Unblocking A Bath -

More came out. Strands of his own hair, long and ginger, tangled with what looked like cat fur (they’d never owned a cat). A bobby pin. The ghost of a cotton ball. Finally, with a wet, sucking sigh, the drain released. The water spun into a lazy vortex, then vanished with a hollow gurgle.

“Right,” he muttered. “Fine.”

Next came the wire coat hanger, straightened with brute force and guilt. He fed it down the plughole, twisting blindly. The metal scraped against something soft and unyielding: a wad of something ancient. Hair, probably. Soap scum. The film of a hundred showers and a dozen half-melted bath bombs from the Christmas before last. unblocking a bath

He fetched the plunger first—the small sink-sized one, which was optimistic. Three hard pumps sent a belch of foul air up through the drain, but the water level didn’t drop. It just shivered, as if mocking him.

Liam sat back on the bathmat, victorious and revolted. He ran the tap for a minute just to watch it drain clean. Then he poured bleach down the plughole, lit a candle, and made a silent promise to buy a drain guard. More came out

The water sat in the tub like old tea, unmoving and brown-tinged, hours after Liam had climbed out. He stood in the doorway, towel still damp on his shoulders, staring at the greasy ring left behind.

He pulled out a dark, sodden clump that smelled like a wetland grave. A wave of nausea passed. He dropped it into a plastic bag and went back in. The ghost of a cotton ball

He never did. But for one evening, the bath ran free.