Slice of Life Story Challenge March 10 - Empty Houses



Empty Houses


I enter the house late in the afternoon.  I am greeted by a warm and empty space. The air is heavy with the day’s heat. A slender stream of sunlight forces its way in between the blinds and motes flicker faintly in the narrow beam.  The silence is everywhere. It has settled in every room, every corner, nook and cranny. All day long it has been building, unseen, but now I feel its presence crowding me. Everything is as we left it early this morning when we began our outbound journey into the working day. Every room hushed and undisturbed. The kitchen bench a clear landscape. I turn on the tap and fill the kettle and sound returns to our house. The silence evaporates and the house stirs to life yet again.


Comments

  1. DalilaE10 March 2016 at 18:46

    Such beautiful imagery. I love the house personified, holding its undisturbed silence, and releasing it upon your return from workday journeys.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:48

      Thank you for your kind words Dalila. I so enjoyed writing this little piece.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous10 March 2016 at 21:35

    I love the last two lines, "I turn on the tap and fill the kettle and sound returns to our house. The silence evaporates and the house stirs to life yet again." The imagery is incredible. Sometimes I wish everything wasn't just how I left it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. elsie11 March 2016 at 01:30

    Love the way you stopped and recorded the look and feel of the unoccupied house upon your return. What a great example of capturing a moment!

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    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:51

      I have learnt from years of observation that small moments have much to offer we writers Elsie. It is a wonderful moment for the writer too to realize they have just experienced a tiny piece of magic.

      Delete
  4. BK11 March 2016 at 05:27

    Silence... I feel it so often now. You bring your house's silence to us so powerfully. Nice way that you broke too, Alan. Nice...
    Bonnie K.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:52

      Thank you Bonnie. We need to acknowledge the power of silence.

      Delete
  5. daywells11 March 2016 at 14:46

    Fantastic. I want to enter my house differently when I come home tomorrow night. I want to listen and feel it and notice how exactly I awaken the space. Thank you for this simply beautiful post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:54

      Well, thank you for your most kind words. It was a pleasurable piece to write. I am so grateful for the moment and that I took the opportunity to capture it.

      Delete

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