{"id":691,"date":"2012-08-31T09:26:36","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T13:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/technology-hates-you.com\/lm3m\/?p=691"},"modified":"2012-10-26T14:15:38","modified_gmt":"2012-10-26T18:15:38","slug":"entry-for-terrible-minds-random-words-writing-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technology-hates-you.com\/lm3m\/691","title":{"rendered":"Entry for Terrible Minds Random Words Writing Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

My entry for the Terrible Minds Random Word Writing Challenge<\/a>\u00a0this week.<\/p>\n

My first entry to one of these. The two characters are from a novel I am working on, and this was a nice chance to play with them.<\/p>\n

And, so they don’t distract too much, I put the words after the story not before. I managed to sneak in five rather than just four.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Prophecy<\/p>\n

The hallway continued on forever. The same stained motel carpeting disappeared in either direction. John kept telling Warren he had no idea which way they were going, approaching infinity or approaching zero. Wasn\u2019t really much of a joke, especially since Warren was not in calc. But John would still try to explain it every time.<\/p>\n

\nProphecy 734: Don\u2019t trust the chef, poisoned food spells your doom.<\/p>\n

\nThere were doors lining one side, on the other windows looking upon a cemetery. The doors were identical. The cemetery always looked the same, no signs of funerals or flowers.<\/p>\n

\nProphecy 227: Your enemies are close, but your doom is closer. Fear betrayal.<\/p>\n

\nThey had spent most of the summer out here opening doors. A few spells from John and a few stories, and their parents didn\u2019t even miss them.<\/p>\n

\nProphecy 38: Beware demonic creatures, a four-legged mongrel from the lost dimension will kill you.<\/p>\n

\nThey had packed up their gear, including a staff for John, and swords for Warren. Armor was a combination of new and old, they started with an old motorcycle jacket and a welding jacket. Studs were placed to add protection, they had tested them out and they would stop a sword or an arrow, most of the time.<\/p>\n

\nProphecy 656: Fear the other sex, a woman will kill you.<\/p>\n

\nAt each door, John would check the door, wearing one remaining pair of gloves that the clockwork spiders had not burned with their laser venom. Then he would look at Warren, \u201cReady?\u201d<\/p>\n

\nWarren would say, \u201cReady.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nProphecy 999: Never fear a crowd, you will die alone.<\/p>\n

\nJohn would throw the door open and if nothing flew out, Warren would barrel into the room and John would cover him from the door. The last room had a bookcase, filled with small leather volumes, containing numbered prophecies. Thousands of prophecies, maybe millions.<\/p>\n

\nProphecy 834: You will die in violence.<\/p>\n

\nJohn approached the next door, \u201cBah, we should just skip this one, try the next door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nWarren looked at John and then smiled. Warren said, \u201cNo, we have to do this one, now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nJohn sighed and made an exasperated face, \u201cReally, why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u201cAll summer we have been opening doors. Hundreds of doors. Doors, doors, doors. More doors. And other than the joke about approaching infinity, you never once, until this door, have said anything other than \u2018Ready\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI finally get bored, and you think it is important?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYes,\u201d Warren said. \u201cOpen the fucking door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nProphecy 111: Trust in completeness, if not you will die outside an unbroken circle.<\/p>\n

\nJohn threw the door open. And when nothing came out, Warren burst into the room.<\/p>\n

\nThere were two devils inside the room. They had red skin, tails, little horns, though the devils had been inside so long they were now faded to the color of skin under a band-aid. The larger one was at the center of the room starting directly at the wall. Surrounding it was a series of mystic circles on the ground.<\/p>\n

\nThe smaller devil leapt up and said, \u201cAbout time!\u201d<\/p>\n

\nProphecy 5: Fear the flames, you will burn to cinders.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cMy master will not acknowledge you, he is a slave to prophecy,\u201d the smaller devil said.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOur coming was prophesied?\u201d John asked.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cNo, no. All of the prophecies he collected were about himself, how he would die,\u201d the small devil said. \u201cOver one million prophecies. So many that he is paralyzed following them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u201cMore than one prophecy about how he is going to die? How? You only die once,\u201d Warren said.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOne prophecy can be avoided, and another could be true,\u201d the devil said. \u201cHe accumulated more and more prophecies, my master, and now he is their prisoner. Unable to take action without tempting fate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nProphecy 42: Mathematics will get you in the end.<\/p>\n

\nJohn stuck his head into the room to see what the larger devil was looking at, tripped, and then stumbled over his staff, launching himself forward. His staff spun one way landing with a clatter in one corner. Windmilling both arms as he stumbled, he managed to drag an arm or a leg through every circle on the floor, causing sparks of magic and color shooting into the air as he did. John slammed head first into the devil.<\/p>\n

\nThe large devil tensed as soon as John touched him.<\/p>\n

\nIt was incensed, it bellowed and then it made a screech, like a bird of prey. Numbers started spilling out of the devil, it seemed to be mad, or maybe it was listing the prophecies that had just been violated. John stared it right in the eyes.<\/p>\n

\nJohn waited, assuming it was all over.<\/p>\n

\nInstead, warm, gooey, wetness drenched John, it covered him everywhere. At first he did not know where it came from, but after he got the blood out of his eyes he could see his staff stuck almost halfway through the devil. The smaller devil was holding the staff and letting out something between a screech and an orgasm.<\/p>\n

\nThe smaller devil stopped screeching, and pulled John\u2019s staff from the other devil\u2019s chest. The large dead devil dropped to the ground.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOne-second, and I will have the payment for you,\u201d the smaller devil said.<\/p>\n

\nProphecy . . .it doesn\u2019t matter any more.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWhat the fuck?\u201d John said.<\/p>\n

\nWarren shrugged. \u201cJust play along,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\nThe small devil walked back in dragging a chest. He slid it to Warren, \u201cMake sure your master gets this. You can tell him I kept some of the gold, took you fools so long to get out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWhy did you need us if you could kill him yourself?\u201d John asked.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI wanted him to have the chance to forget about the prophecies. I needed something outside his prophecies, and when he did not re-act at all to you. Well, he deserved no more chances. Once he was the greatest devil, but then he became obsessed with his prophecies, in the end he could not see beyond them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

—<\/strong><\/p>\n

And my five words:<\/p>\n