Irv's Plunge

A tenant descends into a world that forces him to confront his loneliness and isolation with help from a kind neighbor.

    An eerie noise from the bathroom startled Irv.  He walked through the kitchen toward the bathroom toilet.  It sounded like a shrill hissing teapot on high heat.  Irv jiggled the handle and flushed and jiggled again.  He wondered if an object got stuck in the pipes.  A plumber had recently fixed his overflowing toilet or thought he had.  The plumber had warned Irv that the toilet was poorly designed and structurally deteriorating.  Irv knew that the bathroom floor was caving in and a hole formed under the flimsy rug.  The plumber had sealed the hole but emphasized this was only a temporary measure.  Corrosion and cracking could render the repair worthless.  He advised Irv to phone the landlord immediately.  Irv tried phoning and left a voice message but hadn’t heard back.