Field guide No. 259

An old cast-iron radiator sits on a sunlit oak floor that has gone soft beneath it, the boards sagging like a mattress. Central heating, slowly sinking.

The radiator’s soft landing

Heavier than the floor expected.

An old cast-iron radiator sits on a sunlit oak floor that has gone soft beneath it, the boards sagging like a mattress. Central heating, slowly sinking.

Field noteOak that sags like a mattress is wood forgetting itself. Heavy radiators on soft floors are no paradox.

Specimen
No. 259
Kind
Possible (the golden mountain kind)
Breaks
Material
Where it doesn’t exist
A sunlit oak floor, in a room that runs warm.
Nearest existing relative
A cast-iron radiator, and a mattress.
Filed in Fresh slop as
Objects

Also possible, also breaking material