June 13th – Heliacal

Heliacal – adj: relating to or near the sun – used especially of the last setting of a star before and its first rising after the sun’s rising and setting

Shi sat cross legged in the field, helplessly urging the sun to set. The oranges and pinks of the sun refused to give way to the blues and purples of the night sky, but at last they surrendered. As the sky darkened, Shi kept her eyes focused on a single point, longing for the heliacal rising of the one star that she loved with all her being.

Minutes stretched into impossible hours, but at last the pale blue twinkle appeared in the field of stars. Alone in the field, Shi let out a ragged, relieved breath.

“Hello, Grandfather,” she whispered, giving the night sky a little wave, “I’ve missed you.”

September 25th – Robot

Today’s word inspired a story that is still in progress, so this is just part of it.

Robot – n 1a: a machine that looks and acts like a human being b: an efficient but insensitive person 2: a device that automatically performs repetitive tasks

Ethan went out to retrieve the manila envelope from the carpet company and it wasn’t alone in the mailbox. Sometimes Ethan got bills and credit card offers, but nothing like this. A small purple box with a crisp blue ribbon sat atop the envelope. Ethan tucked the manila envelope under his arm and examined the box. It didn’t have an address or a stamp or a postage mark, but his full name was written across it in a delicate silver ink.

He carried the package inside and sat the box on the table, tossing the envelope aside. Who did he know that would send him a present? No one came to mind. He also couldn’t think of anyone who would send him something nasty or dangerous, so he decided to take a risk and open the purple box. He slid off the blue ribbon and pulled open the lid. Inside a small note card sat on top with the message “Because you are lonely” in the same silver handwriting.

Under the card there was pile of small pieces metal and tiny machine parts. At first Ethan didn’t know what to make of the silver, red, and blue bits, but then he saw another piece of paper tucked into the side of the box. He pulled it out and unfolded it to discover a set of picture instructions. Ethan liked puzzles and the instructions looked simple enough, so he began to fit the pieces together. They came together easily, almost as if they were magnetized, piece by piece until he had a four inch robot standing in front of him.

Ethan admired the tiny metal figure. There was something in the bottom of the box that looked an awful lot like a cellphone charger in the bottom of the box. He plugged it into the outlet by his bed and attached the little robot. A few seconds passed and then the little robot began to whir mechanically. The bulbs of its eyes blinked and its wire eyebrows waggled. It opened it mouth three times, testing the bolt of its jaw, and looked up at Ethan.

“Hello,” it said in a tiny mechanical voice, that sounded vaguely British in its precision.