This week’s words: Emergency Frailty Adrift Corrupt Lessen Embody Cygnet (a young swan) Inexplicable Vitrify (To convert or be converted into glass.) Bandage Grey Fennel

Harry Cygnet hated his name. He did so for one very good reason. Unlike his sisters he had not grown into the tall and graceful beings they had. Where his sisters embodied the grace of the grown swan and glided their way through life Harry stumbled, mumbled and tumbled his way through all of the situations life threw at him and those were considerable.

His family considered him a corruption and made a point of excluding him from family photographs afraid their reputations could well be lessened if not damaged if others saw their round, short, gracefully challenged sibling.

For reasons too inexplicable to explain Harry grew fennel, exported fennel, sold it locally and made a unique fennel relish. He was so good at it he made a lot of money and his reputation spread across the land. His relish in particular was purported to have magical healing qualities. People would clamour to buy the few bottles he offered for general sale. But his online orders outweighed his ability to produce the feathery leafed herb. Undeterred he created a waiting list further making his relish a much sought after product.

The frail and the bandaged came to his small fennel farm pleading for a bottle of his relish. What he discovered to his lasting satisfaction was that his relish maintained its magical power best when stored inside vitrified clay jars. So Harry set about making as many vitrified clay jars as he could and addressed each one with a simple grey label – “Harry Cygnet’s Fennel Relish – Handle With Care.”

Harry put the last bit on his labels, as he didn’t want any sort of emergency to develop where his entire business could be cut adrift should someone use the relish unwisely.

Harry had heard the rumours that his relish had aphrodisiac qualities but he knew what was in it and there was no way he was rubbing any on his bits no matter how desperate he might become.

With a new batch up and running he consulted his computer to see how many orders were in and noticed one he knew was in his interests to meet immediately. He felt the familiar inexplicable tingle he could never put his finger on when he saw the name Miss Marble appear on his screen.

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/wordle-124-october-10th-2016/