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
Firelight from the torch danced on the cave’s grimy wall. The oldest man in the group looked first at the young man to his right, then shifted his gaze to the middle-aged woman at his left.
“Tonight, we forget everything we’ve been told. Tonight, we come together to start again,” he said. From the pouch around his waist, he produced a small sharp knife.
“We seal our pact with the blood of our tongues, so that we may never speak ill of our triumvirate.”
The old man extended his tongue past his lips, quivering slightly. He drew the blade to the tip and pressed, splitting the writhing organ into a fork. The woman followed suit, and then the young man. They felt no pain; the spirits prevented it.
The three looked to the torch with stained chins and hissed, loudly. Their forked tongues slithered through the air like flying serpents.
Miles away, in his warm keep, the king sat upright from a dead sleep. A cold sweat had collected on his brow; it was an omen of maligned deeds hidden beneath the crush of stony darkness.
