The aim of Words for Wednesday is to use one or all of the prompts to write something – ie, a story, a poem, an essay or any forms of writing, fiction or nonfiction, basically write anything you want.
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Fiction: Meet the Family
Like his contemporaries, James wanted to make a good impression when his would-be bride meet his family but he knew they were not the kind of normal people would expect.
The instant Sophia stepped into the entry, she was greeted with a bloodcurdling scream. "It's the clock," said James. He had forgotten to tell his father to change the sounds but it was October and his family loved Halloween. His eldest sister Mercy, who had opened the door, smirked. Sophia's eyes widened but she was smiling. He ushered her into the livingroom and introduced his father, Pat, his mother Eliza, his other elder sisters, Savor, Grace, his three uncles Stuart, Arthur, Clay and their wives Sandy, Amelia and Caroline and each of their teenager, Samatha, Arthur Jr. and Clara.
In the dinning room, Sophia sat between James and Mercy. His mother usually sat at the head but she went to the kitchen to fetch more food though the entire dinning table was already covered with victuals that you couldn't even see the table.
James tried to smile away his nervousness. He couldn't help but noticed Sophia's hesitant smile. Was it necessary for his uncle Arthur to ask how was her last menstruation? He was a gynecologist but she wasn't his patient. Did Savor had to inquire if Sophia was allergic wolf fur? Did Caroline needed to know if Sophia's family had a history of insanity?
But Sophia seemed to enjoyed the quirkiness of their talks. James averted his eyes when Pat spoke of how James thought he was a wolf and ran around without his clothes although they had persuaded him to keep his underwear on. He wanted to be like his father. Pat was your average man but he could turn into a wolf during a full moon. Often he had full control over his actions even as a wolf but that could easily change if his brothers who also had the same condition, didn't mess with him.
Eliza returned with a plate of chicken wings but four-year-old Bobby, James' baby brother, who came crushing behind her and sent the plate from her hands tumbling onto the table. The wings scattered and sent food everywhere. Sophia rose to reveal a stain on her smoky rose dress near her thigh but she chuckled. James showed her to the upstairs bathroom and he came back down.
Pausing at the dinning room doorway, James watched his family cleaned up. Never in his life did he wished for a normal family but at that instance they seemed almost boringly normal. Eliza was a distant cousin of his mother, Kate, and when Eliza heard about her death, she came and took James to her home. James was eight but he remembered all the kindness and joy he had experienced with them.
Everyone was quiet so they all heard the sound of a wolf cry from the clock striking the hour. Was it a full moon? James cursed himself for forgetting to check when he set up this dinner. He looked toward his father, his uncles - is it something he need to worry about?
Eliza turned to James. "It's fine, darling. Your father and your uncles all took their potions so no matter what the moon is, they'll stay the way they are. And your aunts and I and your sisters, took binding potions and can't do any magic for 12-hours."
"Thanks, mom." James smiled. Even when he didn't say anything, Eliza always knew what he needed.
After they had cleaned enough, they all sat down. Eliza took Bobby onto her lap. He laughed as he nibbled on a corn cod. James was enjoying everyone's chitchats when someone appeared in the doorway.
"I'm sorry I was late. Somebody forgot to invite me." Victor was a tall man in his late forties with a handsome face that was marred with a scar across his forehead.
"How did you get in? You are not welcome here. Please leave." James stood up and the others followed. His heartbeat was racing. Knowing Victor was good with locks, James should have insisted his mother put a spell on all the doors and windows.
Eliza handed Bobby over to Pat and walked around the table to stand beside James. "Victor, I believe James meant what he said. Please leave."
"Eliza, how unkind of you. I am after all, the boy's father. Should I not be here to meet my future-daughter-in-law?" Victor chortled. He shoved Mak aside and sat down and picked up a chicken wing and took a huge bite. "Mmh, this is delicious. You were always a good cook Eliza. Sit! Everyone sit!"
No one sat. James scowled. Victor should have been serving a 20-year sentence for killing his wife, James' mother but it was declared an accident and he only had to serve half a year. James had watched Victor beat his mother to a bloody jumble and knew it was intentional.
"Get out or I'll call the police!" James balled his hands into fists. Eliza placed a hand on his arm and shook her head.
Victor abandoned the half-eaten chicken on the plate, took a sip from one of the glasses, dumped it and stood up. "Is this how you treat your father, James?"
"You're not my father. You're my mother's killer." James wished Eliza and the others hadn't taken the binding potion. He would dearly love to see one of them turn Victor into a donkey, like the time he showed up at James' tenth birthday party. Every day after that, James had wished Victor had some accident or something worse but his wish was never met.
As if he decided to be sensible, Victor made his way to the doorway. He turned around and opened his mouth but Sophia appeared and he grabbed her and held up a knife to her throat. The blade gleamed. "Is this the lovely bride?" He peered at her. Sophia glared up at him. "She's a beauty. Too good for you James but then again, that's what they said about Kate and me." He chortled and he fought a cough but he soon got control. He turned to Sophia, "Shall we go for a ride?" He faced the family. "Don't do anything if you want this lady to live." He grabbed Sophia and they went out the doorway.
James followed. Just before Victor or Sophia could go farther than the livingroom, Sophia turned into a wolf, pushed Victor onto his back and started rending his chest and face with her claws.
Something within James shifted. A stirring of power raged through him. He picked up Sophia and set her down on the floor. She glanced at him. James grabbed Victor with one hand and threw him against the wall and sent photo frames onto the floor along with Victor who screamed. But James wanted to do more - he wanted to hurt Victor beyond repair. He picked Victor up with both hands and would have break the man in two but when he heard his name repeating like an anthem, his rage subsided. He would not become like Victor. His legs weakened and he let Victor fall out of his hands.
When his head cleared, he was lying on the couch with his family staring down at him. Sophia smiled. "Ready for dessert? What is for dessert anyway?"
James got to his feet. He looked around. Though the mess had been cleared, a few of the photographs were missing and there was a dent in the wall that had an impression of a large mass. He didn't ask what they had done with Victor and he didn't care. James smiled, took Sophia's hand and said, "Chocolate cream pie." As he led her back to the dinning room, he heard behind him Eliza said how exciting it was that James inherited some wolf trait and perhaps he may even had some magical abilities but he didn't care - he didn't have to hide his unusual family from Sophia anymore and he was happy.
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- Kurt Vonnegut