Wednesday's Words on a Friday

On Wednesdays, assorted people have been taking monthly turns at putting up a selection of six (or twelve) words which is called “Words for Wednesday”.

We have taken over this meme from Delores, who had been having computer problems.

This month the meme continues here, at Elephant’s Child, with words and images supplied by Sue.

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.   

Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...

Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  We would really like it if as many people as possible joined in with this fun meme.

If you are posting on your own blog - let us know so that we can come along and read your masterpiece. 

I’m hopeless at poetry so I always do a story.

It’s a fun challenge…why not join in?

This week's words are:

1. graveyard

2. chapter

3. symbol

4. near

5. dangerous

6. sawdust

and/or:

1. challenge

2. ballerina

3. billion

4. arcane

5. conclusion

6. convict

and this phrase: "Absolution, my child, is not like the bus pass. It does not run out."

I couldn't find a way to fit that in, so here is my phraseless story:

John and Jillian stood staring at their secret entrance to the graveyard. Hidden well away from the main entrance, they'd used it for years and had thought no one else knew about it. The graveyard was the favourite meeting place for them and the rest of their group, they often played hide and seek among the headstones. 

Today, the entrance was sealed. Stretched across the opening was a large spiderweb type structure, hung with arcane symbols and tinkly little wind chimes. Stuart and Robert joined them there, all out of breath from racing ahead to beat the girls thundering along the path behind them. Michelle and Casey came skidding around the corner, puffing and panting, declaring the boys had cheated by beginning to run without first saying why. 

"Never mind that for now," said Jillian. "Look at this! How are we supposed to get in now? and what the heck are you wearing, Rob?"  "It's my Halloween costume," Robert said. "It was supposed to be for Mary, but the wrong size got delivered and Dad said he'd pay me fifty dollars if I was game enough to be a ballerina for trick or treating. I was going to be a convict, but Ratbag next door decided to copy me, so I took Dad up on his offer. I'm not stupid enough to turn down fifty dollars!"

"Meanwhile, " said Stuart, "we have a challenge ahead of us here. The local chapter of "Witches'R'Us" seems to have found our meeting place. They've got a billion other places to hold their chanting and candle lighting and spells and stuff, what the heck do they want to be coming here for?" 

Casey said, "they got booted out of the old cow shed when one of their candles started a fire by tipping over onto a bale of straw. They put it out right away, but Mr Johnson wasn't happy about it. I know because Erica joined them last week, she thinks it'll be fun to wear black all the time and put spells on people."
"Bit dangerous of them to be putting lit candles near straw bales in the first place," said John. "What were they thinking?"

"I reckon they weren't thinking," said Michelle. "That's the trouble with that lot, dumb as toast they are, everyone knows spells don't work properly unless you have some.. oh!" she stopped suddenly.
"Some what?" asked Jillian. "Graveyard dust," said Michelle. "It's supposed to be an effective addition if you are putting spells on people, I read it somewhere."

"Do any of those spells ever work?" asked Stuart. "No," said Casey. "If they did I'd be a heap of sawdust now from the spell Erica tried last week. She got annoyed because I stood too near her when she was on the phone with her new boyfriend."
"Huh," said Robert. "Did you hear anything interesting? Like who he is?"

"Never mind who he is!" said John. "How are we going to get past this tinkly spiderweb thing without breaking it? My sweets bucket is getting heavy and I want to find out what you all have in your buckets. This was a good year for trick or treating!"

They all searched the edges of the glittering spiderweb without finding where it was attached to the trees and ivy. Then Casey spotted one of Erica's black hair ribbons way up at the top of the spiderweb, tied to it and the sturdy branch above it. "Look for black ribbons," she said. "Maybe we can untie one and sneak in carefully, then tie it back up."

"Another option is to wait for the conclusion of their meeting and hope they don't take too long about it." said Jillian. "Or we could all go back to my house and spread the sweets on the dining table for the comparing and sharing. The twins are staying with Aunt Jenny tonight, so they won't bother us."

"Yeah, that'll do," said John and Stuart together. "Let's go."