Word: Uhuru

 

uhuru

[ oo-hoo-roo; English oo-hoor-oo ]

noun Swahili.

1. freedom; independence.

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               Maritha’s head was pounding. Fortunately, that was the only thing that seemed to be wrong with her. And her collar was still loose enough to breathe in, so whatever had happened was not in violation of her orders. She opened her eyes to see what had happened.

               She had been transported somewhere. A thin forest she did not recognize surrounded her. There was an odd feeling in the air though. It felt heavy somehow. Maritha almost reached out to the wind to get a sense of what was happening, but she stopped. The only magic she was allowed to do was the cleaning magic that had been drilled into her. Anything else would cause the collar to choke her.

               She did not even want to risk moving, lest the collar see it as an attempt at escape. But surely it would not do that. She had been taken somewhere already, and was likely well outside of her master’s territory. So perhaps the damned thing would see her as trying to get back. She took a deep breath and nearly choked on the air. It was filthy, but at least it was not going to kill her.

               Maritha took one step forward. When nothing happened, she took another step. And another. And she kept taking them. It had been years since she had been able to walk of her own volition. A smile crossed her lips. It was such a simple thing, and yet to a slave, simple things were more valuable than gold.

               And more importantly, if she could walk, she might be able to do other things as well. She tapped into her magical reserves and used it to move a small gust of air. The collar did not respond. She probed it to find out what was happening. What she found caused her eyes to open. It was dead. Starved of magic. In fact, once she was aware of it, everything seemed starved of magic. The world itself had almost none. Only enough to use the simplest of magics, and even then only sparingly. And certainly not enough to keep a complex device like a slave collar active.

               It was not long before Maritha had used her magic to cut through the leather band. And then she did something that no wind mage would be able to resist. She ran. She ran and she laughed and she shouted for anyone around to hear. She ran until her lungs ached, and then kept going. It was not until her legs gave out that she stopped. And even then she rolled on the grassy ground, laughter on her lips for the first time since her capture.

               She was free. She was finally free. No more forced labor. No more bowing and scraping for an unreasonable master. And most importantly, no more cleaning the latrines. She could go where she wanted. Do what she wanted. Say what she wanted. Be who she wanted. Well, just as soon as she figured out where she was anyway.

               With her newfound freedom, Maritha stood and headed off in a random direction, to find out what her new life would have in store for her. 

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Other world stories are fun. Of course, most of the time it's normal person going to a magical place, but the opposite is also good. So much fun to think about, isn't it? 

Word: Immensurable

 

immensurable

[ ih-men-sher-uh-buhl, -ser-uh- ]

adjective

1. immeasurable.

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               The stars filled the view from the window. Countless numbers of them, all immeasurable distances away. And yet, to the occupants of the small ship, they seemed like a vast tapestry printed on the universe.

               “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that view.” Hank said in a hushed voice.

               “Hm? View of what?” Chris replied, much louder than his coworker.

               “The stars.” Hank said with a nod out the window.

               Chris drifted over to look at the grand vista spreading out in all directions. He shrugged and headed back to work.

               “We’ve seen the stars before.” He said. “It’s no different than any other time.”

               “You say that like it’s not the single greatest view in existence. I mean, think about it. We’re the only people who will see this exact view. From anywhere else, and they’ll be different. Some stars will be visible, others won’t. And even the ones that are visible will be in different positions. Think about it, Chris. Think about all the different beings out there, looking up at the sky and seeing the stars. The same stars we’re seeing now, but from entirely different views. And this one? This one right here and now? This one’s all ours. Our unique sky.”

               Chris let out a non-committal grunt. Hank finally took his eyes off the stars to glare at Chris.

               “You could show some kind of emotion, you know.”

               “I am showing emotion. Indifference is an emotion, regardless of what the experts say. I just don’t see what’s so great about a bunch of burning gas balls. Gas balls that are so far away that they have no impact on our daily lives.”

               “You can be a real stick in the mud, can’t you?”

               “I just prefer to keep my mind where it matters, that’s all.”

               “Maybe you could try loosening up and appreciating the world around us. I mean, come on, man. Look where we are. We’re in space, seeing things no other human has ever seen before, and likely never will see again. You can’t look out there and tell me it doesn’t stir something inside of you.”

               “Right now, I’m mostly feeling annoyance because you won’t let me work in peace. Oh, by the way, you should really be doing your job right now instead of stargazing.”

               “Meh. That stuff can wait. It’ll all be there when I get to it.”

               It helped that their employer was several light years away. Hank figured he could afford to relax every now and then. It was one of the many benefits of deep space exploration missions. Of course, he would do his job eventually. He just did not see the need to stress out about it and make it his entire reason for being there.

               “Putting things off will just make it easier for it to not get done. Better to do the work when it comes up.” Chris said. “If you spend all your time trying to pick out new constellations, nothing will ever get done.”

               “I am not making new constellations.” Hank paused for a moment. “Well, not right now I’m not. Maybe later.”

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Not really my best work, is it. I probably should've thought about it a bit more beforehand, but oh well.

Word: Hadal

 

hadal

[ heyd-l ]

adjective Oceanography.

1. of or relating to the greatest ocean depths, below approximately 20,000 feet (6,500 meters).

2. of or relating to the biogeographic region of the ocean bottom below the abyssal zone.

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               A small figure looked out the small window into the blackness that the glass barely held back. Even with the supposedly powerful lights, the darkness was absolute. It was like they were trespassing in a domain where light was a cardinal sin.     Where light did not reach not because it could not, but because it dare not to.

               “Every time I look out there, I swear there’s something that’s going to pop out and eat us.” The figure said.

               “Yeah, I know.” Said another person. She moved beside the other, joining him at the window. “You’ve mentioned that a few times. And every time I give the same answer. That if there was anything that big nearby, the radar would pick it up.”

               “I know, I know. Doesn’t stop me from thinking it though.”

               The two of them were silent for a moment. The cold metal keeping the darkness at bay creaked. It was not the first time they had heard that sound. They both knew what it meant.

               “God damn, I hate these deep ocean missions.” The man said. “First things wanting to make a meal out of us, now the sub springing a leak. And yes, I know that’s not what those sounds are. I know it’s the tech doing its thing and adjusting the hull so that it doesn’t pop. I know that. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

               “Fair enough. I will admit it’s not a pleasant thing to hear. I freaked me out the first time I heard it too.”

               “Only the first time?” He said with a raised eyebrow.

               She did not answer, instead becoming increasingly fascinated by the outside. He had heard all he needed to on that front. A few small shapes flitted through the headlights. Daring beings brave or foolish enough to enter the forbidden light. Both occupants knew they may not even be able to see the beams. Eyes were rare in the depths.

               A larger fish swooped in and made a meal of the foolish ones. They sought the forbidden and were punished for it.

               “There’s always a bigger fish.” The man muttered. “Hopefully not too big though.”

               The woman let out a single, sharp chuckle. “Not too big, indeed.”

               The predator lingered around for a moment before heading off. It would seek more pray, with whatever senses it had. The two people watched it as it passed into the darkness, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

               The woman sighed. “Alright, I think that’s enough of a break. We’ve got work to do.”

               “Yeah, sure.” He said absently. He still looked out at the darkness. He almost thought he saw some vast shape moving around in the water, only to realize it was his mind playing tricks on him. He sat at one of the two seats.

               The small engine of the sub spun to life at the command of its occupants. At least sound was not forbidden so deep in the depths. The two of them guided the sub down, further into the complete darkness, and ever away from the light of the surface.

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

Just as long as they don't here a certain warning from their sub's computer, I'm sure they'll be fine...