Hey, Readerland! The Ogre is back again with Day 19. We're one day closer to the 31st.
Had a good dinner out tonight with the Mensa folks. Good food and good conversation. I almost forgot about doing this exercise, honestly. But it's time to get it started. What's today's topic?
20. Pick five random words from a random word generator (like, say, this one) and incorporate
all of them into your writing exercise.
So, after a little generation, my words are:
layby
headache
button
down light
ballroom
I had to look up the words 'layby' and 'down light.'
A layby is a lane off to the side of the road where vehicles may wait. A down light is a lamp, often a light bulb set in a metal cylinder, mounted on or recessed into the ceiling so that a beam of light is directed downward.
Let's get going.
Todd was running late. His headache wouldn't go away. He knew it was the stress, but even knowing that didn't help any. He hoped the pain killers would kick in soon.
He pushed the pedal closer to the floor, the care reaching close to ninety miles an hour. He knew he should have left earlier, but he kept finding reasons to put it off. Nerves, mostly. He was nervous. Who wouldn't be?
He pushed the button to open the glovebox and rummaged around for some gum to help keep him from clenching his jaw too much. He popped three pieces into his mouth and chewed hard, but they didn't seem to help.
As soon as he could, he pulled into the layby and leaned his head against the steering wheel.
"Come on, Todd. you can do this." he said. "It's only the biggest day of your life. It's not like hundreds of people are counting on you."
He leaned back and looked in the mirror. They had been through so much. The planning, the coordinating, the inviting, the talks with the pastor beforehand, dealing with each others parents. It was too much for them and now Todd was going to snap.
He felt like he was going to cry, but a realization dawned on him: there was only one person depending on him and that was Sarah. It had been the two of them that had done everything. No help from friends or family. The two of them could make it now. Todd just had to get there.
He pulled back out onto the road and pushed the pedal all the way down, flying over roads that he knew like the back of his hand. Time seemed to speed up as he drove. He squealed the car to a stop in front of the event center.
He ran inside and spotted the signs for the ballroom. He should have known where to go, but his brain wasn't quite firing on all cylinders. He rushed down the hall, passing a few people out in the hallway without stopping.
He grabbed the handle of the door for the ballroom and stopped just inside as everyone turned to look. Yes, he was late, but Sarah was still there waiting for him. Her smile made everything worth it.
Sarah stood with the pastor under the down light, one of the only sources of light in the room. She was the most beautiful women Todd had ever laid eyes on.
He hurried to the front of the room, shoving past Sarah's protesting father.
"Sorry I'm late." He said.
"It's okay." Sarah said. "You're here now."
"No, we're here now." Todd said. "That's all that matters."
Not bad, not bad.
That's going to do it for today. I'd like to thank you all for joining me and hopefully you'll be back for tomorrow, in which the exercise will be:
14. Capture the moment of redemption for a truly terrible villain. Why and how does it come?
Hm. This one was tough before. I'll have to come up with something good for the repeat.
Well, until tomorrow, take care and be awesome to each other.
#WWWYKI
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