one word [gong]

-
(ref: here)

The bell sounded.

"The ringer must be new," thought Matthew, as he slowly set his cup on its saucer.

Motioning to the servant to answer the door, Matthew thought, "I wonder who they sent this time."

Gentle scurrying was replaced with firm boots; the accompanying breeze hinted at cinnamon and saffron.

"The King sends his blessings," stated the messenger. Dust from various climbs left marks on the floor.

The messenger remained on the other side of the silk curtain.

"I see they still haven't taught you common courtesies," replied Lord Matthew. "Or are you truly from the King?"

The breeze that had accompanied the messenger remained, slowly swaying the silk curtains separating walkway from room.

"Of course I'm from the king," said the messenger, pulling out his stiletto. "He sent his best trained messenger to deliver the one message you would be sure to comprehend."

A quick slice allowed the silk wall to drift in the gentle breeze from the still-open front door.

"What?!" said the messenger, as he looked upon where Lord Matthew had sat moments before.

"If you had been sent by the true king," replied Lord Matthew, landing atop the messenger. "You would have known to knock."

Lord Matthew's landing was followed by a loud *pop*.

"And known only fools and traitors use the gong," commented Lord Matthew, as he motioned to the new servant to move the body.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter 01 part ii

-
As Mary made her way along the path, the way grew a little wider; the subtle hint of the crashing waves behind her gave way to a sweet murmuring.  "The air seems cooler," Mary thought to herself, as the murmuring grew gently louder.  Moving along the path, Mary saw the walk bubbling up quietly from some unseen source; where the water flowed, along the path, the slope of the hill fell.  "Wow, natural spring water," Mary thought a she held her flask against the current.  The left and right side of the path were covered in a clear, clean stream, and the center of the path held rocks that continued the path, sloping upwards.  Having taken a few solid gulps and filling her flask, Mary hopped onto the first rock, being careful to land in the center. "How curious," considered Mary, as she looked at the stepping stone.  "It appears to be made of wood but decorated as if it were stone."  Looking forward, Mary noted the stones continued on their steady p
Read more

Chapter 01 part iii

-
Playing with the small arms, Mary thought “what if I ...” A small whirring sound beneath the base of the object seemed to resonate along the fingertips in contact with the arms. “Of course,” exclaimed Mary as she stepped back from the stone dais. “It is an astrolabe! I used to build these at home when daddy brought home stories!” Excited, Mary watched as the well rotated in place and beneath the aligned arrowheads, a small stone had recessed near her left knee. Bending over, Mary noticed a faint odor. “Is that … violets,” asked Mary as her eyes drew closer to the hole. “Why do I smell violets?” Looking closer, Mary realized the hole into the well went back only a foot; within the hole lay a small bed of blue petals. Amidst the petals lay a small metal object. Near her right foot, Mary picked up a small stick and gently placed it within the hole. Not hearing any response from the hole, Mary moved the small piece of metal closer to the edge. “I wonder what this is,” considered Mary as
Read more

Chapter 01 part i

-
[.: Brainstorm; random words :.] Gossamer dreams of ember days, ordinary ordinations gone ablaze, and time lost to sand and haze, has come to roost in deeper plays. "Why am I here," asked Mary, as she stood on the beach.  There had been a point where Mary was quite certain of what she had been doing.  She was sure of it.  "I don't recall how I arrived here," stated Mary to her shadow.  Standing on the beach, letting the wind draw attention to her feet, Mary glanced at the designs drawn by waves from unknown shores.  Small eddies revealed shells, filling the spaces between her toes, and slowly she walked; the waves crashed gently to her right as the soft sun hid behind clouds and cast a shadow several feet ahead. "Perhaps I shall run across someone whom I might recognize," said Mary, as she moved along the shore.  "At the very least, they might help me remember something."  As the beach slowly revealed a dune in the distance, the water
Read more