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
She tore through the open closet with the fury of a Rottweiler possessed. No one had seen her this passionate in days, and the maid chewed her lip in worry. Perhaps it was heroin again, like they’d weathered during the dreadful summer of 1988, or simply a bad night’s rest. The graying housekeeper hoped for the best but prepared for the worst as a shower of silky blouses and graceful foulards and ruffled tunics cascaded past her black uniform and onto the berber carpet. She tried to steal a glance at the frantic woman’s forearms, without luck. The heiress—if it was even appropriate to call a middle-aged woman who hadn’t worked a day in her life and spent her hours bemoaning the loss of her youth over brandies and gin-laced cocktails an heiress—was a flighty vane whose whims convulsed erratically. She could spend hours rooting through her expansive wardrobe for an outfit, then collapse in a fit of booze-tainted tears only to change again.
Fickle or mad, thought the maid. Either way, she embraced the stark black outfit she wore day in and day out, a woman untouched by the drudgery of choice.
