Short Stories

Laundry Day

I knew it was that time again when I was thrown into the basket. Laundry day had come once more. More clothes were thrown on top of me. This is it, I thought. The final moments of a lowly towel. It wasn't the end, of course. That was just what I would tell myself to make things more dramatic. I shifted slightly as some unseen creature picked up the basket. I was jostled along with occasional pauses as we stopped to pick up more laundry. We neared our destination. I was terrified. I knew what would come next. The creature, or whatever it was, would stop and throw us into more baskets! Oh the horror! I thought. What if I'm thrown into the next basket first? Then all of the other towels will be thrown on top of me and I'll be squished! There was nothing I hated more than being thrown in the basket first.
I felt it when our transportation ceased. I just knew in my gut that we had reached the end of the line. That was ridiculous though. I'm a towel, so of course I don't have a gut. I waited, terrified, as clothes were pulled off of me. Then I saw it, that big blinding light. I could feel all of my worry melt away. I heard angelic voices singing my name. These were my final moments! I was dropped into the big white machine, or the Towel Twirler, as we called it. The exit slammed shut and I was trapped.
Slowly, the Towel Twirler began to spin. Faster and faster it went. Soon, water began to pour down on me. I will never understand why that creature wishes to drown my brethren, I sighed. What have we done to deserve this? Round and round we went. Good thing I can't get dizzy, I thought.
Finally, the Towel Twirler slowed. I was pulled out of the Towel Twirler, all soggy and gross. Then I was thrown into the next machine. This one was far worse than the Towel Twirler. Instead of drowning us, the next machine would burn us all to a crisp! We called this machine, the Towel Torcher! Sure, sure, all of my other statements have been slightly exaggerated, but this one isn't. The Towel Torcher is a true terror! First, we get thrown in! Then, the Towel Torcher begins to spin while fiery hot air is blasted onto us! I come out looking like fried chicken! Well, I mean a fried towel. I'm not a chicken either.
I felt the Towel Torcher start to whir its deplorable gears. The hot air began to blast. Oh the pain, the agony! I thought. I spun around and around. When the Towel Torcher finally stopped, we were, again, thrown needlessly into baskets. It was very dark. I decided that I was in the middle of the basket. Then more glorious light broke through my fog of despair! I was gently folded and stacked in a cupboard.
I don't know why everyone thinks laundry day is so bad, I thought. It's really just a nice long bath. Being a towel, I have a very bad memory. I wouldn't remember the horrors of laundry day until it came again, the following week.