Prudence abdicated her life to pangs of sorrow. Nothing seemed to revive her. Until Suzanne made an offhand comment about ancient fey times when wild wise women gathered the four herbs of the anti-apocalypse. Nepenthe to forget all sorrows; rosemary to remember all that is pleasant; dandelion for strength and endurance; and St. John’s wort for happiness.
Prudence gathered all the information she could find. So long in obscure libraries, and eldritch archives, her complexion turned sallow.
In her vague sadness, she trudged toward the Neolithic rock formation thrust up from surrounding peat bogs and fey marshes. Her flowered rubber boots made sucking sounds as she negotiated the narrow path, as if the fen made to swallow her whole. A peat body, carefully preserved, to be found centuries hence.
“Worse ways to perish and reappear,” she thought; suicide often creeping into the dark abyss of her mind. She needed nepenthe the most, to ease her remorse and regret. The plant clung to cracks in the rocks above. She adjusted her knapsack, wiped tears from her cheeks, and marched on towards life. Unknown to her, the cloak of wild and wise women was being placed upon her.
image: Wild Irish Women: Biddy Early (1798 – 1872)
Composed from mlmm wordle 164 words: climb vague, sadness, perish, pangs, nepenthe (a drug or drink from the plant, said to have the power to bring forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble; anything inducing a pleasurable sensation of forgetfulness especially of sorry or trouble), Neolithic, four, offhand, reappear, sallow, abdicate (to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, etc., especially in a formal manner)
July 21, 2017 at 10:15 am
I love to hear that the words just fell into place. 😊
This is a great use of the wordle. You amaze me. In many ways.
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July 18, 2017 at 8:40 am
Great use of the wordle Lorraine :)
Wonderful weaving of a story here – I like how you’ve chosen the wild women aspect and myths – and how their is a sense of deep sadness, not that this is pleasant, of course, but how, the sucking boots marching on, with the determination anyhow, is a pleasant ending – offering hope – which even if we can’t know it, feel it etc., is there. And that’s a great image too – wonderful choice!
Thanks for playing the wordle this week :)
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July 18, 2017 at 10:54 am
The words fell into a story — been a while since that happened. I love the image too. I did a search for wild wise women and this came up. It’s an Irish site — I want to explore it some time. There are more images — I chose this one.
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July 19, 2017 at 11:59 am
it’s a wonderful image – very intriguing – and yeah, it’s really a good feeling when the words just slip into place :)
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July 18, 2017 at 1:37 am
Every word sheer Brilliance, Lorraine.
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July 18, 2017 at 10:49 am
I am blushing from the praise. Thank you.
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July 18, 2017 at 4:46 pm
It looks good on you–you’re welcome :)
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July 17, 2017 at 9:33 pm
Life is a series of of bogs and fens. It’s always best to carry a knapsack for things to make the way better
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July 18, 2017 at 10:46 am
I never go out without one. Full of all sorts of things for the road.
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July 18, 2017 at 12:20 pm
Feeding the Road keeps one safe
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July 17, 2017 at 7:31 pm
Great use of the words Lorraine and I like how she ‘marched on towards life’.
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July 17, 2017 at 8:14 pm
Thought I should have a happy ending now and then. Marching on towards life seemed to go with the forgetting sorrows plant.
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July 17, 2017 at 8:18 pm
A happy ending makes us feel a lot better too doesn’t it….not all is lost so to speak..
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July 17, 2017 at 8:44 pm
Yes, I’m working on it for me too.
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