2442. In hot water © Bruce Goodman 30 May 2022

There are some stories that language prevents the telling thereof. It’s not naughty words; it’s words for common things that are used in one country and not in another. Sometimes a reader in some distant land will think a story involves butterfly caterpillars when in fact it’s about tractors. Such was the case when Delphine’s hot water cylinder exploded. A hot water cylinder is variously known as a hot water storage tank, a hot water tank, a thermal storage tank, a hot water thermal storage unit, a heat storage tank, and possibly by a dozen other names. Anyway, Delphine’s hot water cylinder exploded and what a mess it caused! When Delphine had purchased her house a good forty years earlier the house was already ancient. Goodness knows how old the hot water cylinder was. Friends had said for her to change it because it was old, it lost heat, and it was highly inefficient. Delphine pointed out that the hot water cylinder’s cupboard was perfectly wonderful for airing damp clothes and for keeping laundry dry. It’s why it was called a hot water laundry cupboard or airing cupboard silly. Now it had exploded and what a mess it had caused. First it went thump thumb thump. Delphine pricked up her ears. What was that noise? The thumping got lounder. Delphine went to investigate. That’s when things exploded and what a mess it caused. The funeral for Delphine’s remaining bits is next Wednesday. Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story