PHOTO PROMPT © Yarnspinnerr
The solid slab of heat pinned Forbes down into his chair. The wicker scored a painful lattice in his dripping thighs but not painful enough to consider moving.
For want of anything else to look at, his hooded eyes rested on the ceiling fan and the flies buzzing endless figures-of-eight beneath it. Their energy drained him more.
“Any chance of having the fan on?”
“Fan broken many years.”
“I’ll fix it for a beer. What’s wrong with it?”
“No ‘lectric, need re-wiring.”
Forbes sighed, as he had the day before and the one before that, “Put the beer on the tab.”
Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.
Michael Wynn 
He seems resigned to never getting this beer…
LikeLiked by 1 person
He’ll get his beer but is too exhausted to work for it. Mind you he’s putting it on the tab so perhaps he’ll never pay
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s some lovely wordcraft in this, MIchael. I loved the sun as a solid slab of heat
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Neil, glad you liked it
LikeLike
Very melancholy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Poor guy. Guess he’s going to bake, then.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As he’s too lethargic to move, I think he will.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A real sense of lethargy, losing the will to do anything. Well written – great use of language.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you
LikeLike
The heat really comes through. Great write.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you
Like
Excellently done, Michael. I could so feel the weight of the heat and the sucking of any energy that occurs when it is this oppressive.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks so much Dale, that’s what I was hoping to achieve but you never know if you’ve been successful until someone says so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ya done good 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
“The wicker scored a painful lattice” excellent description. Well done.
LikeLike
Thank-you
LikeLike
Great atmosphere. I felt thirsty myself after reading!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you for your kind comment. Heat was what I was hoping for, so it sounds like it worked
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, like my co-commentators I felt the heat and lethargy coming with it. Great writing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
maybe tomorrow it’ll get fixed. hope springs eternal. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think he’s in a rut of needing to do something but having no energy to do it. Every day’s the same, he toys with the idea of mending the fan then sinks back into his lethargy
LikeLike
Lovely word craft, I was there, but left quickly before the heat got me to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Mike
LikeLike
Brilliantly done – I really liked the way you captured the lethargy.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much
LikeLike
You’ve created some memorable images – “solid slab of heat”, “The wicker scored a painful lattice in his dripping thighs but not painful enough to consider moving.”, “flies buzzing endless figures-of-eight”. Nice writing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you. I like trying out different ways of saying things and waiting for the response to see if they work, so your comments are much appreciated
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too and likewise!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Michael,
I could feel the air closing in on me. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Rochelle
LikeLike
Excellent atmosphere in this piece.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you
LikeLiked by 1 person
A great word picture of the lethargy generated by extreme sultry heat., Well written!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you.
LikeLike
This has such a weight and feeling of lack of fulfilment to it, of waiting for something to happen. One to read and read again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you and thanks for re-reading. He’s stuck in a rut, every day the same until the weather changes at least, I think.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My motto is; Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow–especially if it’s hot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And a fine motto it is, nothing wrong with that. I don’t know what my other half has against it.
LikeLike
You get a real sense of the heat and lethargy in this piece. Lovely descriptions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Clare
LikeLike
You really capture the heat , lethargy and stasis of his situation. I love the language- you see his eyes resting onn the fan – the flies – you feel the oppressive heat – sets the scene so well . Really great!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you, I’m glad it worked for you.
LikeLike
I sensed the Rick Blaine character from the film Casablanca, in a sticky hot mood.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks James. Yeah, he’s stuck in a rut of being unable to move until the heat relents
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great atmosphere, you could sense his lethargy come through vividly. Nicely done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you
LikeLike
You’ve done an excellent job creating a stifling, lethargic atmosphere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you, I’m pleased you thought so
LikeLiked by 1 person
You made me thankful to not be wherever he is. Great atmosphere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank-you. Great comment
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow I really get the sense of the stifling heat here! Hope the beer is cold
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. I wondered if the electricity was out for the fridge as well
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ugh…hot beer. I think I’d opt for scotch 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
But there’s no ice Dawn.
LikeLike
Yes, I know. Drink it neat, but sip don’t gulp.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Summers are like that where I live. I don’t know how people survived before air conditioning.
LikeLike
Sounds like you live in a nice place, even if it can be a little hot at times
LikeLike
Too exhausted to work for his beer and too clever to pay. But the heat does take it out of one. Or so I’ve heard–we’re in our fifth month of winter here 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ouch sounds cold, we’re just coming out of it, spring is threatening but not delivering yet
LikeLike