Author: Derek R Henig

Pellucid

[ puh-loo-sid ]

Adjective

Translucently clear.
(of music or other sound) clear and pure in tone.

Let’s Write…

** Either a story beginning, a story ending, a piece of flash fiction, a poem–inspired by the word, pellucid, where does it take me? Where does it take you?

Henry packed up his tent with little help from his five-year-old son, Lionel. That was expected, but the excitement in the air was so palpable that he didn’t care to turn it into a teaching moment.

“Today’s the day, Lionel!” Henry said as the line tightened closer now that everyone’s tents were away.

“Really, daddy?”

“Really.”

Henry looked behind him in awe at the endless curving chain of people, all waiting their turn. Soldiers, with their famous curved swords and plumed helmets, outlined the people like river banks. Surprisingly, Henry hadn’t witnessed any outbreaks of fighting in the entire week they’d been waiting.

“Breakfast!” came a voice a hundred yards up the line.

Various food carts and vendors paraded up the line selling their goods, and some even put on small performances of dancing or singing. Lionel loved those, but Henry’s eyes were now fixed ahead.

He could see it…

… They were only five people away from their chance to look through the window phenomenon that no-one could explain. Scholars in white robes and equally flowing and white beards had simply concluded that what they’d see was on our world. Just the other side of it. Something to do with the stars.

Two people ahead. Every person or group was given five whole minutes to gaze. One person ahead. A line of five soldiers blocked Henry and his son to wait their turn. The soldiers opened like a gate, and Henry and Lionel moved forward.

On the ground was a giant circle of glass. As Henry peered into it, others stared back at him. People like Henry had never seen with pale skin, round eyes, and even color to their eyes. They were so different, and yet there was something familiar about these people from the other side of the world.

Together, Henry, Lionel, and the people on the other side must have made the same conclusion for Lionel giggled, and they all smiled. Their smiles could have been a reflection of Henry’s as his cheeks felt scrunched in the broadest grin of his life. They weren’t so different, after all.

Four minutes left.

Notes/Thoughts/Ideas

I hope this one made you feel good. Perhaps this one is influenced a little by the present state of the world? A window to see the other side, people different from us. Yet, our smiles are all smiles. We’re all looking for the same things right now. Connection.

My favorite part of the story is actually the very last line. “Four minutes left.” Meaning, the realization Henry and the others made happened quickly. They connected almost instantly. I love that idea. If we all stop to look, we’re not so different after all.

I’m not sure if there would be a novel-size story here, but there could be. The culture created by these huge lines. There could be some interesting things to explore there. But, I think it works best as is. I’ll leave it at that.

What do you think of Pellucid?

Did it make you smile? I hope so.

Leave your thoughts, your own story beginning/ending, flash-fiction, or whatever in the comments! Where did pellucid or my story take you?

If you want to read something that goes into our human connection, check out my short story Ripples.

Today’s word is from Word Genius.

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Tags feel good, uplifting

The Word

Deflagrate

[ def-luh-greyt ]

Verb

To burn rapidly with intense heat and sparks being given off.
To cause (something) to burn in such a manner.

Let’s Write…

** Either a story beginning, a story ending, a piece of flash fiction, a poem–inspired by the word, deflagrate, where does it take me? Where does it take you?

There was life born from the violence before him, and he loved to think about it. A spectacular and dangerous reaction of iron oxide and aluminum that melted the tips of the steel rail. Sparks shot in all directions like miniature fireworks.

His heart raced as he watched through a pair of heavily shaded glasses. It was like looking at the Sun. Another bit of violence and fire that gave life–he thought.

The sparks began to die, and the light dimmed drastically. Teddy removed his glasses to watch the remaining flames fade away.

Nodding his head, and two other men stepped forward to complete the weld, inspected that the two ends of the steel had now melted together. Teddy didn’t need to be there, really. His men knew what they were doing, but he couldn’t resist. Sometimes, he needed to watch to remind himself of the smallest steps, the smallest links in the giant chain that was their final goal.

Teddy walked away and looked towards the horizon. The steel rail would connect, one link at a time, and soon his view would hold two straight lines coming to a point in the distance, like an arrow pointing to the future.

All roads lead to Rome–he thought, and then laughed. He didn’t care for the center of this operation, New York. Teddy didn’t look back at the rail they already laid. He didn’t look at where they came from. Teddy dreamed of where they could go next.

Notes/Thoughts/Ideas

Well, that was fun for me! A little nod to the novel Atlas Shrugged–a controversial story in terms of philosophy. The essence of that novel, to me, is in my short story here: a celebration of innovation and creation. All the rest aside, that’s what I take from it and love about it.

That’s sort of what this #everyday exercise is all about. It’s not to dive into issues of politics or philosophy, although I may at times dip my foot in the waters there. It’s about celebrating and embracing creating every day.

And, celebrating your creations as well! That’s why I ask you to share whatever it is you do. Inspired by the word, let it prompt a bit of art with no real thought of “where is this leading me?” Just a chance to create for the sake of creating.

What do you think of Deflagrate?

Did I hit the right emotion in my story to celebrate innovation and creation? Let me know what you felt from it!

Leave your thoughts, your own story beginning/ending, flash-fiction, or whatever in the comments! Where did deflagrate or my story take you?

If you want to read something that celebrates creating, check out my short story The Man From Nowhere.

Today’s word is from Merriam-Webster.

Get THE WORD Every Day!

Enjoy a One-Minute Story, Learn a New Word, and Create With Me! Delivered to you every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

Tags uplifting

The Word

Umbra

[ uhm-bruh ]

Noun

A conical shadow excluding all light from a given source; specifically: the conical part of the shadow of a celestial body excluding all light from the primary source.
The central dark part of a sunspot.
A shaded area.

Let’s Write…

** Either a story beginning, a story ending, a piece of flash fiction, a poem–inspired by the word, umbra, where does it take me? Where does it take you?

Charlie saw nothing but blackness out of the corner of his right eye. The peripheral vision, on just his right side, was just cut off. It had always been that way, and he never gave pause to wonder about it anymore. That was until it started speaking to him.

“Charlie,” came a whispered voice from the darkness.

Naturally, Charlie turned around to face the person that was just out of his view. No one stood behind him or anywhere near him. The sidewalks of his neighborhood were empty, as were all the front lawns. He was alone on his walk.

“Charlie,” came the whispered voice again.

Charlie turned around again, because what else could it be?

“No, it’s not anyone else,” the voice said.

“What is going on?” Charlie muttered to himself.

“I just thought it time we were officially acquainted.”

Charlie thought he saw a flutter in the darkness of his vision. A bit of light shining through where there had only ever been black. Like the defect in his vision wasn’t a defect, but something was standing there blocking his view.

“Today is your lucky day, Charlie.”

“And why is that?” Charlie said, abandoning all fear and talking to the air, to the darkness.

“Because today, you will see that I am not a hole in your vision, but a chance to see more than you ever could without me.”

“Why would I want that?” Charlie spoke with attitude.

“I can tell you what other people are thinking, what they’re doing from miles away, behind their closed doors. I can see all you need to know to attain all the things you dream about. And yes, I can see your dreams.”

Charlie paused, his heart racing. “So, you can help me–“

“Win the girl you long for?”

“Yes…” Charlie said hesitantly.

“An easy feat and we can start there, but soon I will teach you to dream bigger!”

“Ok, let’s see what you got. How can I get a date with Sarah?”

“Just do what I tell you to do, simple as that.”

Charlie paused for a second. What do I have to lose?–he thought.

“Ok, tell me,” Charlie said.

Notes/Thoughts/Ideas

I think we can all see where this one is going! Charlie begins taking advice and direction from this voice. The instructions gain him all he ever wanted. Then, he realizes at some point, that in the wake of his successes is nothing but devastation.

A classic story of selling your soul to the devil. So, how could it become different?

One idea to play with is there’s someone else out there who is taking instruction, not from a darkness, but from a light. Both forces using these two people in some kind of chess battle for the Earth.

Maybe the two sources aren’t heaven and hell, but just an alien race having fun, competing against each other, and the two humans come together to turn the table on them somehow?

I think if I spend some more time brainstorming, I can take this nugget of an idea and turn it into something different.

The idea I just went through was really just changing the genre. If it’s heaven and hell, forces of light and dark, I’m thinking the Fantasy genre. If it’s aliens, then we’re in the Science Fiction genre. A simple switch, and now the story might have a fresh feel.

Something we can all try with any art form. Take the idea you’re having and switch the genre. See where it leads. From writing, to music, to art. Switch the genre.

What do you think of Umbra?

Aliens or Cosmic forces? What idea sounded cooler? Let me know in the comments!

Leave your thoughts, your own story beginning/ending, flash-fiction, or whatever in the comments! Where did umbra or my story take you?

If you want to read something along these lines, check out my short story The Devil’s Tri-Tone. A “horror” story (not gory horror) with a fun twist!

Today’s word is from Merriam-Webster.

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Enjoy a One-Minute Story, Learn a New Word, and Create With Me! Delivered to you every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

Tags dark spin

The Word

Quidnunc

[kwid-nuhngk]

Noun

A person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip.
A gossip or busybody.

Let’s Write…

** Either a story beginning, a story ending, a piece of flash fiction, a poem–inspired by the word, quidnunc, where does it take me? Where does it take you?

“It’s the price of fame.”

God!—she thought, as the phrase filled her mind. How many times had she heard it said to her? There shouldn’t be a price—not like this—for being good at something.

Charlotte signed the piece of paper held out to her, with a meager smile. Thankfully her large sunglasses covered her eyes as they would’ve given away the real emotion she wanted to express.

Her “biggest” fan, who had actually poked her awake, ran off clearly pleased with himself. Charlotte lay back into her lounge chair and tried to focus on the waves of the beach to calm her.

A breath of annoyance left her as the view of the waves was now only a backdrop to five or more paparazzi shooting frantically. They circled her like a zoo animal, an ancient palace of grandeur, or a spectacle of nature.

“It’s the price of fame.”

The phrase pierced her mind again, like an attack on her soul. Charlotte certainly felt gratitude for her achieved success and gratitude that she had fans, but, just because of the profession—actress—it was suddenly socially acceptable to be impolite to her, to harass her, and to stalk her.

She thought back and settled on “zoo animal.”

“It’s the price of fame.”

Notes/Thoughts/Ideas

What kind of story could this be? The actress stalked by paparazzi and crazed fans in a thriller-like genre has been done. Many times.

So, what if it was simply written as a “drama” or a character story. What is her life like from day-to-day? And the point is to view the actions that would never be socially acceptable in any other environment.

People see the magazine articles, and so on, but they don’t know how “the scoop” has been obtained, or question whether it’s acceptable just because “it’s the price of fame.”

I think there’s an interesting psychology to explore, and an exciting story here. Not a story I would typically think to write, but it has me intrigued. Again, this story has been done as well, but there’s a way to make it stand out, I’m sure.

The easy way to think about it, and make it different, is to simply imagine and know that this is just a part of the whole story. It’s one thread, and there will be several others to explore. Her career itself and the ups and downs there. Relationships with family, friends, and romantic. And so on.

Last thought: I think this is even an important story to tell and tell again. The things we do as a society because ” ” insert phrase there. It’s just a quote or a phrase. It doesn’t make it right.

Ok, I’ve said enough! Now it’s your thoughts I want to hear.

What do you think of Quidnunc?

What do you think of the central theme? The writing? My ideas? Share away, but be kind as we shouldn’t speak with hate just because “we have freedom of speech.” Wink, wink.

Leave your thoughts, your own story beginning/ending, flash-fiction, or whatever in the comments! Where did quidnunc or my story take you?

If you want to read a character-driven short story, check out my short story The Toy Rocket. My first short story about an older man who decides the time is right to explore old dreams.

Today’s word is from Dictionary.com.

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Enjoy a One-Minute Story, Learn a New Word, and Create With Me! Delivered to you every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

Tags character study

The Word

Moil

[ moil ]

Verb

Work hard.
Move around in confusion or agitation.

Let’s Write…

** Either a story beginning, a story ending, a piece of flash-fiction, a poem–inspired by the word, where does it take me? Where does it take you?