The Wizard of Ip
A mellifluous morning to you all!
In the orderly town of Verbatim, under the watchful gaze of the Wizard of Ip, words were carefully rationed.
The Wizard himself had once been a linguistic innovator, but early on in life had found himself trapped in a patent thicket.
Since then he had sought to play it safe by restricting the town's lexicon.
And so each family spoke from this restricted lexicon, leaving no room for novelty.
Maya, diligent and restrained from a past mistake where her misuse of a word led to a compensation payment by her family, greeted her neighbors every morning with a bland, 'Good day.'
She could say no more and no less.
But Leo's arrival stirred the waters. His greetings? "A splendid morn to all and sundry!"
Eyebrows raised; whispers spread.
When Maya timidly queried, "What's a 'sundry'?", Leo, with a conspiratorial grin, replied, "It's synonymous for 'various'. A dash of linguistic color, if you will."
Charmed by Leo's lexicon, the town entertained the idea of a "Use Fair" – one day to indulge in the vast world of words without restraints.
The Use Fair was the most anticipated event in Verbatim’s history of more than seventy years.
Booths were set up on the Creative Commons, and families gathered, eager to dive into the rich pool of words.
One man, trying to compliment a woman's dress, proudly declared, "Your dress is so flammable!" when he meant "flamboyant."
A baker, displaying her pastries, announced, "These muffins are inedible!" hoping to say "irresistible."
Children ran around shouting words they had just learned, albeit incorrectly. "I'm exfoliating!" yelled one, meaning to say "I'm exhilarated!"
Amidst the chaos, Leo cleared his throat loudly. As the crowd's attention turned to him, he began his address:
"Four score and seven years ago, our forefathers envisioned a settlement, a haven called Verbatim. They imagined a place founded on the principles of clear communication, where every word had a purpose, and every utterance was cherished.
Here we stand today, not on a battlefield, but on our commons. We are gathered to celebrate not just words, but the freedom to share them, to play with them, to see the world anew through them.
But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this gathering. The brave souls who envisioned Verbatim, who strived for clarity and understanding, have already done so. Their legacy is imbued in every corner of our town, every word we speak.
Now we are engaged in a great debate, testing whether Verbatim, or any town so conceived in linguistic restraint, can endure the freedom of unfettered expression. We are met at a Use Fair, an event that represents that freedom.
The world will little note, nor long remember our individual words today, but it can never forget the joy, the laughter, the mistakes, and the learning. It is for us, the living, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work of expanding our linguistic horizons, to ensure that Verbatim shall have a new birth of freedom, and that words of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from our town."
The townspeople were entranced. Leo's words, echoing a rhythm and structure from tales of a world beyond Verbatim, flowed with a power they had never witnessed.
Maya looked at him with newfound admiration. "That was... magnanimous," she whispered.
However, the Wizard of Ip, was not pleased.
As the applause faded, he thundered, "This speech, this... performance is not an original! It’s taken from a world outside Verbatim, plagiarized!"
Leo, looking around at the shocked faces, took a deep breath. "Perhaps, I borrowed a little scaffolding, the architecture if you will. Yet, the essence, the quintessence, was crafted for us, the denizens of Verbatim."
The Wizard grimaced, "Scaffolding you say? Here in Verbatim, we have another meaning for that word. It's where we used to deal with those who dared to steal. A place of punishment!"
The townspeople gasped, looking to the center of the square where a rickety wooden structure stood — the scaffolding, a grim reminder of a bygone era where transgressors were publicly shamed, or worse.
With steady resolve, Leo mounted the scaffold. "If standing here means defending the right to share knowledge and broaden our horizons, then I will do so with pride."
Maya, stepping forward with determination, said, "If Leo stands there, then so will I. For every word he spoke resonated with me, bringing sundry colors to our monotone lives."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
One by one, the townspeople joined Leo. The very structure meant for punishment became a symbol of solidarity, a true public domain.
As the sentiment spread, the Wizard, once the unchallenged authority, found himself outnumbered and out-voiced.
With a resigned sigh, he acknowledged the change. "Very well. But with great vocabulary comes great responsibility. Use words wisely. Remember, to cite your sources."
The next morning, the square echoed with new greetings, laughter, and the vibrant hum of conversations.
Maya, stepping out of her home, was greeted not just by the usual 'Good day,' but by a chorus of varied salutations. And to her surprise, she found herself responding with, "A mellifluous morning to you all!"
