The Word Worker

Author: wordworkerrussell

  • Not a Fairy Tale

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Once upon a time… Oh please, not that trite old beginning again! Well it did happen once upon a time. How else would you like me to begin? As I struggled for breath, I reflected on the events that led to my current situation. O-kay…  Anyway, in an ancient oak in the center of an…

  • The Burden of the Blame Game

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    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    When Adam and Eve were faced with the exposure of their poor choice in the garden, they were overwhelmed with guilt. They suddenly knew the weight of disobedience, the loss of rebellion, and in a childish effort to rid themselves of those feelings they began pointing fingers. “It’s her fault.” “It’s his fault.” “It’s your…

  • Making Ourselves Comfortable

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    wordworkerrussell
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    The book of Micah, and indeed most of the prophetic books, were written to the Israelite nation, to the people claimed by God to be His physical representation on Earth. Unfortunately, what Micah had to say to them was not complimentary. The message he brought from God declared that they had made themselves comfortable on…

  • The Watch

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    wordworkerrussell
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    The sound of the sailors’ feet shifting against the boards grated on the silence. A whispered prayer floated unintelligibly over the water, blending with the fog like something unearthly and dreadful. There should have been waves noisily licking below, the creak of rigging in the shift of the wind. Edwin closed his eyes, his hands…

  • The Round Peg in a Square Hole: Decisions, Decisions

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    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    To be clear, I am the abnormal one in my family. No, not the “neurodivergent” one. That’s the other six people in the house. I’m the round peg. All my life decisions were something I took for granted. What will I eat for breakfast? Which TV show do I feel like watching? What job will…

  • Checkers

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    wordworkerrussell
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    He sat down across from old Fred, legs dangling even in the spindly little chair, and watched the old man with owlish eyes. As if his gaze exerted some sort of force, Fred raised his hat brim enough to peer under it at the boy. “Well?” “How ’bout a game?” The boy leaned back and…

  • The Round Peg in a Square Hole: What is Normal?

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Most of us played with shape sorters as children. As part of learning the different shapes and creating the proper connections, we tried fitting shapes into holes they didn’t match. Some of those mismatches didn’t fit at all; the shape simply would not pass through the hole. The corners of a square, for example, will…

  • Gods of Pompeii

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    wordworkerrussell
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    “Tilda, I think we found another set!” Mario fiddled with a button on his shirt, waiting for his partner to dig herself out of her usual mound of paperwork. “I can’t imagine what they were doing way up here.” “What strange poses!” Tilda observed, leaning over his shoulder to view the monitor. “I can barely…

  • Blog Thursday Prompt: The Kettle

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    wordworkerrussell
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    “It’s not my fault! The kettle began it!” “Please, do go on. How exactly did the kettle begin it?” “Weelll… it just sat there so… so… sitty!” “I see. It was ‘sitty.’ And the problem with that is what, exactly?” “Sitting is just so boring! How could it just not do anything?” “So, you decided…

  • Desire

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Marble is dark, silent, and cold. My roots tenuous anchor hold. Sing the song of the stars with me. Can you not hear our harmony? Come with me, in the shadows dance. Stardust and bud, a sweet romance. How shall I venture there alone? I fear the lure of earth and stone. I cannot fly…