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Three Word Thursday #17

Welcome to Three Word Thursday #16. This week, joining the quondam word-list, we have risible, invigilate, & stagnicolous. We also have a whole list of perspicacious writers. If you enjoy reading my story, leave a comment then click on the names of the other players and go see how they used the words. You’ll be entertained (and possibly educated) all at once.

The beginning of this story is here: Daze of Wine & Murder

More Revelations

Copper couldn’t help but smile. It looked like his stagnicolous case was about to get a spate of fresh water.

“I don’t know no Nurse Spanner,” the tall kid said. “I just know the professor and I’m wondering where he is, that’s all.”

Copper positioned himself where he could clearly see the door to Janice Wheeler’s room in the mirror over the nursing station, yet still invigilate the young men before him. He asked the shorter kid. “Do you know Nurse Spanner?”

The kid shrugged. “I don’t know man. I mean I sort of know the nurse we’re looking for. She’s married to one of my professors — a real professor. His name isn’t Spanner, though. It’s Rose.”

“Married people don’t always have the same last names.” Copper told him. “Supposing that Mrs. Rose and Nurse Spanner are the same person, what was it she wanted your friend — the professor who isn’t a professor — to do?”

“She just said she wanted to play a practical joke on an old friend. James is always up for a laugh, so he said he’d love to.”

“James?” Copper queried.

“Risible.” The shorter guy said. “His name means “ready to laugh” or something like that, and James always is.”

“I’ll need your names, as well.” Copper said.

The two boys looked at each other. “Oh, hey,” the taller of the two said. “Are we in trouble or anything?”

“Not that I know of,” Copper said. “We might need to call you as witnesses or ask you more questions.”

The boys shifted nervously. “Witnesses to what?” The shorter guy exclaimed. “We didn’t see anything!”

Copper raised his eyebrows. “If you don’t know what I’m talking about, how do you know you didn’t see it?”

“Look,” the shorter guy said. “I’m Bernard Allen Barnes Junior, but my friends just call me Al. Did the professor, I mean Jimmy, do something illegal or what? We really don’t know any more than what we told you.”

“Yeah,” the taller kid said. “I’m Wally — Wallace — Schultz. We don’t want no trouble or nothing. We just wanted to grab the Prof. This sit-in thing was a stupid idea. This is a hospital man. They’re trying to save people’s lives here and they don’t need us getting in the way.”

“Yeah,” Al added, “We’re all about saving the planet and saving lives. That stuff downstairs is a bad scene.”

“So, whose idea was the sit-in?” Copper asked.

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged. “I don’t know,” Wally said. “We were out on the street with our signs trying to tell people about riding the bus, using less electricity and recycling, and stuff and Professor Rose says we picked the wrong street corner because people going to and from the hospital had more important things to think about.”

“Yeah,” Al added. “Then Marsh — our club president — said then he’d make’em pay attention, and he ordered everybody into the lobby. Then when we got inside, he demanded we stall all the elevators.”

“That’s when the nurse came up and took Jimmy away.” Wally said. “Pretty soon a cop walked into the lobby and asked us to leave and said we were putting people’s lives at risk. I thought how he was right and everything, and I told Al I wanted to leave …”

Al finished, “And I said let’s get Jimmy and blow. So here we are.”

Copper said, “What was your professor doing out on the street with the club? Does he hang out with you much?”

“Nah,” Al answered. “He said he was coming to visit his wife and just stopped to say hi to Wally and me. He recognized us from his mythology class.”

Copper, busily writing on his pad, looked up at Al. “Mythology class?” He queried. “I always liked mythology. You mean like Zeus and Hercules and Aphrodite and such?”

Wally nodded. “Yeah, man.”

“How about Bacchus,” Copper asked. “Anything about Bacchus?”

“Oh man,” Wally said. “The professor is really into Bacchus. He was going to take us to the Bacchanal, but at the last minute he called it off. He said we couldn’t do it as a class thing because of the alcohol.”

“Yeah, he said he’d get fired,” Al said. “And made us all promise not to go.”

“And it’s a good thing we didn’t,” Wally said. “According to the newspapers, everybody’s dead.” A look of surprise crossed his face. “Hey, is that what this is about?”

Copper waved his hand in dismissal. “I’m interested in Nurse Spanner.” He redirected their thoughts. “When the Nurse came to ask Jimmy to play her little practical joke, where was your professor?”

Again the boys looked at each other and shrugged. “I know he came inside with us,” Wally said. “But I don’t know where he went when Marsh started giving orders.”

“So, this Professor of yours — the real one — is he about five feet ten inches tall, with brown hair, a closely cropped reddish brown beard and gold wire rimmed glasses?”

“Yeah, that’s him!” Al nodded.

Copper wasn’t surprised. The man had just strolled down the hall and into Janice Wheeler’s room.

Three Word Thursday #18:

Every Thursday I will give you three new words. You have until the following Thursday to compose a story using all three of the words. Then, on that following Thursday, post your story. After you post, come by here and sign in to Mr. Linky. If you sign in and don’t post a story. I will delete your link.

The Week Eighteen words will be: opsimath; obarmate; assiduity

Got it? Good! In that case: Your story is due on: June 11th, 2009

32 Comments

  2. Tony — Bacchus isn’t a new addition. He has been here since the first sentence. You came into this serial quite late and have missed much of the stage setting.

    1. Thank you. I am thinking of trying to write a story for publication. Of course, I’ve been thinking about it for years, so don’t hold your breath!

      1. I’m amazed you told me to not hold my breath. I’m sure you would like to see me bluer than blue…LOL…I saw OC peddling to work today as I was walking Nalu…he’s a brave soul to do that in this traffic 🙂

        Thom’s last blog post..Three Word Thursday – #17

        1. You’re awfully big you know. If you were to hold your breath and pass out, there you’d be taking up a lot of unnecessary room and getting in the way — which, come to think of it, would be different how? 😉

  4. ooohhhh! I just love the direction this went. I can’t wait to see the conclusion. How much longer are you going to draw this out?

    OJM’s last blog post..nightly update

  5. I am really enjoying the twist and turns of your story.I can hardly wait until next week. Your detective is one sharp fellow. My story would be done by now if it wasn’t for the sometimes risible words from Raven.

    Dr. John’s last blog post..Will it ever END?

    1. Dr. John — my detective is sharp enough that he has taken control of the story and I am not certain where he is going with it.

  6. Sorry, due to the state of my brains’ condition (risible and stagnicolous) I forgot about this game. But, thanks to Thom, whose intention probably was not to invigilate, but only to play along, I’m here this week.

  7. Very clever progression of the story. Well done. I think you should definitely look to publication. I think you could submit this one, with or without the fancy words. Not sure if I’m going to play today or not. I’m in a strange head space at the moment and my brain seems to be minimally functional except for alternately brooding and being excited about my “soon” to be new kitchen, etc.

    I do hope to return to this challenge at some point, though. Love your story.

    Raven’s last blog post..Killing in the Name of Life

    1. Raven — if I ever finish it I may use it as the outline and try a novel along these lines. Some of the characters have possibilities. I think I might have to change a few names. 😉

    1. I’m glad you’re enjoying! The catchup should be easy. The whole story is under one link at the top of the blog.

  10. That detective Cooper is as dumb as Chief Ican. Can’t you humans push your stories a little and get them to the end. We dragons like things short. We really Like Friday 55 . No long winded writers allowed. ( little advertisement-sorry). You are a master of long winded stories. We wait with fiery breath for the next exciting installment.

    Fandango’s last blog post..More Risible Quilly Words

    1. Fandango — you seem to be a bit grumpier today than usual. Is Dr. John still hiding his shoelaces from you?

    1. Great minds think alike!

      I am glad you are enjoying this story. If I ever decide to publish a book, I’ll have one buyer!

    1. I just sent you an email about that word, and I dropped it in the 3WT can. I have an old Bentley Tea can I keep on my desk, and I drop interesting words in it. Then, come Thursday, I just reach in and pull three out.

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