I’d like you to thing of these stories as a welcome reprieve from the stories about the economy, or the election. I know that it’s a nice escape to write them.
Today’s Word:
siccative
As in:
Three ponds near a Peruvian town have come to international attention for their healing properties. The ponds, known as “The Twin Maker,” “The Miracle Maker,” and “The Enchantress” are said to grant healing and special benefits to those who bath in their waters.
The locals claim that the curative properties of this water are the result of alien intervention. The village, called Chileca, is known throughout the region for having a high incidence of UFO spotting and “extraterrestrial disturbances.”
A sign located on the outskirts of town even proclaims the area is “The Preferred Site for Interplanetary Ships and Beings.”
People who bathe in “The Twin Maker,” expect to increase their fertility. The muddy, sulfurous pond is also said to cure impotence. To take full advantage of the pond’s properties, visitor often sit in the mud, covering themselves with it. Some even find herbal siccatives growing nearby to quicken the process of drying, and create a “coat” of “miracle mud.” Several believe this regimen is the “Poor Man’s Viagra,” and since the time the comparison was made, visits to the area have increased markedly. Some claim that it is this dry, hardened mud and the herbs which provide the cure to fertility problems, rather than the water. Others strongly disagree, insisting that the powerful stench of sulfur in the dried mud could never increase the likelihood of having twins or curing impotence, and would, in fact, be a detriment instead.
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Like I said, I bet you were hoping for more at the end. So was I, but I’m happy to settle for *something* as opposed to *nothing.* Until tomorrow…
siccative: / SIK-eh-tiv / a substance that promotes drying; a drier. (related, of course to “desiccant”)