2180. The call of Nature © Bruce Goodman 11 July 2021

It was four in the morning. John lay awake in his cosy bed. He normally didn’t wake at that hour. He needed to go to the bathroom. But the bed was cosy and warm. I’ll go to the bathroom in a minute, he thought. In a minute. Just another minute. He turned over. Who doesn’t know the call of Nature and the call of staying put in a cosy bed on a cold morning? I’ll go to the bathroom in a minute. In a minute. Just another minute. At last he could wait no longer. He rose. One can’t know the future except in a story: John’s procrastination had given the thief enough time to leave the house. Sure, there were a few things missing from the kitchen, but at least he wasn’t murdered by a hit over the head with the frying pan – as initially intended. Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story