The Watch – Part 218:

(Tom’s perspective)

‘Hey, good morning, Tom,’ Tim said when I had climbed out of my tent the next morning.

‘Morning,’ I grunted, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I looked around and saw only a handful of people awake. The majority of them were sitting by their tents, discussing stuff.

‘I was ‘oping you would be awake soon as I usually ask the new person if they would like to come with me to grab some breakfast. I let the new person have the privilege of picking first, you see,’ he explained.

‘Er… I grunted again as I slowly woke up some more. ‘I thought you said that it is first come first served,’ I remembered vaguely, ‘or something like that,’ I added just in case I had gotten my information wrong.

‘Yeah, sorry, I was meant to explain that,’ Tim said. ‘So, how about it, would you like to come with?’

‘Er… Sure,’ I said.

‘I’ll let you freshen up before we ‘ead off,’ Tim said, ‘the showers are over there next to the toilets. You will have to keep the same clothes that you are wearing now, but when it comes to it, I’ll explain ‘ow you can get them washed, does that sound OK,’ he explained, only now showing his leadership skills and proving that he is the one in charge. ‘The time is now eight, so if we can get going by before nine, that will be perfect.’

‘Before nine it will be then,’ I said still ever so slightly out of it. I’m hoping the shower would wake me up a bit. The showers were separated into six cubicles, all parted by a concrete wall so to allow us to have a bit of privacy. The first and second showers were already occupied, and I didn’t much fancy taking up the third. I would feel things were more private if I took the sixth shower.

I stepped into the cubicle and closed the door behind me. Inside, there was a bench to put all my clothes so they wouldn’t get wet from the shower which hung from the back wall. On the end of the bench, a folded up towel sat with a bottle of shampoo and body wash next door.

The shower itself looked inviting. The showerhead was connected to a pipe which fed itself through a hole in the wall. I didn’t want to waste too much time studying the shower, but I was only doing so because I was a bit hesitant to take all my clothes off, especially in a strange place like this. Well, the other two were doing just fine, so there shouldn’t be any problems with me. And I really need a shower.

I started with my shoes: The moment I slipped them off, my feet were able to breathe properly for the first time in days. I flexed my toes up and down, hearing and feeling them click and crack from celebrating their freedom. Then I slipped off the rest of my clothes, folded them up, and placed them on the bench. The cold morning air attacked my body, making me shiver once more. Then, standing under the showerhead, I flicked the switch to turn the shower. I heard the water rush through pipe before exploding out of the end, splashing down onto my head.

And it certainly did wake me up. I was expecting the water to be cold, but it was still a shock to the system nonetheless. The water was freezing, but I shouldn’t complain. I was getting a shower and that’s more than what I thought I would be getting whilst being trapped here. The more that I stood under the water, the more my body naturally acclimatised: I was still feeling the coldness, but not so much. If anything, the sudden splash of cold water on my back actually helped me more than what hot water would have done. This was the first time I’ve had a shower in what feels like so long. So much has happened in a short amount of time, the moment the water poured over my face, I felt fresh. I then realised that I should have brought the bottle of shampoo and body wash over here. I stepped out from the water and picked up the bottle before stepping back in once more.

Once I had cleaned my hair and my body, I felt so much better. I flicked the switch off and the water stopped. The cold air doesn’t affect me anymore, but the more I dried myself, the more the cold air was able to successfully attack me again. I wasn’t shivering, but I did rather rush putting my clothes back on. I forced my feet back into the shoes, and then I was ready to leave.

I’m surprised if anything that I’m affected by the cold air as much anymore. I reckon the more times I do this, the more I’ll slowly become immune to being cold. I folded up the towel and placed it back where I found it, and made sure the shampoo was standing beside it before stepping out of the cubicle and back into the campsite.

I looked around and found Tim talking with someone in the middle of the site. He noticed that I was ready and he nodded that he was also.

‘I see what I can do,’ Tim said to the other person, signalling the end of their conversation. The other person nodded at me in welcome before turning on the spot and heading back over to his tent where he climbed inside.

‘That was Michael,’ Tim explained, ‘’e’s the nervous type so make sure you aren’t too loud when around him.’

I nodded.

‘Anyway, are you ready,’ and he clapped his hands together.

‘I am.’

‘And with fifteen minutes to spare as well,’ he said, happily. ‘Let’s get us some breakfast.’

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)