The thumping started again. Every day, at the same time. I could set my clock by it.
Thump, thump, thump. Faster and faster each time. It had been going on about two weeks.
I knew the upstairs tenants, but only in passing. You know, the usual nod and walk on kind of acquaintance. It doesn't pay to get too close to people when you live in an apartment building. Then you have to stop, and talk. Things are complicated if you're close. All I knew about the upstairs neighbors was that they were a couple, almost comic in appearance. He thick and short, she tall and lean. Almost like the nursery rhyme. But I resolved to break down the wall of polite civility that separated us.
They walked the dog every night. I'd meet them out there one night to find out what the heavens was going on.
"Hi," I began in my usual fashion. Then, as the couple was about to move on, I continued. "I noticed a lot of activity lately upstairs. Do you have a guest?"
I didn't know what else to say. Didn't want it to be a noise complaint.
The thin wife turned to her husband.
"You see, Gerald, he can hear it."
Gerald blushed.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "You see, we're going to a New Years party and I wanted to trim down a bit. I've been running. It was on carpet so I thought you might not notice."
It was all I could do to keep a straight face.
"No problem," I managed to say soberly. "It's wonderful you have an exercise program. It's barely audible. I wish you luck."
I had to get out of there fast because the laughter was hard to repress. As soon as I got safely inside my door, the laughter poured out of me.
"A thick runner of carpet," I thought. "What a great title for a story".
The prompt for this Freewrite is 'thick runner of carpet". I had fun meeting this challenge. Perhaps it ran a little over five minutes. I didn't set the clock.
I wish everyone health and peace in 2021