage, and multiple methods of recharging themselves.  To suffer from depravation was unheard of.

               “It’s happening more and more.” Another member of the Circle said.  “More of us are dying and less of us are being born.  We all know it’s happening.  We need to figure out why, and what to do about it.”

               “Nobody know why this is happening.” One of the older members said.  His voice was gravely from age. “It seems to be random.”

               “It’s not random.” The youngest Circle member said.  She wrung her hand nervously.  “It’s…it’s not random.  I’ve been doing research to find out the reason why there’s less and less mages.”

               “And, what are your findings?” The Head of the Circle asked.

               The young woman wanted to shrink away and disappear.  It would be easier than telling the rest of them what she had found.

               “The…the world is…running out of magic.”

               “Impossible!” Shouted another member.  “The world can’t just run out of magic.  Magic comes from life.  As long as there’s a single blade of grass, there will be magic.”

               “I…I know that.  But it’s true.  I…I found it out while measuring global recharge rates.”

               “Recharge rates?  What does that do with anything?”

               “You…you all know the normal amount, right?”

               “Of course.” A member with a soft, almost whispering voice said.  “It changes from location to location, but the average is 2,000 MU per minute.”

               The rest of the Circle nodded.  This was common knowledge.  School children knew that.  They also knew that it was an amount that no human could ever use.  Even the most powerful spells that took multiple mages to even think about casting cost 1,400 Mana Units.

               “Well…the last time I checked, the average rate was…was…” She had trouble saying it.  It would not go over well.  But it was necessary.  “1 MU a day.”

               The Circle room burst into a cacophony of sound as each Circle member tried to speak at once.  The young member knew it would happen.  1 MU was barely enough to make a simple light.  And for the entire planet to only gain that much in a day was unthinkable.

               “Impossible!” Roared one of them.  “There’s no way that it could be such a small amount.”

               “I…I brought my research.  You can all see them for yourselves.”

               She ran to the corner of the room and retrieved a large bundle of papers.  She lay them out on the table between them all.  All took not that she had not used magic to do so, even though it would be far faster and easier.  The Circle members looked at the provided notes.  Several of them lost all color in their faces.  Others shook.  Others sat in the nearest available chairs.

               “It seems it is true.” The Head said.  “Magic is disappearing from the world.” He suddenly felt much older than he was. 

               “So what do we do about it?”

               The Head was silent.  All of them were.  “We do what we must.  We…we make magic itself illegal.”

               At any other time, the proclamation would have been met with a slew of shouts, and many calls for his head on a pike.  Now, it was met with complete silence.  The Head continued.

               “We close all magic academies.  Ban all spells, regardless of type.  All magical items are to be confiscated and broken down to release any magical power they might have.  And…and all magical organizations will cease function.  That…that includes this one.”

               The remaining Circle members looked at each other nervously.  They all knew why it had to happen.  That did not mean they were happy about it.

               “We must now vote.” The Head of the Circle intoned.  “We are lucky, in a way, that we still have enough members to hold a proper vote.  Now, all in favor of the proposed law?”

               All of them slowly and reluctantly raised their hands.  The Head did not bother asking who was opposed.  He could easily see that there were none.

               “Might I propose an addendum to the ban?” The young councilor said.  Her voice was thin a meek.  “Maybe not all magic, but most of it.  We…we still need magic to find out why this is happening.  Maybe we can even find out a way to fix it?  You know, bring magic back.”

               “Very well.  Magical research regarding the diminishment of magic and potential restoration will be allowed.  But only those two subjects.  All in favor?” Another unanimous vote.  “Very well.  It shall be done with all speed.  Are there any other topics that must be presented before we…we adjourn?”

               Nobody had anything else to say.

               “Very well.” The man who was the Head of the Circle of Mages spoke in front of the group for the last time.  “Let this meeting, and the Circle, be closed.”

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

 Why did I make this about magic and stuff?  Why didn't I make it about a different governing body?  Because I think this is more interesting.  And because I wanted to, so there. 

Word: Trangam

trangam

[ trang-guh m ]

noun Archaic.

an odd gadget; gewgaw; trinket.

*******************************    

          The small package lay open on the table.  Mark and his girlfriend, Cindy, looked at the area next to it.  Occupying that space was an object that could best be described as a thing.  It’s central body was a metallic sphere the size of a baseball.  Thin pieces of metal like inch long bicycle spokes jutted out of it at irregular intervals.  A few odd lumps made themselves known here and there, and a few scattered light lay dormant along the surface.

               “What is it?” Cindy asked.

               “No idea.” Mark replied.

               “It didn’t say when you ordered it?”

               Mark briefly looked at her before going back to the thing.  “I thought you ordered it.”

               “So neither of us ordered it?”

               “Doesn’t seem like it.”

               “Then who did?”

               Mark checked the package.  It was addressed to them.  The return label showed an address in a different state, and offered no name.  The box itself was otherwise ordinary.  Just a container of thin cardboard that had, until recently, been filled with bubble wrap and the thing. 

               “Should we do something with it?” Mark asked as he tossed the box back on the table.

               “Like what?”

               “I don’t know.  Maybe figure out how it turns on?  I mean, it’s got to do something, right?”

               Cindy nodded her agreement.  Neither seemed in a great hurry to actually do anything with the thing though.  Cindy was about to say something when Mark took hold of it, placing his fingers between the spokes.

               He examined it carefully, looking for any seams, switches, buttons or anything else that could turn something on or open it.  He found nothing.  He twisted it, pulled on the spokes, pressed the bumps, and all around handled it in any way he could think of.

               “Well, whatever it is, it’s not doing it.” He said.

               “Here, let me try.” Cindy said, holding out her hand.

               She did very much the same things that Mark had.  The only things she changed was the order of what she interacted with.  She too had no success in getting the thing to do whatever it did.  She growled in frustration and tried to push the spokes instead of pull.  One of them slid into the sphere.  Both of them froze.

               The held their breath as Cindy pressed more of the spokes down.  When she had finished, the lights flashed.  A series of clicks and whirrs sounded from inside the thing.  Cindy felt it shake and she placed it on the table.  Each of the lumps slid in a different direction, revealing gaps in the metal.  Half of the sphere lifted, showing the hollow interior, filled with the spokes.  They met in the middle, and a small golden ball of light had formed at that point.  The light seemed to condense, becoming more solid.  The spokes slid out, and the ball of light popped out of the ball, rolling onto the table.  The thing closed, the lumps returned, and the spokes shot out.  The only thing that gave any indication that it had done anything was a single red light that was now on, and the tiny golden ball nearby.

               “Huh.  That was something.” Mark said.  He nodded to the shining golden light.  “Now I guess we just figure out what that is.”   

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

Yeah, I don't know what the thing is any more than the characters do.  Maybe someday I'll figure it out. 

Word: Oneiric

oneiric

[ oh-nahy-rik ]

adjective

of or relating to dreams.

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

               Dave woke and stretched. 

               “Good morning.” Said the still sleepy young woman next to him as she slowly sat up.

               Dave froze.  He turned sharply towards the speaker.  She was gorgeous.  Flowing, clay colored hair, vivid hazel eyes.  Everything he could ever hope for in a woman she had, and then some.  And he had no idea who she was.  He had definitely been alone when he went to bed.

               His mind went wild.  One part of him wanted to try and be charming to impress the lovely lady.  The other was in a blind panic due to the total stranger in his bed.  She might be what he always dreamed of in terms of looks, but that meant little.  She might be a serial killer with a knife tucked away somewhere.

               “Who, uh, who are you?” He ended up asking.

               The woman cocked her head to one side.  “That’s a silly thing to ask.  It’s me, Melony.  You know, your girlfriend?”

               Dave did not have a girlfriend.  He had not had a girlfriend in almost two years.  And he would certainly remember having one like her.

               “No.  No you are not.  I’ve never seen you before.”

               She pouted.  Dave felt his heart lurch at the sight.  “How mean.”  She said.  Dave trembled.  She was being way too cute to be real.  In fact, everything about her was unreal.  She was too beautiful to exist.  “How could you say something like that.  Especially after last night.” Her pout shifted into a small smile that stirred something much lower on his body.

               Last night.  What had happened last night?  He had come home from work, spent the night playing video games, ate dinner and went to bed.  He had not socialized at all, let alone with someone as stunning as her.  He had had a very vivid dream though.  The kind of dream he could not talk about with his mother.  Or anyone, really.  And it had featured a woman remarkably like Melony.

               And then it all clicked.  She was not just similar to the dream woman. She was identical to the dream woman.  Which could only mean one thing.

               “I’m still dreaming, aren’t I?”

               Another head tilt was her response.  “Why would you think that?”

               “You.  You can’t be real.  You aren’t real.  I’m dreaming, and that’s why you’re here.”

               Her hand lashed out and struck his face with a loud smack.  His cheek stung, and he raised his hand to touch it.  He winced.

               “What was that for?” He practically yelled.

               “You said you were dreaming.  I’m pretty sure that would’ve woken you up if you were.”

               She was right.  That should have woken him up.  But that meant he was awake.  He jumped out of bed and went to the window.  The city was alive and active.  Cars moved along the streets and people went about their business.  Dave’s eyes widened.  If this was a dream, none of that would be there.

               “See?  Not a dream.” She said, sliding up behind him and wrapping her arms around him.  “I’m real.  I don’t know why you would think I wasn’t.”

               “I…I…” Dave had no idea what was happening.

               How could a literal dream woman just appear there?  And how could she smell so good right after waking up?  And why was he questioning it?  At a glance she was literally his ideal woman, and from the little interaction they had had, her personality was pretty spot on as well.  And she was claiming to be his girlfriend.

               He took a deep breath and made up his mind.  He would go along with it for now.  He would try and figure out how it happened later, and then decide what to do about it.  If she was dangerous, he could deal with it.  But, until then, he might as well enjoy it.

****************************
I would probably do something similar to this in this situation.  Be freaked out at first, and then get really into it.  Of course, I would probably be a lot less verbose.  It would involve more stuttering and awkward silences than actual conversation.