15min writing challenge: The Gathering.

He grimaced as the bar struck him across the ribs. Rather than chiming to the floor as physics would dictate it clung to him as if on a mission, jamming itself in with the building pile of items threatening to envelop him.

A chair frame pulled it's wooden seat begrudgingly across the wooden floor, scraping it's protest until breaking itself free and flying to hit him in the back across the kidneys. He fell to his knees again, each time finding it harder to lift and balance the load around him.

As he stood, the metal nails holding the floor boards down came up with his knees and rolled around his legs in the oddest of ways, always clinging to him with a zeal for the task.

He knew there was little chance of getting outside - the door handle had flown free of the door and struck him in the stomach as he'd been trying to escape the onslaught of the inanimate.

Even if he couldn't physically escape, his mind tried to wrench him free of the ever more desperate situation. He had to think his way out of this before the weight crushed him or an item didn't stop when it hit him and in the end passed right through.

He thought back to anything that may explain things......

He couldn't work out what he'd been doing wrong. There he was in the trendiest bars and clubs, with his finest suit broken out into action. A subtle aftershave used on just the subtlest hint of stubble. Italian shoes shined until he'd swear they'd ceased being black any more.

Yet nothing.

No action.

No interest.

All the most thought through witty reposts and flirtacious come-ons and not a single glance beyond the norm.

What made things worse was seeing other guys around his age with women dripping off them like it was the most natural thing in the world. These were guys without, to his eye, an ounce of style between them. Work clothes, old casual jackets that had seen better days, shoes that need to look polish up in the dictionary.....they had nothing on the effort he'd made each and every night out.

There they were though, every time. Everywhere in the room swarming with beautiful, laughing women....everywhere except where he happened to be.

He'd taken to going out less. It wasn't rejection that got to him but more the fact it didn't seem to get so far to even have the chance to fail. He'd have done anything for even the scraps from the others that weren't having the same trouble. It destroyed him to find himself thinking like that.

It had been at that moment that he'd uttered that request under his breath. It didn't seem like much and he could have thought of many more greedy things. Still though, he had asked, albeit subconsciously. Maybe life really was part of a grand joke after all - there was clearly something with a sense of humour behind this.

All he'd asked for was a magnetic personality.

As the thought struck him so did something else and the room faded out of sight.




The police found him cold and crushed. A metal covered address book embedded in his forehead.

A cruel irony considering the situation.


............................


Inspired by this picture.

This is a new 15 Minute challenge, brought to life by Dinesh and noticed by me over at ten miles beyond the city.

The rules are as follows:

1. Click here and choose any image you like.
2. Compose your piece in less than 15 mins.
3. Post it to your blog.