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
“Hand me that scramdriver, the one to your left,” requested the old man, waving a long, scraggly finger in the direction of a large wall. Tools of all shapes and sizes were mounted there for rapid retrieval. His assistant reached up and touched the whirlamancer mounted just slightly in front of him on the left side.
“No, no, the OTHER left,” said the man. “The one next to the bevouter, there.”
The boy’s hands moved from the whirlamancer to the tool directly below the bevouter, a fine gearwig made with iron from the mines west of Florence.
“Oh, heavens no! Did the academy send me an apprentice or a buffoon?!” cried the old man, frustrated. What good was an apprentice who couldn’t tell a thingamajig from a whosimawhatsit?!
By process of elimination, the boy finally settled on the initially requested scramdriver. The long steel bar was fitted on one end with a curved onyx claw, and the other with a hammer. A leather handle was wrapped around the exact middle of the tool, and it was perfectly balanced.
“Finally,” sighed the old man. “Let’s hope your dracology skills are better than your lacking knowledge of the modern inventor’s workshop.”
