The story starts with two men standing beside a home that’s not theirs. They’re guessing what the resident inside is doing by studying what they can see outside. One of them plays this game as part of his daily work routine.
“Showering.”
“Nah, cooking.”
“Not cooking, showering.”
“How do you know?”
“See how fast that one’s turning?”
“Oh, yes.”
“The stove would be less than that.”
Mitchell and his lanky friend watched the red dial turn on the gas meter. “And how do you know it’s a girl?”
“Clothes.”
“Huh?”
“On the washing line, back there, look,” the man thumbed over his shoulder as if to point to a place in the backyard. “Showering. You can even smell the soap. She’s naked and foamy on the other side of this wall.”
The man read the numbers on the meter and entered them into his handheld device. “I’d say she’s about twenty-eight.”
“Twenty-eight?” asked Mitchell with a grin. “Is this what you do all day?”
The tall man quietly closed the door on the meter box, stood erect, turned to his friend and smiled. “Well, there’s not much else to do. It breaks up the monotony. I’m usually right, y’know.”
Mitchell scratched his chin and wondered how to apply this knowledge to his questionable means.
Hacking into computers was one thing, but standing by someone’s home while they showered felt arousing. Touching the gas meter that warmed a live body added something new to the experience.
The Beast inside woke once again.
[Excerpt from SEETHINGS 2. Turn the page for more or visit the excerpt page for more information about excerpts.)
‘Forman’s writing style is artful, with the protagonist Mitchell’s warped thought processes masterfully exposed. The author has a powerful and vivid command of language and his word pictures are stark and disturbingly real.’
Linda J Bettenay, author of ‘Secrets Mothers Keep’ and ‘Wishes For Starlight’
Discover more from Michael Forman – Author of Dark Fiction & Drama
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