For this year's A-Z Challenge I have selected a word from the dictionary for each day and written a story around it with a 100 word limit. For extra interest I have chosen words that are unknown or unfamiliar to me. All definitions are from the Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus 2007 Edition. Today's word is Boyar.
Boyar: A member of the old aristocracy in Russia, next in line to a prince.
Mikhail
moved along the palace walls, only thoughts of vengeance in his mind. His
childhood friend had received the medals even though he, a lowly boyar, had
defeated many more foes. Not to mention the fact the gallant prince had won the
heart of Natasha, his childhood
sweetheart.
The
scene in the chamber made him gasp, first in shock, then in relief. Alexander had
seen what a maggot he truly was and done the deed himself!
“Alexander!”
Natasha rushed in and gaped first at the corpse and then at Mikhail. His grin turned
to a grimace and he backed away.
Ooh, love today's entry. It's so wonderfully dark!
ReplyDeleteVery fun story. A dead body always stirs things up. You already have letter B up and I barely got letter A before midnight. It was a rough day. This word is also unknown or unfamiliar to me. Okay, it's unknown. I admit it. I like learning new words, though.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I imagine Natasha's not happy!
ReplyDeleteHi Nick - these are good ideas for the A-Z - I didn't know Boyar either - but your story line is 'oh dear' .. lots to continue on with .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteInteresting theme! If only all maggots would take care of themselves... :)
ReplyDeleteHad not heard of the word boyar before, so neat to learn a new word and then to read your story. Gallant of Alexander to realize his short comings and then take care of the problem himself.
ReplyDeletebetty
New word for me - sounds like it should be a good sounding word. I get the feeling Mikhail might be in a bit of trouble even if he didn't kill Alexander.
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
Another word I'd never heard of!
ReplyDeleteGreat new word. Russia has a fascinating history.
ReplyDeleteThere went his chances with her!
ReplyDeleteI like little dark stories like this! And I learned a new word! A really worthwhile visit.
ReplyDeleteYou taught me a new word. Heading off to kill a rival sounds like something very Russian to do :)
ReplyDeleteSophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
FB3X
Wittegen Press
Interesting idea to improve our vocabularies! Boyar is probably not a word I will use though. Nice teaser story!
ReplyDeleteVery exciting. Can't wait to see the movie!
ReplyDeleteI like vengeful characters. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat! You're stopping there?
ReplyDeleteWhoa! What happened to Natasha?
ReplyDeleteI know little and Russian history, but I did know about that word! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat story. Sad it's so short.
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
The <100 word challenge is very difficult! And 26 of them. Did you write them way ahead of time? Great job!
ReplyDeleteArg! You killed me! I want more. How could you stop there?
ReplyDeletefantastic word and fantastic story!
I want more too! What a powerful and dark snippet.
ReplyDeleteYour theme is so ambitious, I'm looking forward to your words/stories!
Wowza! There's an interesting castle. Untethered Realms
ReplyDeleteHeather - Thanks! Dark is good.
ReplyDeleteMelissa - It was unknown to me, too!
Laura - Indeed not.
Hilary - Thanks, yes I might consider carrying on with some of the stories.
Bish - Quite!
Betty - Thanks. Mikhail's problems are just starting though!
Natasha - It doesn't look good for him.
Lee - Same here!
Jennifer - It does! No research here but I think stuff like this went on.
Alex - Yes, bad timing for him.
Keith - Thank you!
Sophie - They're very passionate.
Mary - Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIntangible - Wow. There's a thought!
Chrys - They're very interesting.
Susan - Sorry!
Anne - I'll leave that up to you. ;)
David - Well done, sir!
Patricia - Thanks! Sorry it's short.
Zooey - Kind of, I only started last week and still got half to do!
Djinnia - Thanks! I'm floored by your comment.
Julie - Thanks very much!
Mary - Yes, a place of dark deeds.
Nice one. And another new word for me.
ReplyDeleteOf course I love this story since my name is Natasha. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteOoh, that got my blood going....and I learned a new word too. Fun theme!
ReplyDeleteHey, a word I knew, yay. Poor Mikhail, even when he gets his way, he's still screwed.
ReplyDeleteCool entry for today! Wow, I really want to know more!
ReplyDeleteA brilliant word to pick for B! I'm enjoying these explorations. :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a story that leaves questions hanging unanswered. The best kind of stories.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting at my site!
Oh oh! Intense and dark. I'm liking it. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd thus I am hooked and interested in what happens next. Loving this theme.
ReplyDeleteOoo, gripping! I *love* this theme--I'm a huge fan of words and love learning new ones! Kudos to you, can't wait to see what's next! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat theme and word today:) Oh, I like the excerpt. Nice and dark... just how I like my stories.
ReplyDeleteWOW... that's taking A-Z to a new level... and well written to you :)
ReplyDeletePS: Sorry I blew helping out on your cover release... We literally were moving from Hawaii to Virginia... so my sincere apologies.
Best wishes, Nick, with the rest of the dictionary!!
I am so stealing your theme, next year! This is too much fun. I hope you're having as much fun with the writing as I am with the reading. :)
ReplyDeleteI can't help but think of the opera Boris Gudonov whenever I see the word "boyar."
"Feed us, feed us..." In this case, more words!
So, Alexander...why did he kill himself before doing the deed with Natasha in the bedchamber? Got me perplexed, but I like the story Nick.
ReplyDeleteSo much action in such a short snippet! Very cool.
ReplyDeleteI really want to read on though, and find out what happens next! ;)
Wonderful. Just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteOh my! One can only imagine what the punishment could be for such a crime. Good word and good story!
ReplyDeleteSarah from Scribbles and Shorts