Baking Soda In Drain [upd] Today

Eleanor stared at the mess. She had put the baking soda in the kitchen drain. But the poison had come out elsewhere. It always did.

The smell of vinegar was overpowering. But underneath it, unmistakable now, was the sharp, funereal scent of lilies. baking soda in drain

She stood up, refusing to be defeated by plumbing. She fetched the heavy-duty gel drain cleaner from under the sink, the industrial stuff with skull-and-crossbones warnings. She squeezed the entire bottle down the drain, the gel clinging to the porcelain like translucent, chemical leeches. Eleanor stared at the mess

“Stubborn today, are we?” she murmured, as if addressing a sulky child. It always did

An hour later, the gel had done its work. The water whooshed down with a clean, final gulp. Eleanor ran the hot tap for five minutes, washing away the evidence. The sink gleamed. The ritual was complete.

She knelt, her knees cracking on the linoleum, and peered into the sink. A single black hair, impossibly long, coiled on the surface of the stagnant water. Not hers. Hers was short and grey. This was dark, almost blue.