'John Simons' - Part 2

He’d tell people that it was the musky smell that hit him first when he stepped into his hallway, but he wasn’t sure if the smell of the cobweb had won the race to welcome him home. It wasn’t a particularly bad smell, but it wasn’t one that he’d missed in the hospital. It was the smell of a house that hadn’t been occupied by anybody with more than the clothes they are sleeping in. It was a nice contrast to the smell of antiseptic.

As he wiped the cobweb from his face and got some in his mouth, he saw that his house was as good as empty. Kitchen? Empty. Livingroom? Empty. Bathroom? Empty, but still a bathroom, because of the bath. It would seem that after trying to steal the cast-iron bath, the robbers had realised it was too heavy, so had turned it upside down in protest.

Only one more room to check and it was his. He walked in nonchalantly, like a teenager who had just discovered women. Like all teenage boys trying to impress women, though, he froze when he saw the room. Cupboard? Full. Lamp? On. Bed? Made. His room was in the same state as it had been when he left it over a year ago. If anything, it was cleaner. Every line bisected every other line perfectly. Such uniformity.

There was one less than subtle difference in the corner of his room and it was aimed at the sky.