Vividity

"Good morning. Professor." The security guard saluted a white-gloved hand as he held the door of the Volvo open for Professor Veevee to step out.

"Good morning," the Professor replied, smiling as he disembarked. "Where do I go next?"

"You've arrived a bit early, the welcoming committee is on its way here now. Er - Professor?"

"Yes?"

"I know it's bold of me and all, but I'm talking to Professor Veevee, whom I've revered since I was a teenager. May I ask you a question?"

"You've known of me ... ?"

"We had your books as text books in college, sir. And er - I was a bit of an overachiever and read all your published papers, too."

Just then, the welcoming committee came within view, gasping for breath. Professor Veevee merely glanced at their vivid outfits as he turned back to this vivacious and very savvy security guard.

"What do you want to know?"

"Are you really looking to revive ..."

The welcoming committee had reached them. The Professor's hand was vigourously shaken, his back well and truly thumped, his ears properly yelled into. Through it all, he managed to slip a card from his pocket and hand it to the security guard.

The security guard looked at it and grinned.

It was a personal invite, signed by Professor Veevee himself. A personal invite to attend his closed session at this important conference. The timing was perfect, too, just when the security shift changed.

*********

Taking a cue from the welcoming committee, Jimmy the security guard wore his vividest outfit for the occasion. After all, that is what the great Professor's expertise was all about. Vividity. His hand fairly trembled as he held out his invite to his successor at the security position. "Omigoodness, you actually going to attend?" the man asked, as he let him through.

Seated in his plush gold seat, surrounded by famous Vividians, he felt his spine tingle. His knees were a bit weak, and his socks squiggled in excitement.

Finally, the moment came.

Professor Veevee took the stage.

"My most distinguished and very vivid audience," he began, to a veritable storm of applause. "We are gathered here to consider all the implications of the revival of vividity. I, Professor Veevee, have penned a ditty about this."

"Veevee ditty, Veevee ditty," the audience cheered, as the Professor took a sheet of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. Jimmy closed his eyes. He was going to hear Professor Veevee recite an original ditty, live!

"Veevee ditty, Veevee ditty," the crowd was still yelling.

When silence fell, the Professor cleared his throat, took a sip of water, and began.

"Vividity is better than pity.
Vividity is more useful than nudity.
Vividity is wise and it is witty.
Vividity is clever and it is pretty.
Vividity has great ability.
Vividity flourishes, jungle or city
Vividity becomes a puppy or kitty
Vividity helps face the nitty-gritty
Vividity helps stick on when you are quitty
Vividity overcomes stupidity
Vividity heats hp tepidity
So, with great rapidity
Let us revive Vividity!"

The audience was on its feet. Jimmy rose, too. He couldn't clap. The Professor's pragmatic poem had moved him to tears. His hand were busy wiping his eyes.

Dinner was served. Varyingly vivid cuisines appeared. Jimmy could hardly eat, he was still so moved, but he did manage two helpings of a few of the dishes.

Suddenly, he froze, his fork in hand, half-way between plate and lip.

They were announcing his name. "JIMMY the security guard!" someone was yelling into the mic.

There was a storm of applause. Jimmy wondered what to do with the fork. He decided it had to complete the journey to his lips, so he brought it there and opened his mouth and put in a forkful of pasta.

This was an unfortunate decision.

Because, from out of nowhere a vivid volunteer appeared, holding a mic to Jimmy.

"Speech, Jimmy, speech," she said.

Jimmy's mother had taught him that (no matter how vividly dressed) he should not speak with his mouth full of pasta. Or of anything, for that matter.

He chewed, trying to swallow. The audience waited.

Finally, Jimmy reached for the mic, when Professor Veevee said on his, "That's your two minutes up, Jimmy, my boy. thank you for a wonderful speech."

"But I didn't ..."

"Your silence was as vivid as any speech could be. I assure you, we're very vociferous in our vocal cheering. Nothing vague about that."

Jimmy sat down and resumed eating.

After the session, several people came up to him and shook his hand, congratulating him on a vacantly vacuous vocabulary. Jimmy didn't protest. He liked being famous.

He took his wife on vacation to celebrate. They visited Venice, and behaved like vagabonds in gondolas. For entertainment, they vacillated between a violinist and a ventriloquist.

And Jimmy never forgot the day he was voted Venturesome Vividian of the Vividians.



PS - I warned you that nothing very much happens in this story.
Read the brief description.