Love’s Cold Shower

~ Kelvin M. Knight's blog

Photo prompt © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

LOVE’S COLD SHOWER

by

Kelvin M. Knight

The shower curtain became a shroud. Water dripped from his frail fingers. Pain trickled down his emaciated limbs to strangle his joints. Dragging the soap bar over his torso, he winced; his ribs were so prominent his heart beat into his palms.

‘For what?’ he wheezed.

Squinting inside himself, he saw nothing but lost hope. His wife’s wooden cross tugged him down as he strained for the handrail, for the towel, which he draped over himself as her arms refused to, at the end, her end. When she discovered he loved another unconditionally. When her lifelong faith died.

‘Sorry, Catherine.’

(100 words)

Thank you to everyone for joining in this week (18/08/17), and reading each other’s stories. You don’t have to be a Friday Fictioneer to read our stories so please don’t be shy, there is a mix of styles and storylines all inspired by the same photo.

Thanks, as ever, to Rochelle for hosting Friday Fictioneers so congenially.

Published by Kelvin M. Knight's blog

I am a reader, a listener, a writer. I love helping people. I love storytelling... story showing. I love cycling, too.

63 thoughts on “Love’s Cold Shower”

  10. I, too, agree with Moon’s comment. The descriptions were fabulous. Wonderful write, Kelvin. One makes choices that are not always the right ones…

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  12. As Moon said, he’s feeling guilt and loss for something where he has denied the lure of joy with another, and worked to give the best he could to his wife. It’s terribly sad that his wife Catherine didn’t have the insight to realise that; it’s terribly sad that he couldn’t find the words to explain to her that day after day he had consciously chosen to be with her and not with the other.
    It’s a well written and powerful story, with some pretty heavy symbolism. And, yes, dark; I’ll go with dark.

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  14. It was disturbing and still so very real. I could feel his pain. Yet, how do you come to terms with what he did? But, that’s what human nature is like. Not black and white. But with many shades of grey. You’ve captured it so beautifully. In only 100 words. Brilliant!

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      1. Well, you are, like , a proper writer! (My best millennial speak) so I suppose you have to or else you’re closing off your inspiration.

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  21. I can sense the heaviness in his heart, a lifelong burden , especially since you have portrayed it so well. It isn’t a sin to love another unconditionally and yet the guilt of having deprived someone or the sense of having robbed someone of their uncontaminated trust can be difficult to endure for a good man.
    A very moving story.

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  24. A very good visual description of an unwanted cold torso, but Kelvin if only you knew how cold I am over here, no more cold shoulder words please…….. I might even have to right another verse about the cold…. although I’m over it…. I’ve run out of Mister Frosty words….

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      3. Oh Kelvin, I’ve just noticed, have you got a new profile pic up. and I’m listening to Leonard’s “One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong”, haha, a cold song, brrrr…..

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