The Faulty Fan

Short Story Day 34 of 365

The home James and Kathy bought as-is needed work. They were both young and able-bodied and willing to put in the hard work to make it theirs. Everything they would do from the day they moved in would be theirs.

That first full night in their new bedroom with their queen-sized bed completely set up was the best. After sleeping on floors and in sleeping bags for a month, they could finally relax on a bed.

In their bedroom.

Their bedroom.

As they lay in bed talking about upgrades and ideas for sprucing up their home in the interim, Kathy noticed the ceiling fan as it rotated.

Mmwop. Mmwop. Mmwop. With every revolution of the fan, something on it was sticking or sluggish. Or perhaps the fan was just plain old.

“You know that fan’s going to drive me batty,” she said.

James tossed off his sheet, stood on the mattress, balanced himself, and pulled twice on the shortest cord hanging down. Satisfied it was the right cord because the fan was slowing down, he got back under the covers. 

The fan came to a complete stop and the two lay flat on their backs looking up.

James said, “Awful quiet in here.”

“Too quiet,” said Kathy.

“Your call. I can turn it on again but that funky noise might bug you. Which do you think you can get used to?”

“Well, it certainly won’t be silence, that’s for sure.”

“Alrighty.” James stood on the bed again, pulled one time on the short cord, and the fan came to life, this time faster than before.

Mwop mwop mwop mwop. The sound was more subtle than before and faster as the blades turned faster.

“I kinda like that sound better,” Kathy said

“Me too, said James. “Say, do you recall where we put that blanket? It’s a bit chillier in here now.”