(Last) Wednesday's Words

'Words for Wednesday' is a writing prompt held by Delores at Under the Porch Light.
I haven't done one of these yet, but I enjoy reading River's so thought I would give it a go.

Last Wednesday's words were:

drugged

scandalous

frying

clerk

entrance

hidden

Here is my contribution.


I awoke in full sun, heavy and slow as if drugged. I had to pull myself together. I was losing control, losing my grip on proper behaviour. Sleeping all through the morning every day this week, barely leaving the house, speaking to no one. A scandalous way for a grown person to behave.

I blinked and sat up slowly. I could smell eggs frying from the flat across the hall. There'd be no frying here. I'd be lucky if there was enough bread and butter to make toast. Was there coffee? I couldn't remember, but I thought there was not.

I didn't get out of bed. I couldn't go into work. I just couldn't. I hadn't been all week, had stopped calling in sick. I had stopped answering the phone, and I'd ignored the buzzing at the door yesterday too. A colleague had come to the entrance of the flats, buzzed and called my name, and then accosted someone walking out the security door, but they hadn't let him in. Today there was silence. What could they do? They'd fire me, I knew. I didn't care. I was just a clerk. They didn't need me. I didn't need work, if only I could stay hidden in this flat, this room, this bed, for long enough. 

But as it turned out, I couldn't. This was the last morning I would spend in this torpor. Because although I didn't know it at that moment, everything was about to change.


And thank goodness for that. I have no idea where this "story" would go, but I couldn't just leave the poor character in that state ;)