Even a desperate fly, was trying to make a break for freedom, as it relentlessly and futilely headbutted the window; donk, donk, donk, each tiny bump scraping away a minute particle of smoke residue.
The air was already foggy as new flumes of acrid smoke rose into the gloomy atmosphere, merging with the resident clouds. She sat on the only seat in the room, sordid and stained from food and excrement. Her yellow fingers barely clinging to the butt of a cigarette, which should have been extinguished a few puffs prior.
She was oblivious to the cascade of cigarette butts flowing from the ashtray, and pooling out onto the floor, before swooshing into several different estuaries all making their way into the hall, seeping and spilling further into the bedroom. A soiled mattress surrendered itself into the otherwise empty room. Wallpaper peeled off the walls like burnt skin.
The packaging from several evening meals was piled up on the sitting-room table, on top of the most recent eviction letter. Congealed tomato ketchup smeared onto the letter from the packaging. At least she was eating.
She raised her hand to her mouth and almost simultaneously dropped the now deceased butt on the floor whilst reaching for her rolling tobacco.
A TV perched precariously above a redundant fireplace. The sound was muted and all that could be seen…
