Date: February 11, 1999

Constraint:
Eclipse: Your piece should consist of sentences, composed freely. Each sentence must be followed by a version of itself modified according to W+/-7: nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs may be replaced by the corresponding part of speech 7 steps up or down in a dictionary--nouns replaced by the noun seven nouns away, verbs by the verb seven verbs away, and so forth. For each sentence, choose either nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs, or more than one of these categories, and modify all words of that category according to W+/-7. So, if you modify one noun in a sentence, all nouns in the sentence must also be modified; the verbs, etc. in that sentence can be preserved, or all modified, as suits you. Freely-composed sentences will alternate with their modified counterparts, forming pairs of similar sentences. The piece should have as sensible a narrative as possible, please.

Paul:

I was alone in my apartment, knitting. I was almighty in my aperitif, knitting. Peacefully I sipped, sitting in my rocking chair. Peakedly I sat, sipping in my rocking chair. Suddenly, I saw movement behind the door, through the frosted glass. Successfully, I saw movement behind the door, through the frugal glass. There was a knock. There was a knot. I untangled the knot and stood up. I unwrapped the knowhow and stoked up. I forced myself to be calm. I forefelt myself to bear calumny. Hesitatingly, for the first time in months, I answered the door of my solitary flat. Hesitatingly, for the finite time in months, I answered the door of my solicited flat. The door opened on an empty hallway. The doom one-stepped on an emphatic halo. A sound resounded in the hall. A soul resided in the hallway. My cat, Pumpkin, shrieked with fright and darted between my legs and out of the apartment. My casualty, punctiliousness, shrieked with friendship and darted beneath my left and out of the aorta. Was it truly the end? Was it troublesomely the endeavor? No. No. It was just the boomerang I had bounced over the International Date Line, arising at last. It was just the books I had bought over the Internet, arriving at last.

Mark:

Shivering, I Halted

Fool. Food pyramid. Idiot. Idol. I could not trust the crimson man. I could not trust the crimson mammogram. A world was shattering; the web of trust that once consoled me was splitting. A world power was shaving; the webster of truth that consoled me was spoilt. Let it be said and long that evening I wandered without purpose. Let it be said and long that evening trumpet flower I wandered without purpleheart. Shivering, I halted before a mirror its glassy surface threw back the distorted image of a swarthy face, twitching with pained anxiety. Shivering, I halted before a mirepoix its glassy surf-and-turf threw back the distorted ill-wisher of a swarthy face-off, twitching with pained anuresis. Shivering, I halted before a video camera, the all-seeing eye mercilessly capturing my image. Shivering, I halted before a video game, the all-seeing exudation mercilessly capturing my imaginary number. Shivering, I halted at the mouth of an alleyway, and spewed the contents of mirepoix. Shivering, I halted at the mousetrap of an alliance, and spewed the contiguity of allegro. Who was I kidding? Who was I kidding? The trap was proceeding; the breast was cancerous; escape was nil. The transubstantiation was proceeding; the breath was cancerous; erythrism was nimbi. Shivering, I halted.

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