Monday, January 01, 2007

Surprise Surprise

This is the Wordsmiths challenge. The challenge is to finish the default story as shown here in red. My ending is below the picture.

A loud rapping at the door awoke me from a deep dreamy sleep. It was early, too early to be awake, and certainly too early to be out in the streets pounding on doors. I thought that there must be some emergency in town and ran to the door to find out whatever news there was from whoever was there. Much to my surprise, there was no-one at the door ready to identify themselves and their message, and yet a package with my name on it had been left at the door. It was a most curious circumstance, and yet I saw no real harm in it, because secret gift giving was the hallmark of the holiday season. I myself had delivered many a gift in that manner over the years. The package was heavier than it should have been from its size, and once I had it indoors I eagerly opened it to find out what it was and who had sent it. Alas, there was no identification of the giver, and more's the pity because what was inside was a most remarkable carved wood box, worked with figures of animals and dragons all over, in a magnificent shade of red. Whoever sent it to me must have been a prankster, though, because I could see no way into the box, no clasp or lock announced itself, no hinge or platen presented itself as a means to the inside. I was locked out, and most frustrated by this unfortunate turn of events.


Bad enough to be wrested from my slumber, but to be faced with a bona fide mystery is just about as much as a body should be forced to bear. Sleep is now a dream. Not much left to do but to dig in to get to the bottom of this conundrum. But, first things first. Food.
I leave the box on the hall table and head for the kitchen. I need to fix a meal. A meal fit for a queen. Hey! Queen. Maybe this box is from Sharia. She does stuff like this all the time. As I grab the eggs, butter, milk, onions, spinach and olives the Sharia angle intensifies. Then fizzles. Sharia’s in Egypt. The box didn’t look Egyptian. It looks more like Asia.
Cooking always calms. Heavy, there is heft. It doesn’t seem to come from the box. The wood, not that I know anything about wood, but the wood seems delicate. The weight must be from the contents. What could it be inside and how am I going to get there? More importantly, who left it at my door? Ahh, this omelet looks perfect.
The omelet, muffins, juice and coffee make a perfect thinking feast. I decide to go get the box so I could study it while I eat. Padding back through the house, I stop mid-stride when I’m struck by the fact that the box is not on the table. Not on the table? Now where did it go? How did it go? I continue on, get down to look underneath the table. No. Not there. I look all around the table, even open the door and look outside. No. Not anywhere. What in the hell is going on?
I hear a noise, coming from the bedroom. What? Who? How? I hear myself stammering. Just then, Neta peeks out from the doorway. The look in her eye says, "come here". How does she do that?
Walking towards her, I start to ask, without the stammer, what? And how? She leads me further into the bedroom and hands me the box. She says, "I thought I’d help you open your gift." I tried to explain that I didn’t see anyway in the box and that I had breakfast on the table. We could eat, while we figured a way inside. I was trying to explain this through a series of the deepest, wettest kisses I’d experienced in quite some time. I still had the box in my hands so things progressed somewhat awkwardly.
"Neta", I manage just as I was dropping the box, "could we maybe...?"
She grabbed the box, settling it on the bed. Neta sat me next to the box and proceeded to show me that yes, we could.
The next afternoon, just minutes after I heard front door lock the click, I realized we’d never had the omelet and I was starving.
Smiling on my way to the kitchen, I saw that Neta had taken the box.

12 comments:

  1. Damn, girl. You are good!!!!

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  2. Stand by one sec...gotta go get breakfast! You really made me hungry...LOL!

    Great story.

    :)

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  3. Two things. ;o)

    1. I'm now starving. For food.

    2. I'm still starving. Not for food.

    Great story! I loved it.

    Hugs,

    Cate

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  4. Wow! Very, very good!

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  5. So, what happened next?

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  6. Great story and uhhhmmmm ditto what Cate said!!

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  7. Yeah, we want more ... you cant just leave it ... and Im hungry now ... you tease .. omlette, I dont have eggs :-( tease

    O well, Im gonna go lay a few!

    Kisses and well done hunny bunny
    XxXxXxXxXxX

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  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  9. Anonymous4:23 PM

    This comes as no shock, but that was out-freakin'-standing!!

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  10. This misfired: Going along with the Sharia thread, then slammed with Neta. What? Did I miss something? Too abrupt, at least for me.

    This worked: The short, choppy sentences. Very much like real thought as one moves throughout the day. Oh, and the sex. I assume that wasn't short and choppy.

    Thanks for joining us!

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  11. Anonymous5:56 PM

    Good stuff - interesting twist at the end. Neta steals the box - or was it perhaps a gift :)

    I thought the story flowed a lot like someone would talk inside their head as they were thinking.

    Nice!

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  12. I do see your influences in this. I get the stream of consciousness thing, but wish there was a wee bit more organization and linear progression to the thought process that she goes through. I felt a bit lost. But that may just be me and my butchy brain.

    All in all, well done!

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