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Finally. Oh, finally, he’d been purchased. There were other radiators in the shop that had been around longer than he had, but he’d just had a feeling that it was his day, and there he was, being loaded into the boot of a car. He didn’t think it was Colin’s car, as another man was driving, but he was fairly sure he belonged to Colin now, as Colin had been the one to pay for him.
He hoped Colin was his new owner. The man was perfect, so thin. He’d heard all of the stories from the used radiators at the shop, and thin was the best. The thin ones really needed the heat, and there was nothing Bradley wanted more than to be so useful.
The other bloke, Joe, installed him, and Bradley was losing some of his elation, because Joe seemed to produce a good amount of heat on his own. He wouldn’t need Bradley like Colin would.
But then Joe left, and it was just him and Colin, and Bradley would have jumped for joy if he hadn’t been a bit clunky and made of metal. Colin turned him up so high that night, and from his place by the bed, he could see the smile as his owner slept, warm and content.
They fell into a comfortable routine- Bradley would keep Colin’s flat warm while he was out during the day, and get to see Colin relax when he got home, discarding all of his coats and scarves because he didn’t need them inside, where he had Bradley’s heat. And Bradley – well, Bradley was just living the dream.
He noticed when Colin started to seem more agitated and depressed. He wasn’t going out during the day so much anymore, but Bradley didn’t mind that, because it meant he got to keep Colin warm all day. The temperature didn’t seem to please him, though, and he spent most of his time making phone calls and clicking around on his laptop, his face twisted in a deep frown.
And then one day, Bradley stopped working. He didn’t understand – he felt fine, he was sure there was nothing wrong with any of his parts, except that he just couldn’t turn on. The lights were off, so he could barely see Colin using a torch to find extra blankets, piling them on the bed because the temperature in the flat was already dropping.
Bradley realized the problem then. The electricity had been cut off. He could feel the block keeping him from tapping into the energy he needed. He tried to coax it, slip in slowly as to go unnoticed, anything to get a connection and work, but nothing got him power.
He heard the sniffle from Colin’s blanket pile, and that was that. He wasn’t taking no for an answer on this one. He forced his way through the block, snagging hold of the electricity and hanging on for dear life. Finally it gave up the fight, just let him in, though he could feel the resentment, the many wires saying ‘your outlet isn’t supposed to get electricity!’ He ignored them, because this was Colin, and they just didn’t understand.
And so he roared back to life, pushing his heat out to the furthest corners of the room, pleased when he saw Colin perk up. His owner looked confused but incredibly pleased, even letting out a laugh of relief, as it really was very cold out. Colin moved his blankets to the floor, curling up right next to Bradley. He still had a smile on his face when he finally fell asleep, and Bradley lived the dream.