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
“That acronym,” the woman said slowly, her voice lower than necessary. “One of the words is off. They…won’t…like…that.”
One of the men sitting across from her rolled his eyes. “Jenn, focus, please. We’ve still got a hundred pages to go.” The other man groaned softly, slinking back into his chair.
But she wouldn’t let up. “It’s…a…big…deal. Trust……me……” Her words trailed slower and slower, as if mired in a pit of sticky cold molasses. “They rea-lly……won’t……like…that.”
“You already said that,” the second man retorted, annoyed at the foofaraw. What was the point of reviewing the proposal together if they couldn’t get past the first page? “What if we came back to it later? You know, spend our time on the big stuff, then manage the micro later on?”
She shook her head, the chunky string of costume beads around her thick stumpy neck clanking. “It’s…just… It’s……just….wrong, and…I….can’t……” Her words were cut off by a breathy sigh from deep in her gullet.
Irritated, the second man wrenched his phone from his pocket and tapped angrily on the tiny glowing screen. When he came to the official page of the client, he quickly found the acronym—which was correctly noted in the document. He slid the phone over the table in the direction of the stubborn woman, then crossed his arms.
“There.”
She looked at the phone without touching it, then shook her head. “Well…” Her train of thought paused a moment. “They…must….be…wrong, too…”
