Jeff sat there for not more than 15 minutes, when a strange man walked
into his room.
"Yes, the bathroom's in Jeff's room, same floor plan as my daughter's
room. Just check it out, and clear the drains, I've got to go show a
house in 20 minutes," said Jeff's harried mother. Then she resumed her
cell phone conversation after unmuting the call, "Marjorie, you're
just going to love the house on Stimson Road. It's got everything you
and Jerry are looking for..." Her voice trailed off as she walked
away.
"Crazy bitch," muttered Rick under his breath as he headed for the
bathroom. He blinked as he saw the plunger sitting in front of the
computer, "She said she didn't even own a plunger. Well, if she don't
know she owns one, she won't miss. This'n's a nice one." He grabbed
the plunger that was Jeff and slipped him into an empty loop on his
tool belt. Then he paused to look at the computer screen.
He whistled, "One of those Chronivacs, I heard about them. Damn, boy,
you turned yourself into a plunger on purpose? 47 hours and 39 minutes
43 seconds remaining. Heh, heh, I think, I need to change some
settings, and maybe take this program home with me."
Jeff was mentally screaming as Rick's fingers gently rolled and
twisted his cylindrical body back and forth. He was aware but unable
to stop the brute from typing. He finished in just a few minutes, and
headed for Jeff's bathroom. He ran the faucet, shower, and flushed
the toilet. He checked under the sink for leaks, replaced an aerator
in the faucet. Then he made a note on his clipboard, and headed back
downstairs.
"So?" asked Jeff's mother Millie as she stood at the bottom of the
stairs.
"I replaced a couple aerators, everything else checked out. It's not
the mainline that's backed up, so I won't need the snake to clear your
downstairs toilet. I'll just need this," he said pulling Jeff off his
tool belt and holding him up, he said, "The trusty Plumber's Helper."
Then he carried Jeff into the powder room. Jeff wanted to scream as he
hovered inches over the stinky murky effluent and paper floating in
the guest toilet.
"Last time I let the UPS man use my toilet," muttered Jeff's mother
just before her cell phone rang. She wandered off to take the call.
Jeff submerged into the muck. Instinctively he tried to hold his
breath. He surged up and down sucking against the porcelain. There was
a whooshing sound and a whirlpool drained the muck. Rick rinsed Jeff
off in the now clean toilet water. Then he dried him with a rag before
hanging him back on the tool belt.
"Just sign here, Mrs.Squires," Rick said, "and don't worry I'll take
good care of your son."
"Well, it is about time that he started learning a profession, and I
can make some extra money renting out his room. I know plumbing costs
have risen, but it still feels weird paying for the service with my
first born son. Oh, well, I'm sure I'll get used to it, and the 24
hour prepaid service we'll get in exchange will be totally worth
it,"she said as if reading a script - one that Rick had typed only a
few minutes earlier. He grinned, as of that moment, Jeff became Rick's
property. Deep in his wooden bowels, Jeff could sense a change taking
place, and he didn't like it one bit.