Abecedarian Game Drabble, 1/9: ABC
The folx in my profic writers' group and I play the Abecedarian Game: any three consecutive letters can serve as prompt inspiration, and "running the letters" means answering nine prompt sets in abecedarian order (the final set is either a YZ or YZA one, depending upon preference). My group tends to select a specific dictionary from which we all pull prompts. Below, you'll find the first of nine little stories using words that I took from Phrontistery's Dictionary of Unusual Words.
My first three prompts, abodement, babeldom, and candescent, inspired the double drabble,
Guarding Against Harm (G; Argus, Mrs. Norris, Severus, and Albus with implied Argus/Irma; 200 words): Argus knows what matters.
Argus stood, pale and stooped, clutching Mrs. Norris to his breast. "I tell you, sir, I had an abodement of something gone horribly wrong, and when I investigated, I found pure babeldom!"
"There's no one here," Severus said, glaring down the wandlit darkness of the corridor.
"But there was!"
"You said you saw a ghost, Argus?"
"No, Headmaster!" he exclaimed, earning him a nip from Mrs. Norris. "Sorry, girl. No," he repeated. "I said I saw a candescent-"
Severus's sniggering interrupted him. "No, I'm not dating a librarian, am I?"
"You shut it, Sev-er, Professor Sna-"
"It was hot, this glowing?" asked Albus.
"It was hot and loud and confusing, sir," replied Argus. "Hard to breathe, too."
"Oh, for the love of Merlin!"
"Er, where's he going?" Argus demanded, as Severus stalked off.
Albus chuckled. "Argus, I believe that you must have seen and heard someone carrying a cauldron of Firebright Elixir in its final stage of production."
"Is that harmful? To cats?"
"Oh, no," Albus replied, scratching Mrs. Norris behind the ears. "Not at all."
"Will the little shi-student get detention?"
"Given Severus' reaction, Argus, I imagine that whatever he gets will be quite unpleasant, indeed."
Argus grinned. "Good."
My first three prompts, abodement, babeldom, and candescent, inspired the double drabble,
Guarding Against Harm (G; Argus, Mrs. Norris, Severus, and Albus with implied Argus/Irma; 200 words): Argus knows what matters.
Argus stood, pale and stooped, clutching Mrs. Norris to his breast. "I tell you, sir, I had an abodement of something gone horribly wrong, and when I investigated, I found pure babeldom!"
"There's no one here," Severus said, glaring down the wandlit darkness of the corridor.
"But there was!"
"You said you saw a ghost, Argus?"
"No, Headmaster!" he exclaimed, earning him a nip from Mrs. Norris. "Sorry, girl. No," he repeated. "I said I saw a candescent-"
Severus's sniggering interrupted him. "No, I'm not dating a librarian, am I?"
"You shut it, Sev-er, Professor Sna-"
"It was hot, this glowing?" asked Albus.
"It was hot and loud and confusing, sir," replied Argus. "Hard to breathe, too."
"Oh, for the love of Merlin!"
"Er, where's he going?" Argus demanded, as Severus stalked off.
Albus chuckled. "Argus, I believe that you must have seen and heard someone carrying a cauldron of Firebright Elixir in its final stage of production."
"Is that harmful? To cats?"
"Oh, no," Albus replied, scratching Mrs. Norris behind the ears. "Not at all."
"Will the little shi-student get detention?"
"Given Severus' reaction, Argus, I imagine that whatever he gets will be quite unpleasant, indeed."
Argus grinned. "Good."