Watery Easter

Easter morning shed its joy in the quaint apartment home. The lingering giggles and excitement overtook the quiet dawn. The sun stayed in her slumber while the children dug through their brightly colored, bulging baskets. Hidden plastic eggs riddled the place waiting to be found. The children's glee switched directions. They became hungry with the hunt. Tossing their new toys aside, they raced through the house grasping each one with their tiny hands. Some tried to hide, while others knew their fate and stayed in sight so they could be captured. The children shook them and cracked them open. The eggs' contents spewed out onto the floor--behold a chocolate bunny wrapped in her finest tin foil attire. Smiles stretched wide over the children's faces.

At last, the devastation came to an end. The children tossed their toys into their parents' laps--anxious for them to be opened. The next moments were spent slashing open the cardboard boxes and saving the toys from their plastic dungeons. Time to rest as the children run to their lairs to play with their newest treasures. The parents relaxed until the handsome husband had to reluctantly leave for his work. The children could not be bothered today to give him a quick kiss, but Mommy made sure to make up for the love lost. She hugged him tenderly, wiping the silent tear from her face, and bode him a farewell fit for a king. He slipped out the door and scuffled to the red car.

The woman slumped down into the couch. Her eyes shifted to the clock--forcing her inner secretary to take note of the time before passing it to the mental mathematician. He relayed the message to let her know she had a few moments before attempting Easter dinner. The small baby boy trotted to her, and jumped up on the couch. He cuddled closely, rubbing his eyes and letting out an enormous yawn. Mommy scooped him up in her arms and held him tight. She ran her slender fingers through his silky blond hair. The boy laughed, cocking his head to one side to give her a quick mischievous glance. The twinkle in his eyes foretold what he planned to do next. Jumping off the couch into the pillows below, his antics forced his Mommy to prop to her feet and stop him from his dare-devilish ways.

After hours of chasing him around, the sandman finally casted his spell on the toddler. The boy had no choice, but to surrender. He crawled to his sleeping spot, calling his Mommy with a few muffled whines. She picked him up and snuggled with him on the couch. He swiftly journeyed into dream world--his eyes fluttering back-and-forth underneath the thin skin covering his eyeballs. The woman gazed at her beautiful angel.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Sirens startled her. The two blond haired girls rushed out of their bedroom to find out what was going on. The woman gently placed the baby on the pillow, jumped to her feet, and ran to the large wooden door. She rested her hand on it to check for signs of heat. It seemed fine, so she opened it looking for a fire. The coast was clear--no smoke or fire. Her mind swirled with what-to-dos. She was in her nightgown. There was no immediate danger. 'Go get some pants then rush the children out of the home,' her mind told her.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Icy water engulfed her feet. Confused, she looked around. The hallway was flooded. The water surged out of the toilet bowl. She ran to the valve and quickly turned it. Water drained from the toilet. The alarms filled her ears. The water clogged her thoughts. She examined the situation then sprung into action. Grabbing every piece of cloth she could find, she threw it on top of the water to soak it up. She sprinted to the kitchen, grabbed the dust pan, and shoveled the pool of water into the tub. After making some head way, she ran to the phone to call her husband; no answer. She dashed into the bedrooms, which were also partially flooded, and tossed the furniture out of its path.

The two little girls sobbed. The loud buzzing of the alarms and the huge basin of water scared them. The woman consoled them while rushing through the place like a Tasmanian Devil with a purpose. She tried to call her husband once more, but still couldn't get through. She made a quick post to Facebook, hoping it would be another means to reach him. But she couldn't wait, she looked up his work number and called to let him know what was going on. She also needed to know what to do next. "Call the landlord," he states. Of course! Duh! She punched in the numbers, but the firefighters came first.

They switched the alarm off and assessed the damage. Meanwhile, her phone started to blow up from the calls of worried loved ones and her husband searching for answers. She tried to multi-task; talking with the firefighters while consoling the children and speaking with concerned family members. Finally, the landlord showed up. She offered calming words and shared a quick joke to try an ease the tension. The firefighters reopened the valve. No more flood--don't know what caused it. No clogs. They left to enjoy their holiday--relieved they didn't have to face a fire. The petite landlord informed the woman that a worker will stop by to help with the clean-up. She took off to her home. The woman was left alone. Easter Day started to slip away.

Everything clamed down. Her husband came home and looked at the mess. Soon after, a tall, husky man appeared with his handy Shop-vac and sucked the water out of the carpets. Meanwhile, the couple moved fast to get dinner prepared. They chopped and whisked. And then they spiced and boiled. The house filled with the aroma of ham and fixings. The worker finished his job and went on his way. Dinner was done much later than anticipated, but it tasted so good--better than any meal before. The family sat at the table, ignoring the mess, and enjoyed each other's company. Easter was salvaged.

Even to this day, there is no reason why that toilet should have flooded; however, there could only be one explanation--the Easter Bunny did it.

Please check out my webpage and social media links for more about me. Thank you!

~Jaclyn

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