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At a Loss For Words

May 26, 2021 by Spring Writing Contest 2021 42 Comments

This story is by Jennifer Palmer and won the Grand Prize in our 2021 Spring Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

Jennifer Palmer is an electrical engineer by education, a stay-at-home mom by vocation, and a writer by determination. In between diaper changes and reading lessons, you’ll find her running, reading or writing fiction of all kinds, or blogging about finding beauty in the everyday at choosingthismoment.com.

At a Loss For Words

The Word Police came in the dead of night.

No, wait. That isn’t quite right. This is no fairy tale, where villains lurk in the shadows, where they give themselves away by their proclivity for darkness and ugliness. In the real world, right and wrong are not always so easily discerned.

The Word Police aren’t fairy tale villains. Perhaps they aren’t even villains at all. In any case, they come in daylight, under the guise of friendship.

Speaking of which, they don’t call themselves “Word Police,” either, though that’s how everyone knows them. They prefer something warmer. Say, “Friends of Language.”

So, then. Shall we start again?

The Friends of Language came at high noon, when the sun streamed through the windows and everything was cheery. They came without thug suits or armor, wearing bright smiles on their faces. Their knock on Stanley and Margaret’s door was more of a gentle rap than an angry thud.

Had it been Margaret who answered the door, they’d have been greeted with a smile and an effusive display of words, even though she would have known exactly who they were and what they wanted. She preferred to serve her resistance with a side of ebullience, Margaret did. But she was busy in the back room. Most likely coordinating a project for orphans or widows or some such thing. Stanley could hear her chattering away, enlisting the help of some poor unsuspecting person. She was so focused on her conversation that she didn’t hear the knock.

And so, Stanley answered the door.

He squinted at the two men. His thick gray eyebrows inched down toward his nose at the sight of strangers on his front stoop.

“Help you?”

The man in charge—we’ll call him Bob—flashed a sparkling white smile. There were a lot of teeth in that smile, Stanley couldn’t help noticing. Like an advertisement for toothpaste.

“I believe you can,” Bob replied. “Is this the residence of Margaret Thornton?”

Stanley grunted. “Who’s asking?”

Bob’s smile didn’t falter.

“I’m Bob, from the Friends of Language. This is my colleague, Dave. We need to speak to Mrs. Thornton on a matter of some urgency.”

Stanley glanced over his shoulder, then pushed his way onto the already crowded front step. He pulled the door firmly shut behind him. Dave took a step back. Bob did not. Stanley glared at them both.

“You’re not welcome here.”

Bob spread his hands wide, his smile deepening.

“Please, Mr. Thornton. We all know that isn’t how this works. The Word Supply must maintain equitable distribution. That is why it was created, after all.”

Stanley planted his feet and crossed his arms. Despite his long years as a nameless desk jockey—Margaret used to tease that he had the “arms of a thinking man”—he still managed to cut an imposing figure, one that dared Bob and Dave to just try him. Dave took another step back. Bob held out a conciliatory hand.

“Come now, Mr. Thorton. Let’s not make this any more difficult than it needs to be.”

Stanley did not move. He did not respond. He did not blink.

Bob sighed. Without taking his eyes from Stanley’s, he said, “Read it to him, Dave.”

Dave pulled a heavy-duty clipboard from his backpack. The kind of clipboard that said he was Someone Important. Someone Worth Listening To.

Bob raised an eyebrow, shrugging slightly as if to say: “New guy. Whatcha gonna do?”

Clearing his throat, Dave proclaimed, “This serves as official notice that Margaret Thornton is in imminent danger of exceeding her Lifetime Word Quota. Mrs. Thornton’s tally has risen by”—here, a slight smirk—“three hundred words in the last ten minutes. At her current rate of consumption, she will be cut off from the Word Supply at this time tomorrow.”

“Give her some of mine, like you’ve always done.”

Bob shook his head.

“No can do. I’m sorry, Mr. Thornton. You’ve reached the limit of what you can give.”

“Besides,” Dave cut in, “she’s had more than enough. Why should she get more than the rest of us?”

Bob shot him a sidelong glance before turning back to Stanley. “And before you ask, no. You can’t recruit others to donate to the cause. We’re past that point. Your friends and family are all very generous, Mr. Thornton. Given the number of close shaves she’s had, you would think your wife would be more judicious in how she utilizes that generosity.”

Stanley blinked. Bob studied him for a moment. When he spoke again, it was a statement, not a question, and there was a hint of—could it be called humanity?—in his tone.

“She has no idea she’s ever come close to her quota.”

A muscle twitched along Stanley’s jaw. He nodded.

“You should have told her.”

Stanley’s eyes burned. “She’d have regulated herself. For everyone else. Couldn’t bear the thought of that. Especially not if I could prevent it.”

A silence—blessed, golden, and, in a world where every word was weighed and measured and counted, free—stretched between the three men.

As was his wont, Bob—finally—broke the silence.

“Could it, perhaps, be seen as a mercy, Mr. Thornton? A chance for quiet at the end of a life full of noise? Have you never once wished for a moment’s peace? The opportunity to entertain your own thoughts?”

Stanley winced at hearing his uncharitable moments of weakness repeated back to him, but before he could reply, a woman’s song wound its way around the back of the house and into their waiting ears. The words and tune were familiar, a popular love song from three or four decades back, when the singer herself would have been young and newly in love.

Stanley closed his eyes. Would it be maudlin to note a small tear escaping down his cheek?

Maybe Bob saw the tear. Then again, maybe he didn’t. Maybe the music touched him, too, because, unlike fairy tale villains, Bob did have the remnants of a heart.

For the length of the song, nobody spoke.

As the last note faded into silence, Bob took a deep breath. He had lost the false cheeriness, the bravado. His voice was soft.

“There is one potential option. I don’t normally bring it up, because the higher-ups frown on it. Besides, nobody ever chooses it. But perhaps this is a special case.”

Dave caught at his sleeve, stammering about the “integrity of the system,” but Bob shook him off. He raised his voice, overriding his subordinate’s objections.

“In a case of extreme need, a person may give all of his words—not just his vocalized words, mind you, but all of them—to another. The law stipulates that such an act of sacrifice would completely eliminate the Word Quota for the recipient, allowing them an unlimited number of words for the remainder of their lifetime.”

Stanley’s eyes popped open. Bob held up his hand in warning.

“Before you respond, Mr. Thornton, consider your choices carefully. It is one thing to lose your spoken words, difficult though that would be. It is quite another to lose them all.”

Stanley started to reply, but Bob again forestalled him.

“I’m not finished.” He eyed the man in front of him, weighing his words. “You have a granddaughter, Mr. Thornton. Is that right?”

Stanley jerked his head up and down once, impatient.

“Consider this, then. If you take this path, your granddaughter’s face will evoke feelings of joy, of peace, of love—but you will be unable to put words to those feelings. You won’t know her name, because her name is, in fact, a word. You will be unable to communicate with her in any of the conventional ways—reading, writing, speaking—because you will, quite literally, have no words. Some experts believe you will be unable to think, a state which throws your very humanity into question. I don’t know that I would go that far, but there’s no doubt it’s difficult for us to wrap our minds around what it means to be without words.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Hurt you? Unlikely, though it’s hard to say for certain. But it will surely hurt those who love you. Your granddaughter, for instance. And Margaret.”

At the sound of her name, Stanley winced. As he stood in the bright sunlight, his wife unknowing in the backyard, he wished for those villains of the night, for the thugs with menacing voices and ugly scowls. If there was a chance he was making a deal with the devil, it seemed only fair to know for sure that was what he was doing.

The jangle of a cell phone cut through his thoughts, followed by his wife’s delighted voice.

“Sophie, darling, how are you? Give me a sec to find Grandpa, and we’ll talk to you together.”

Stanley closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He stood there for ten long seconds. Finally, he looked up into Bob’s eyes.

“Ok,” he said. “I’ll do it.”

Filed Under: 2021 Spring Writing Contest, Drama, Hot, Magical Realism

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Comments

  1. Kerr says

    April 9, 2021 at 11:09 am

    Jennifer, I vote for your story. You hit the mark with a very clever plotline. Loved it.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      April 12, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      Thank you, Kerr! There are so many excellent stories this time around – this is very high praise. And thank you for all of your excellent suggestions and encouragement in the workshop.

      Reply
  2. Lori Lee Palmer says

    April 11, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    Jennifer – I voted for your story. It was so imaginative! To be limited to a certain number of words would be a fate worse than death, especially for a writer!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      April 12, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      Thank you so much, Lori! This is such high praise – so many excellent stories to choose from.

      Reply
  3. Misi Freidlin says

    April 13, 2021 at 1:30 am

    I love it Jennifer, and am going to vote for you! Best of Luck!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:21 pm

      Thank you, Misi!

      Reply
  4. Kerr says

    May 25, 2021 at 12:55 pm

    CONGRATULATIONS on winning the contest. I voted for yours. Really liked it. Glad you won.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:22 pm

      Thank you so much, Kerr! So grateful for your kind comments and helpful critiques.

      Reply
  5. Robert Ochart says

    May 25, 2021 at 1:12 pm

    Congrats, Jennifer! What a clever and imaginative story!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:24 pm

      Thank you, Robert!

      Reply
  6. Rebekah says

    May 25, 2021 at 1:19 pm

    Congratulations! I voted for your story, too!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:25 pm

      Thank you, Rebekah!

      Reply
  7. Palmer Hawkins says

    May 25, 2021 at 1:24 pm

    Congratulations! The grand prize is well deserved!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:27 pm

      Thank you, Palmer, and congratulations on your honorable mention! Your story was vividly described and imaginative.

      Reply
  8. Linda L Moore says

    May 25, 2021 at 1:31 pm

    Great story and concept. Congrats!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:27 pm

      Thanks, Linda!

      Reply
  9. Laura Eiras says

    May 25, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    You picked a plot line that was sure to strike a chord with all of us here at The Write Practice. Excellent writing. You painted a word picture that I could see unfolding as the story progressed. To completely lose access to ones words, while not a bloody event, is still horrific. Well done.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:28 pm

      Thank you, Laura.

      Reply
  10. K.K. Ameyo says

    May 25, 2021 at 2:01 pm

    This is a good story. So simple yet packing an emotional punch, I was hooked from ‘Friends of Language.’
    Congratulations on the win, truly well deserved.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:28 pm

      Thank you for reading!

      Reply
  11. Tina Mollie Fisher says

    May 25, 2021 at 3:12 pm

    Oh, my goodness! What a clever idea and written so well. The pacing was great, the word choices were intriguing and perfect for the story. Congratulations!!!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:29 pm

      Thank you, Tina!

      Reply
  12. Demi LeJeune says

    May 25, 2021 at 3:33 pm

    Wow kudos! This kept me reading and is so cleverly worded. Great use of language. I liked your story’s deeper meaning too. A relevant message in today’s world. A win well-deserved 🙂

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:29 pm

      Thank you, Demi. Such kind words. I so enjoyed your story that won on the “isolation” theme a few times back.

      Reply
  13. Rebecca Lea says

    May 25, 2021 at 8:09 pm

    Congratulations Jennifer! You wrote such a clever story that resonates with us all here at TWP – fear of being at a loss for words. I didn’t know right up until the very end if Stanley would take the deal. Having grandchildren myself, it would be a fate worse than death if I could not talk to them or read stories. Well done!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:30 pm

      Thank you, Rebecca!

      Reply
  14. Daniel says

    May 26, 2021 at 1:16 am

    Congratulations! This was a wonderful premise and you fit it very well into the word limit. Good job.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:30 pm

      Thank you for reading, Daniel. I’m glad you liked it!

      Reply
  15. Chris Murphy says

    May 26, 2021 at 9:57 am

    Amazing work, Jennifer. At the risk of entering hyperbolic territory, the literary artistry this piece represents is nothing short of spellbinding. Exceptional concept and an exquisite use of language to convey a loss that every writer feels right down to their bones. Fantastic work and a worthy championship winning entry. Very well done.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:36 pm

      Wow, Chris, this is such high praise. Thank you! And congratulations on your honorable mention! Your story made me laugh out loud.

      Reply
  16. Victoria Jurgens says

    May 26, 2021 at 1:30 pm

    Congratulations Jennifer!
    This story is compelling from the first word to the last. What a sacrifice Stanley willingly gave (but carefully thought out).
    I look forward to reading more of your work.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:36 pm

      Thank you, Victoria!

      Reply
  17. Jennifer Kan Martinez says

    May 26, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    Congrats, JP!! A thoroughly well-deserved win for a thoroughly talented writer and true master of words. So happy for you!!! ❤️

    Reply
    • Jennifer Palmer says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:36 pm

      Much love to you, JKM!

      Reply
  18. Jennifer Palmer says

    May 26, 2021 at 3:27 pm

    Thanks, Linda!

    Reply
  19. Selma Martin says

    May 27, 2021 at 7:35 am

    Oh my. What genius! I am at a loss for words. I only have enough in my pocket to say, congratulation. This is every bit worthy of the grand prize!! Wow. You rocked it! Way to go. Well done.

    Reply
  20. Susan says

    May 27, 2021 at 11:41 pm

    Beautiful short story that packs so much emotion in such a short amount of words. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
  21. David says

    May 28, 2021 at 4:05 am

    Congratulations on winning, Jennifer. Your story is so unusual, so thought provoking (could we, as writers ever contemplate losing our ability to use words?). Great stuff!

    Reply
    • Jessica Deen says

      May 29, 2021 at 5:44 pm

      Congratulations on your win, Jennifer! Incredible idea and I have many of the same thoughts as the other readers. I wanted to point out one thing that I found especially clever. Stanley said, “Help you?” when he answered the door and this part stuck out to me that he didn’t say “May I…” When I got to the part about the word limit I had a total a-ha moment! Thank you for this story. Fantastic job!

      Reply
  22. Edward Fitzgerald says

    May 28, 2021 at 10:32 pm

    Her excellent writing skills are fully demonstrated. Choice of subject in a competitive writing contest is questionable (by me).as it appears to be addressed singularly to writers – when she had an audience looking, hoping and wanting for more.

    Should she not have known it.

    Reply
  23. Samran Akhtar says

    June 4, 2021 at 11:21 pm

    This is an excellent story! I couldn’t read fast enough. This is every writer’s nightmare to not have words to express themselves. What a simple yet powerful concept to have the “Word Police.” It reminded me of Fahrenheit 451, one of my favourite novels. Excellent work, Jennifer. I’m so curious to know about this world you’ve created. How did this society end up with a “Word Police?” Hopefully this will turn into a novel one day.

    Reply

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  1. Meet the Judges of the Spring Writing Contest says:
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