Mortimer stood rigidly outside of the dilapidated house. Discarded appliances littered the yard, a rancid sofa on the front porch. The place was revolting. He recoiled at the thought of entering.
They wouldn’t want to give it back—they rarely did—and he found these repossessions more difficult with the destitute.
Mortimer entered through the half-open door and found an unconscious heap on top of a beer-stained mattress: his quarry. He was covered in puke; a hypodermic needle hung from his tattooed arm.
Curling a lip in disgust as he approached, Mortimer set to the task of reclaiming the man’s soul.
But in which direction? Heaven or Hell? Reclamation is a one-way street, and if Mort curled his lip, I can only guess.
Thank you for the comments rauthor68.
On the literal level, this is an increasingly common and sad ending for people in pain or people who party. Literally.Mortimer is arrogant. I am having trouble with the figurative meaning of the piece. Could someone help?
Susan, Mortimer is death, Mortimer = Morte. He probably is arrogant, he’s seen it all…
Thanks for your help.
Thanks for the read Susan. Liz has hit it on the nose. Appreciate the comments.
I love the play on repossessions and how it turns at the end in terms of what the man is reclaiming. Well done.
Thank you!