A Taste Of Your Own Private Hell
Raymond Daley
Copyright 22/9/94 by Raymond Daley
Smashwords Edition
'Friday the 13th of October!' were Simon Nilsens first thoughts that day. Then closely followed by 'Shit! I'm late for work!'. Nilsen dived out of bed, he showered and shaved in just less than five minutes and in another five he was dressed and out of the house.
It wouldn't start. Not a good day so far.
The car continued to not start for another ten full minutes. Then just as Nilsen was about to give up the car started at last.
'Yes!' thought Nilsen.
He discovered fairly quickly it was actually a 'No' when he finally got going as he became entangled in a traffic jam behind an accident.
He became aware his mobile phone was ringing. As he was stationary, he answered it.
"What?" he screamed violently at the phone.
"Simon," It was his wife. "I'm divorcing you and you can have custody of Henry." She hung up.
Henry was their teenage son, less of a human being, more of a package of angst on legs.
Oh dear, not a good day at all.
Finally after more than an hour in traffic he arrived at work.
"Sir, the M. D. wants to see you right away. And by the way I'm pregnant, and it's yours."
Nilsen went straight to the M. D's office. "Nilsen. I know you've been embezzling the company. I'm gonna sue your ass. Oh, and your fired."
Another great statement from the boss. Correction, former boss.
Nilsen emptied his desk and went to accounts who wouldn't give him any money. He went to the lift and got in.
It was empty. The doors closed and it started to descend. About nine feet and then it stopped between floors.
Nilsen reached for the emergency call button, it was broken but after a day like this Nilsen had expected no less.
Nilsen was lucky, the engineer had been called two days prior and came that day.
It was five pm before he eventually got to his car. Which ferried him all of four miles before running out of petrol, right outside a petrol station which Nilsen thought was pretty handy.
Nilsen managed to push the vehicle the last few feet onto the forecourt and filled it up. He went inside to pay and took his credit card out of his wallet. After swiping it the assistant said "I'm sorry sir but this card isn't valid". Nilsen gave him another, same result. And another, yet again the same result. In fact none of them were. The assistant took and cut up all the cards as he watched.
Nilsen paid with his last fifty pounds.
Nilsens mobile rang again. Maybe it was his wife Karen. Maybe she'd changed her mind.
"Nilsen" he answered. "Mr Simon Nilsen?" asked the caller. "Yes." he replied.
"Sir,
this is the police. I'm afraid I have some very bad news. Mr
Nilsen, your son is dead." At that point Nilsens phone battery
expired.
He returned to his car. His radio had been stolen. And his briefcase. That had his laptop in it!
Nilsen drove home in complete silence. There were no red lights, he made it in half an hour.
The front door was wide open. Nilsen went in. The Final Insult! He'd been burgled!
There was a knock at the door.
"Mr Nilsen!" called out a male voice. "What now?" bellowed Nilsen.
"I represent Barker, Ward and Jones. I am here to inform you that we will be repossessing your domicile tomorrow. You have twenty four hours to vacate the premises." the man said.
Great, homeless. Now what?
Nilsen went to sleep on some Scotch and an aspirin. His sleep was restless.
He eventually awoke.
'Friday the 13th of October!' were Simon Nilsens first thoughts.
'Oh Christ, not again!' were his second.
Oh yes Simon Nilsen, you will live the worst day in your life forever.
It's a taste of your own private hell, and welcome to it.
THE END.
________________________________________________________
Authors Notes:-
This was a fully finished but handwritten only discovery that turned up when I found the legendary long missing "ideas folder".
Probably written in the block between shifts but certainly written in one go.
I'm not sure if I was having a bad day when I wrote it but I certainly wanted to write how you could have the worst day ever only to be forced to relive it in a kind of nightmare version of Groundhog Day.
Somehow for some unexplained reason I didn't upload this as soon as I finished it. I spent the last week trying to work out why my "completed" folder had more stories than were on my Smashwords dashboard.
This is the reason.
Today I've uploaded 3 different stories. 2 written on the spur of the moment (The Monster & Crash Report written in that order) and this which was already finished but not uploaded.