I was about to get off work yesterday when I got a…
I was about to get off work yesterday when I got a message from my friend Dean. “Uh, we’ve got a bit of a flood here, so I won’t be able to meet you for dinner,” I heard him say, the sound of a large waterfall almost drowning out the sound of his voice. This called for action, so I immediately gathered up my things and headed for Subway, where I purchased three foot-long subs. Flood-fighters need food, I reasoned. Then I headed over to Dean’s apartment.
When I got there, water was trickling out the door of the building, and there was evidence of a much larger flood. Dean’s apartment is on the 7th floor. Not daring to take the elevator even though it was still working, I navigated the waterfalls that threatened to take over the stairwell. People with incredulous looks on their faces stood at their doorways.
The apartment itself was like a mini waterpark. I had to take off my shoes and roll up my pantlegs to wade through. Water covered the floor, splashed down the stairs and coursed from the chandeliers. Eoghain’s room upstairs, including his computer, was under about a foot of water. He was the one who discovered the flood when he came home and had the presence of mind to shut off the electricity.
Apparently someone had opened up the emergency fire valve behind the large-screen TV wall, which nobody had known existed. The plumber examined the situation with a critical eye and immediately said his professional conclusion was that there was a ghost in the apartment.
We packed up and headed out it got dark and went to Buca Buca, where we met up with Brian and Nicolas, who work with Dean at the GIO. Brian proceeded to drink a long series of martinis as a live band of questionable talent but undeniable volume challenged our eardrums. Eventually word came that the water had for the most part been pumped out and the electricity restored, so Dean and Kay headed back rather than try to find a cheap hotel, as they had originally planned. I returned home and really appreciated the fact that my room is warm and dry.
If it had been my room that was flooded, I would have been on a rampage, but Dean and the others seemed to be taking it quite well. Apparently the landlord has insurance which will pay for the damage, so they’ll at least get new carpeting. If I were them, I would have a word with the ghost about paying back rent, though.
