In this series, I will take the Word of the Day from Dictionary.com and craft a short piece of creative writing around it. My goal is to embrace the meaning of the word in some unique way, all the while trying out different styles, rhythms and characterizations. It is as much an exercise in creativity as it is an exploration of grammar. Enjoy!
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By Alex Seise
The pale queen cackled, looking out beyond her brimstone balcony at the smoldering landscape below. The village was cast in tangerine by bright orange flames, and smoke pooled above the granaries while moans of anguish chorused into the evening. Her icy blue eyes shimmered. She spun around, still smiling as her pale, beautiful face melted off. Globs of creamy flesh ran down her velveteen cloak, pooling on the floor as she strode deeper into her dark chambers. Eyebrows and lashes fell to the ground like sizzled dead caterpillars caught on a burning log. Pearly teeth clinked and clattered, bounced and scattered along the castle’s stones. And just like that, the queen was fully monstrous yet again. “And to think,” she thought, tossing aside two silver rings that jangled uselessly on her bare knuckle bones, “They believed the fallacy for that long.” The skeletal beast grabbed its scepter and descended the cold stone stairs, flowing black velvet billowing behind it. The pool of silvery liquid and strands of long black hair shimmered as the mess caught glints of distant firelight.
