Words for Wednesday -- November 24

  This was supposed to be an augmentation of the first chapter from the Birch Manor. But all the strange prompts - big words indeed - supplied by Margaret Adamson and friends and posted on  Elephant's Child's blog took flight and mixed up with my trouble finding a good adblocker. But that's what happens.

  Please all reading this go to Elephant's Child's place to find the prompts, read some good stories, and be inspired to write your own.
  This is a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true, therefore: Please, remember to go back, read other peoples' stories there or follow their links back. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction.

The prompts we were given are these words. The explanations in brackets are my own.


Memorialise (to commemorate eg. in a speech)
Terpsichorean (to do with dance)
Flotation (water therapy / cleaning technique / buoyancy helper)
Gusto
Obnoxious
Phlegmatic
     And/Or
Philately
Swaddle
Voice
Voluptuous
Yolk
Appraise (to examine someone or something in order to judge their qualities, success, or needs)

  Susan stared blankly at her monitor, thinking back to that last day at The Unicorn Farm. In Gilvi's speech he had memorialised all the dead and missing wizards and witches, among them Rósa’s whole family, and it dawned on her that he actually had told them that Heidi and her family had survived. He had proposed a toast for the Bach family with the words: “Long may they live! ” Whereas the toast for Rósa’s family had been “Never forgotten!” Heidi and her family was alive, somewhere, out there. She felt a Terpsichorean mote in her stomach, Heidi was alive! It was like a flotation device to her temper. And with gusto she tipped Heidi’s name into the search field on the screen.
  All those obnoxious adds always surfacing! Knud was more phlegmatic, and never got upset or irritated over them, but Susan was more sanguine. She sneered at yet another add, this one for a philately circle somewhere in England. Next hit was an add for swaddles. I’m over that age, Susan said at the computer, exasperation colouring her voice. The photo showed a voluptuous lady carrying a lusty babe in a flowered length of cloth tied in an intricate criss crossing pattern.
  I need a new adblocker, Susan thought. Next time Josh is home visiting his mom and dad he’s got to help me find the right one. I heard him talking . An advertisement for a separating device for eggs in the form of a fish surfaced on her screen. It sucked up the yolk, and left the white in the bowl. ‘That does it!’ Susan exclaimed. And she opened her mail program to send a note for help to her tech-savvy son, he knew how to appraise adblockers and find the exact match for her needs.