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
Fat John Snyder waggled his finger, insistent about the veracity of his words.
“Mama always said dat a teeny lil’ taradiddle wouldn’t do no harm to yas soul. But dis ain’t no fib or fab-er-cay-shun,” he said boldly, annunciating each letter in the word for effect. “Dis is da God’s honest truth, here.”
“You ain’t seen nothin’ like dat, ya swaddlin’ wrapped ham face!” Billy Ryker was the meanest boy on the playground and not afraid to use such taunting words.
“Oh, but if I ain’t seen nothin’, den what you reckon did dis?” It was at that moment that Fat John Snyder rolled up his left sleeve, sending a wave of gasps through the crowd of young boys gathered near the swings. There on his forearm was a nasty looking set of bite marks, several days old and already scabbed over. It almost looked like a dog bite, save for the two big, enlarged holes made by several wide-set canines. “I’s told you all, dat is da mark of da one and on-ly chupacabra. If you don’t believe me now, den you won’t believe nothin’ else until you meet one youself.” The boy shuddered. “And you don’t wanna meet one.”
