onsdag den 26. august 2020

WfW - Broom Race Aftermath again

For the last time, as this is the last Wednesday of August, Lissa at Memory of Rain is posting the prompts. Today we are given: 

1. belong
2. miserable
3. memory
4. quiver
5. ghost


And/or

6. woven
7. shiver
8. maybe
9. sunshine
10. beneath


Once again I took up the additional challenge to use the words in the order, they were given. This story tells us what happened when Susan and her friends races one another through the obstacle broom race (That long story begins here):

A small group of apprentices were gathered in the broomshed. Their brooms lay on the floor, or leaned against stalls and walls. In the middle of the group, Susan sat, wet and shivering, with a blanket around her dripping, wet body.
  "I don't belong here!" Susan said in a miserable voice. "Never in living memory has anybody made such a disaster of themself," Susan said with a quiver in her voice.
  "Maybe not in living memory," but what about the memories of a ghost?" Percy said, walking in through the wall.
  Susan pulled the coarsely woven blanket tighter around her wet figure with a shiver.
  "Do tell!" Veronika encouraged the ghost.
  "Maybe you fell into the water obstacle upon exiting the gravity well," Percy said, getting less and less translucent, as she spoke. "And maybe you failed every other obstacle at least once. But you never gave up. You finished the broom race, even though you knew you would end up last."
  "Last!" Susan exclaimed. "I dare say. All the others waited for me at the finishing line for almost half an hour!" 
  "Yes," Percy said. "They waited for you. Doesn't that tell you something?" Percy looked at Susan, who stopped sobbing and looked at her.
  "One of the older ghosts told me this story. It dates back from the days when schools for magic were like ordinary boarding schools: When they held a broom race (it was not held every year then), one of the boys in third year bragged continuously about his prowess on a broomstick. Well, none of the racing teams (they even had four of them), wanted him as a participant, but the very next day he challenged every apprentice to race him, just like now it was customary to leave the race track for everyone to have a go at it. Every apprentice in the whole school, even the first years, accepted the challenge, and every single one of them, even the first years, outflew him. But he stayed at the school. He was very quiet after the race, he did not say a word for at lest a month, and then he spoke only one or two word sentences for very long, but he practised flying, he practised all the other forms of magic as well. And he ended up one of the finest wizards of his year."
  Susan drew a shivering breath and smiled tentatively at the others. Veronika smiled back, one of her flashing smiles: "You know, Susan, you can't be best, or even good at everything."
  "We all wanted so much to finally beat you," Tage said. Lis, Bo, Helge, and Heidi smiled warmly at her and nodded.
  "Well," Heidi said. "I know I'm better than you at transformations, but that's about it. You sure belong here. Just as much as the rest of us."
  "You just have to practise flying those obstacles a bit more," Fiona said. "I'll teach you how. if you care."
  "Do I?" Susan said smiling broadly, "Let me get some dry stuff, then I'm ready!"

As the apprentices walked together out in the sunshine, Susan almost did not feel the ground beneath her feet.

6 kommentarer:

  1. I love it. A great story, and a message that most of us have to learn (and relearn).
    However, are there a few words missing from this sentence ' but he practiced flying, he practiced all the other forms of magic as well. And he ended up one of the finest wizards of his year. "

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you. Yes she learned a lesson here. Would it improve the sentense to say: "but he practiced flying, and he practiced all the other forms of magic as well. He ended up becoming one of the finest wizards of his year." The meaning is clear to me - but then I wrote the sentence ;) Thanks for your help.

      Slet
  2. This is a wonderful story of friends supporting friends, and yet, the sentence you are talking about, i don't know who you mean practiced and became a fine wizard. What was that person's name, and what happened before he practiced?

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you,yes I like positive stories with happy endings.
      Re the sentence: It's al one of Percy's stories. I realize now that it is not this sentence alone making troubles. I will have to rewrite this, I see. Thanks.

      Slet
  3. I like that Percy's story about the wizard who never gave up even after all his failures, persistence, I think that would describe him. Great use of the prompts.

    Have a lovely day.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you, and I see you understand Percy's story the way I meant it. But one out of three is not good enough. A rewrite it is.

      Thanks for commenting.

      Slet

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