Water

Today's exercise is water. And for some reason, this combined with the exercise a couple day's back of "Wings" made me think of Captain Planet. As in, "Earth! Fire! Wings, er Wind! Water! Heart!" In any case...

"What is the hardest substance on earth, and what is the softest substance?"
"Rock is the hardest substance, and water is the softest."
"Yet, water, the softest substance, can wear a hole in the hardest substance, rock. It only takes time, but it will eventually succeed."

I remembered my lessons from my grandfather, a Taoist to the end of his days. I remember sitting on his knee as he explained to me the principles of the Tao, as he showed me pages from the Tao Te Ching. Most of what he said was beyond me, but I trusted him, and now that I look back, I find a solid core in his teachings. And I miss him still, but I remember the story he told me of the man whose son died.

There was once a man whose son died in his youth. After the funeral, the neighbors were astounded to find the man perfectly cheerful, and going about his business as if nothing had happened. "What's wrong with you," they asked. "Don't you feel anything for your son?"
"It is true that my son is dead," he replied. "But before he was born, I had no son, and I was fine. Now I again have no son, so why should I not still be fine?"

I was never able to reach that same state of ease, that same peace. I still wake up, remembering him in his last moments, as he pushed me out of the way of the car that then came for him.

256 words. Okay, I guess. I didn't make up the story about the man whose son died; it's from the teachings of Lie Zi, another important Taoist (but less famous than Lao Zi).

Revenge

Today's exercise is on revenge.

Onthalo shifted uncomfortably and stole a glance at the golden-haired woman beside him. He'd found her in the jungle, severely injured, trailing blood and feathers. He wasn't sure that Tansy approved of her... But she'd been hurt, and there was no way he could leave someone to die in the wildreness. She lay in his mat now, still moaning, still muttering curses in an alien tongue that he could not understand. The sounds she made were beautiful, even though he could tell that she was angry at something. Her fists were tightly clenched and shaking, even as she mumbled and moaned in her sleep. She was running a high fever, and he did not know how to cure it.
"Tansy, could you go get the medicine woman, please? This is beyond me..."
Tansy growled in assent and padded off quietly.

She was lost in fire and blood... The fire that they had used to "cleanse" her with before they tore away her wings. She would have her revenge on them. She was writhing, moaning with the pain of the fire, when she felt a sudden cool touch on her mind. There was a boy there... Young, just barely in his first adulthood, concerned... He would be a fitting tool. They would never suspect him. All she had to do was play on his weaknesses. She reached out and grabbed his mind, letting loose the fire and blood. She heard him scream.

As soon as he touched her, he felt a strange presence flooding his mind. At first there was only the presence, and then there were flames all around him, everywhere, and no escape anywhere, except into one area of icy cold blackness. He was heading there, trying to get away, when he felt a sudden sharp biting pain at his hand. Tansy had returned, and was gnawing him. He had the sudden feeling that Tansy had saved him from a terrible fate, and he hugged and petted her. The medicine woman smiled indulgently at the two, and turned to the stranger.

343 words, just barely over 5 minutes. Yeah, it's not *exactly* about revenge, but I felt like trying to continue my other thing (and it does have someone seeking revenge). It has a cat in it!

Used (late exercise)

Okay, so this exercise is rather late. I managed to get caught up in... things. (I did not spend all yesterday playing games, really I didn't... Especially not ADOM...)
In any case, the topic is "Used"

She stared at the wet, soggy paper towel in front of her. Someone had used up her entire roll of paper towels, without even asking her, and now that she needed to clean up the mess her cat had made, they were gone! Someone had used up the toilet paper, too... At least the towels were still around, but she wasn't about to use her towels to clean up after her cat...
"Elizabella! Are you responsible for using up the paper towels!" she shouted.
Her suitemate came in, looking at her curiously. "No, why would I have used them?"
"Well, someone used up my paper towels!"
"Maybe it was Andy, I think I saw her with some friends earlier, and they were all drinking." Elizabella adjusted her glasses, showing what she really thought of Andy's early-afternoon drinking.
Susan sighed. "Well, do you ahve any extra towels? Morpheus here decided to let loose and now I don't have anything to clean it up with."
Elizabella put a finger to her lips, looking thoughtful. "Well, I have some old newspapers, would those do?"
"They're disposable and reasonably absorbent. They'll do."
In a little bit, the mess had been cleaned up, and the soiled newspapers disposed of. "I'm glad that's gotten rid of."
"Susan, we're out of toilet paper, too, and I, umm... I didn't notice before I..."
"Elizabella!"
"Sorry, Susan! It's just that I was reading and it was sooo interesting I wasn't really paying attention and now I'm finished and..."
Susan sighed again. "Okay, you stay there, and I'll go see if I can beg some toilet paper off our dear neighbors."

272 words, 5 and a bit minutes. I don't like this one very much at all. I think it's a bit too silly for my taste.