Daily Archives: November 16, 2011

Snow on Snow on Snow

November 16th, 2011 / Categories: Moose Nuggets / 5 Comments »

The CD played and she softly sang along: In the deep midwinter, snow on snow on snow.

Melancholy touched her spirit. It was this time of year, her formerly favorite time, when Roy had left for Iraq. He’d smiled and touched her forehead with his at the deployment center.

“Ah, my sweet love, I’ll be back before the deep midwinter. We’ll be together before snow piles on snow. I love you. I’ll see you soon.”

Her heart left North Carolina that day. She missed him terribly.

Roy’s rich tenor joined her alto and she looked up to find her joy.

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I buy very little music, but one year I bought an album by an Anchorage couple with what is now my favorite piece of music, In the Deep Midwinter. The image of Snow on Snow on Snow is especially appropriate here in Alaska this year where we have had the aforementioned snows along with great winds. We are between power outages at the moment allowing me these few minutes to write. Ah midwinter!

This is in answer to Velvet Verbosity’s weekly 100 Word challenge: SNOW. You have time to write YOUR 100 words.

Arabian Night

November 16th, 2011 / Categories: trifecta / 3 Comments »

There was much gaiety in the maiden’s chamber. Servant girls twirled and tittered around one small figure. The bedding was strewn with vibrant colors. Red, blue, yellow and rose robes and veils were chosen one by one to adorn the trembling young woman.

Olive oil was combed through her raven hair. “It is most nourishing my mistress,” one of the servants chattered. Pearls and feathers were woven into braids becoming a natural crown.

“You will see. The Sultan will summon you tonight, mistress. You are the most favored maiden in his entire harem. His servants have been watching you. It is they who have ordered the goat’s milk baths which soften your skin; the vials of the purest fragrances to sweeten your aroma. He is waiting for you; you have achieved his favor.”

The girl trembled again, whether from fear or from anticipation we cannot say. Yet the slightest smile turned up her lips as she gazed into the mirror placed in front of her. The maids touched her lips with red and smudged kohl around her eyes. Costly gems were dotted upon her bronze skin in appealing patterns.

The final touch was the rose veil placed over her face. More titters went up as all the servants nodded approval of their mistress.

“It is time, mistress.”

She looked up to see the chief eunuch standing at the entrance. Shakily she stood and waited to see what his eyes would tell her. He simply nodded and turned away. The servants pushed her toward him and bowed as she passed.

The path to Sultan’s tent was lighted by torch and strewn with tightly woven rugs. The slightest breeze ruffled her veils and caused goose bumps to rise on her arms beneath the gauzy sleeves.

The eunuch lifted the tent flap and stepped back as the maiden stepped over the threshold.

“Come to me child,” a deep voice rumbled. She glanced back once to the eunuch, straightened her shoulders and went to meet her Sultan.
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Written for the first Trifecta Writing Challenge. Each week a one word challenge will be posted – the third definition of that word is the meaning of the challenge word. This week the word is SUMMON and the challenge is to write between 33 and 333 words using that word in that definition.

Fun, right? Your turn.
🙂