Therapy – Friday Fictioneers

Published by

Thomas Charles Henry

January 12, 2018

Happy New Year! Apologies, I’ve been absent from my blog for a while. Too busy to write 100 words each week apparently. How does that happen? Anyway, it’s Friday Fictioneers time again! The challenge is to write a 100-word story in response to a weekly photo prompt chosen by our wonderful host Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Follow the link to her blog for more information. Thank you to all who take the time to read, like, or comment.

2018 01 12

PHOTO PROMPT © Victor and Sarah Potter

Therapy

“How do you mean, ‘tired’?”

“I don’t know,” I avoided her gaze. She looked like the mother of a childhood friend. “It’s not like I’m unhappy all of the time. I have moments, days even, when I feel fine. But when I’m low, I recall those happier times as though I had to fight to feel that way. I’m tired of fighting. I’m exhausted. Like a fly caught in a web, waiting to be consumed. I’m terrified of spiders. Did I mention that?”

She didn’t answer. My story had put her to sleep.

I left when my hour was up.

10 responses to “Therapy – Friday Fictioneers”

anuragbakhshi

January 13, 2018

Awwwe, poor guy cannot catch a break!

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Laurie Bell

January 13, 2018

Oh dear, this is very sad

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Christine Goodnough

January 13, 2018

Sounds like a poor therapist. Hope the speaker gets a refund.😉

I know what you mean about “too busy… I may write a hundred word comment to someone’s post, but to devote the time and attention to creating a new story…

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pennygadd51

January 14, 2018

Boredom had never struck me as an occupational hazard for a therapist, but if you had a patient like that…I guess the therapist should be asking better questions and guiding the session better.

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1. Thom Carswell
  
  January 14, 2018
  
  Haha! “A patient like that”. This comment has made my day! The story was autobiographical, except I didn’t really talk about spiders and webs. It was the hottest day of the year so I forgave her, but I never went back.
  
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  1. pennygadd51
    
    January 14, 2018
    
    The story reminded me irresistibly of ‘Airplane’!
    
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Dan Bohn

January 14, 2018

– I left when my hour was up.- That’s a great line. Fun story Thomas. I’ve sat in church services like that,,,, and waiting for my hour to be up.

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Edith M. Field

January 15, 2018

Stunning irony in the opening line. Perhaps she should be asking herself that question!

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Dale

January 15, 2018

What a crappy therapist!

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granonine

January 15, 2018

Hmmmm. Because I’m a therapist, I want to defend this one. Being tired all the time can be symptomatic of depression, but it can also be symptomatic of other things. Frankly, I had to read it twice to figure out who was the therapist, who was the client. Anyway, I will admit to fighting off the drowsies around 2 in the afternoon, on very rare occasions–but I do fight it successfully. I have little tricks I play on myself, like tickling my palate with the tip of my tongue, holding my breath for the count of five, chewing a stick of gum. Hard candy is also helpful. The thing is, you sit there for several hours listening, trying to sort out an often discursive narrative, the room is warm, you just had lunch. . . . .but yeah, you really shouldn’t fall asleep. Especially as deeply as this therapist did.

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