Adjective Challenge (12-13-20)

 List of words:

Immethodical: without method or order; irregular

Puckish: impish

Stygian: dark; infernal

Contumacious: rebellious; stubbornly disobedient

Novercal (na-var-cle): of relating to or characteristic of a stepmother 

Nectareous: 1. producing nectar 2. like nectar, sweet, delicious 

Crepuscular:of, resembling relating to twilight (either beginning or ending of the day)

Nubilous: cloudy, misty, foggy; obscure, indefinite

Sedulous: (of a person or action) showing dedication and diligence 

An African Tale

Chapter Two— Memories

Arno woke suddenly, he was sure he heard something. Glancing around carefully, so as to not awaken Annika, searching for the source of the sound, he scanned the area to the best of his ability while leaning up against the Acacia tree with his wife’s head in his lap. He could find nothing that should have so abruptly stolen his nap from him. Arno was far too awake now to return to resting. He adjusted his gaze down at his bride of nearly one year. As usual he was completely taken in by her beauty and how fortunate he had been to be matched with her. Her ebony skin was radiant with the flush of pregnancy, granted, she was only a few months along. Her stomach barely starting to curve. His mind wandered back to the first time he saw her. She was returning from getting water, her brightly colored skirt swishing as she sashayed between the huts and villagers. Arno was instantly drawn to her and his feet seemed to move with a will of their own. Before he realized it, Arno was face to face with Annika. She gave him a puckish smile as she slid past. His face warmed with these thoughts and he was brought back to the present. Annika was smiling that same mischievous smile when he glanced down at her, it was as if she knew he was remembering that day.

Annika had also heard the noise but remained still watching Arno through her stygian lashes. She catches a glimpse of his strong jaw as he scans the area for the sound. He must not see anything as his face relaxes when he looks down at her. She is careful to breathe evenly and not draw his attention. Annika just wanted to observe him. It appeared that Arno was lost in thought and she was drawn back in time to that day he showed up in her hamlet. Annika could see it all clearly as if it were only now happening. Her father had sent her to fill the water jug in preparation for the arrival of the man her parents had chosen for her. She wasn’t too thrilled with being told that it was time she married and to whom she would be joined, but that was how life worked and she’d have to learn to accept it. Annika’s mind was distracted as she filled the jug and balanced it on her head for the return walk to her cottage. She swayed her hips so that her skirt would twirl a bit as she walked, trying to picture what this Arno might look like. Would he be tall and muscular, could he protect her from the dangers of the Karoo? Why did she have to get married anyway? She was the young children’s instructor, they had great adventures in learning why couldn’t she just keep doing that? All the mothers had confided that she was the best teacher among the young ladies in the village. Nearly to her house she met with a fine-looking stranger. He was tall, but not too tall, with broad shoulders. There was a contumacious glint in his beautiful lapis eyes. She smiles up at him and brushed past. If this was Arno, if might not be such an evil novercal match after all. An identical smile landed on her lips just then and she opened her eyes to find him staring at her in like manner as that first meeting. Each being caught up in seemingly the same memory, they quickly looked away. Annika’s mind was focused on his nectareous lips and she wanted him to lean down to her. They were so in sync that she was not at all surprised when she felt them lightly brush hers.

Their nap and memory walk over, the couple climbed out from under the shade tree, dusted off their clothes and repacked the basket. They must get back to their task and put a few more miles behind them before the crepuscular hour arrived. Arno being a sedulous person made sure that Annika had everything in readiness and took her hand in his as they headed across the savanna together. A nubilous feeling crept up his spine as the distant sound of a hyenas filled the afternoon. Annika squeezed his hand and fear flitted across her face. She quickly sent a prayer up that the hyenas path would be immethodical and they would be avoided. Her free had encircled her tiny baby bump and she squared her shoulders. They would succeed, they had too. Arno pulled her close and gently kissed her forehead then reassured her that the gods would protect them on this task.

To be continued......

Noveral

By: Myrna Flynn

The gang of 4 friends was having lunch. They were talking about things they had in common and which one was the one that kept them friends for these years. They decided that it was because they all had stepmothers. They had never compared their experiences. They agreed to take turns sharing their stepmothers noverals. 

Kathy went first. She said, " Mine was very puckish, and liked to play pranks, she was a lot of fun. My best memory was the time we were thinking of things to get for my dad for his birthday. My mom (she always called her mom) said, "Let's buy him some outrageous clothes."

They went to the mall and to the tween section. They found a My Little Pony night gown. They moved into the nostalgia portion where they found a Scrooge looking nightcap and some slippers that looked like bear paws. Then Kathy decided to go to the candy section and get a couple of Tootsie Roll banks to stuff into the slippers.

They got back home, wrapped the packages and prepared the Happy Birthday dinner. After eating, they gave him his gifts. He opened the first one, but being used to his daughter and his wife's immothodical doings, he played along. He put on the night gown and the cap. Then he opened the next package and tried to put on the slippers, but couldn't get them on his feet. He picked them up , shook them out and found his favorite nectareous treat, which made him relieved. He was expecting rocks.

Sally was next. "My stepmother was stygian. Living with her was stressful and demeaning, not as bad as Cinderella's nemesis, but almost.

When I graduated from High School, I left home. When I got lonesome for dad, I called first to make sure the Dragon Lady was not there."

Judy thought her stepmother tried hard to be seduluous. she said, "It was like living with a person playing the part of a stepmother. I never really knew her."

Gretchen said, "We just did not mesh, she was crepuscular and nubilous. I never knew if she was in the twilight zone or in the sunshine. And me, I was too contumacious.  

They all had to get back to their jobs but set a time and place for their monthly lunch together.

By: Colleen Holmquist

Anopheles blinked several times.  He jiggled his head in a vain attempt to unclog the murk in his mind. One thing he recognized for certain—a gnawing hunger. Still groggy, he embarked on an immethodical search for a nectareous snack. He stumbled westward into a crepuscular horizon. The air surrounding him was chilly and nubilous.

Random thoughts combining with memory fragments rapidly sequenced in his encephalon turning his mood Stygian. 

It scarcely mattered to him that he had miraculously survived the recent cataclysm. No, Anopheles could hardly be described as grateful. In an earlier day—seemingly a lifetime ago, he was considered puckish—delighting in bringing laughter to brighten the lives of those around him.  And then that sedulous, novercal one appeared. She constantly nagged at him; he in turn, waxed increasingly contumacious. One day, in a fury, he left and smugly soared directly into the eye of the storm that finally deposited him—wingless—here on this forsaken, forgotten, desolate, empty chunk of wasteland.