@tristancarax
The 31 Sentence Contest: Round 11
Random number sentence sequence:
4, 20, 10, 2, 12, 25, 18, 16, 6, 8, 31, 3, 22, 27, 17, 23, 29, 5, 26, 30, 13, 11, 21, 1, 14, 19, 15, 24, 7, 9, 28
Vernon closed the blinds.
As the neighbors’ voices grew louder outside his window, Vernon pushed some of the papers from the chair and slumped down slowly onto the soiled fabric.
He removed his glasses as he fumbled for its case.
Nosey neighbors.
How he wished he’d constructed a fence blocking their view years ago.
How he wished his Wilma was still alive to help him handle the situation he was now facing with the neighbors and the County Inspector.
She was masterful in her handling of people whereby they would forget the reasons for the uncomfortable situation.
He couldn't seem to make others understand his difficulty in complying with the Ordinance violation issued.
If they would just be patient.
He needed more time than the deadline demanded.
According to the City Health Inspector, the two special extensions of time given to him for extenuating circumstances to bring the house and surrounding property up to code had run out.
Vernon needed help.
But he’d already shunned any offer of assistance from family, neighbors, social services, and strangers who were worried something tragic would happen.
Ripping precious memories of my beloved Wilma from me and removing her antique treasures she'd spent the past 50 years accumulating was the real tragedy, he thought.
Vernon made his way slowly to the only room in the house that offered any available space.
Reaching for a change of clothing to ready himself for bed, he tried to locate anything that was free of odor and stains.
He gave up and fell back into the crevices of the mattress whose innards had long ago gave way to rot and desperately wished to part ways with him.
What lay beneath was sickening.
Morning rushed in new trouble as Vernon woke realizing he had a fever, sore throat, and chest pain when he heard a knock at the door.
The knock persisted for several more minutes until a voice calling his name spoke loudly through a bullhorn whose sound reminded him of a siren responding to an emergency call.
“What the heck is all the commotion out there about?” Vernon uttered.
Valerie stood behind the officer waiting for her dad to respond.
The Wellness Check she initiated with Social Services was the best way to gain entry to document what she heartbreakingly suspected.
Hoarding.
Valerie could only imagine how worse it had become since being forbidden to visit.
The door opened slightly allowing entrance, but didn't prevent the smell from rushing past Vernon to escape its captivity.
Repulsive was the only description for the nauseating odor that emanated from behind the door.
Once inside, Valerie unleashed her disappointment as she lay fault with not only her dad, who couldn’t deny the deplorable conditions, but also herself.
Vernon stood with outstretched arms towards Valerie.
Thanks to Vernon’s concerned neighbors, Valerie received community assistance.
Valeria consulted with a psychologist to help her father deal with his hoarding issues while she dealt with the authorities and the arduous task of cleaning the home.
Image by Kasman from Pixabay
Thanks,
@justclickindiva
Happy rest of the week everyone with whatever your endeavors.
SOURCES:
a) JustClickin PHC logo created by and purchased from @zord189.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) Separator Lines Free ClipArt Belt from Public Domain Vectors & ShadedLine from ClipArt-Library
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I SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING GROUPS:
This is really cool! I gave you a follow so I don't miss the next contest! I don't know if this one is over or yet as I just discovered it today 2/3/2020 Looking forward to more of posts, work, and contests!
Thanks so much @bit-trader. Are you new to Steemit? If so, there are numerous contests you can enter to grow your steem account. I think this one may be over. You can check the link in my post above. That's the reason participants link back to the contest just in case someone else sees the post and want to know more information about the contest.
I also try to remember to place the contest sponsor above the link so anyone else can visit that person and see their activity on steem and whether they want to follow that person and place them in their feed.
This is a unique contest indeed. Constructing a complete story in 31 sentence of varying word lengths. I hope you decide to join in next week. It's a weekly contest with prizes.
Thanks for the follow, and thanks for the interest. Have a great day.
No not new just haven't been active here for awhile. But starting to make a come back and get back involved with the community. I had gotten really sick and was in and out of the hospital.
So I am happy to be recovering and getting back into the swing of things and caught up on everything I have missed.
Getting sick like that makes you realize how fragile life is and to cherish everything! ♥️💯
Check this contest out, @bit-trader. Below is a contest I think would help you if you win. It's worth entering. Ask the sponsor should you have any questions.
https://steempeak.com/redfishposh/@sgt-dan/redfishposh-extension#@sgt-dan/re-justclickindiva-q55ujh
Thank you so much @justclickindiva! I really appreciate you commenting back with me and offering these new contests! You're awesome!
Definitely will look into the contest. 💯😀
So well written ... so sad, so real, and so relieving when help arrives ... brilliant!
Hello. Thanks for your visit. This behavior is categorized as an addiction that takes careful and loving intervention.
I appreciate your engagement. Have a good start to your weekend.
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Lovely story.
My mom is a hoarder. We had to move many, many times in my youth. One of the worst things was carrying her twenty trash bags filled with clothes that she couldn't possibly wear in a year, even if she changed every day.
The last time I went to stay with her, I found out and saw a semi-truck trailer, like the ones that deliver to big chain stores, filled to the top with rats living within the mess. I was horrified. She just won't let that stuff go.
Hello @tristancarax I understand completely. I knew someone once in that situation. I didn't even scratch the surface of what really could happen in these type of situations because it's so gross and heartbreaking. But the fact is it's an illness that requires therapy. Family usually doesn't know how to help and only makes the family member withdraw even further and ban them from coming around.
In worse case scenarios, animal life is living inside the appliances, including the refrigerators, cupboards, stove, and cabinets. That's what makes people sick.
My mom was a mini hoarder. But as much as she brought in, we gave away. And she didn't even miss it. It was a never-ending revolving door. I've seen worse cases than hers. At least, it didn't involve trash. Just junk trinkets, and 10 items of each.
You have garnered support from the @bananafish community. We appreciate you're fine work and hope that you will continue to produce awesome content for us to feast our minds on.
Wow, hi @bananafish. How have you been? Long time no see. Thanks for dropping by and giving me some much needed love. I appreciate the support and spotlight.