Practice #2: A Warm Shower

My heart sped up as my apartment building came into view. It was a beautiful sight having spent the last three weeks on a remote island in Palau. I thanked the driver as he helped me retrieve my bags from the trunk and loaded myself up with gear one last time. I trudged through the revolving front door, nearly getting stuck due to the bulk of my bags.

I gave the receptionist a wordless nod in response to her greeting as I dragged my bags across the lobby towards the elevators. Normally I'd shoot the breeze with her for a bit, but having spent the last 36 hours traveling, I wasn't stopping until I got into my apartment.

After a short elevator ride and a walk down the hallway, I finally found myself standing in my apartment, but I had yet to reach my destination. Dropping my bags in the entryway, I made a bee-line for the master bathroom, shedding my clothes as I walked the final leg of my travels. Hopping on one foot while removing my last sock, I approached the shower door. I turned on the water and immediately stepped into the stream.

The frigid water shocked me like a bolt of lightning, but that icy bite soon softened to a cozy embrace as the water warmed. After letting the water wash over me for a few minutes, I got to scrubbing. Chills of pleasure shot down my spine as I cleaned away weeks of grime from my skin. I scoured every inch of my body from head to toe, leaving me tingling from the brush and sponge assault.

After a few more minutes of aquatic bliss, I turned off the water and toweled myself dry. I walked over to my bed and slipped between the sheets, thanking my past self for having washed them before leaving. I smiled as I savored the sheets softness on my freshly cleaned skin, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

This vignette is a practice scene from the prompt "Make me feel relief in ~250 words." I wanted to capture the relief of getting clean after spending a long time without a proper shower or bath. Let me know if I was successful down in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

- Ian