She looked at the pliers again. She looked at the dark, gaping maw of the drain. This was the part of homeownership no one talked about at dinner parties.
She tried the plunger. It was a cheap, bright-red thing that looked like a toy. She positioned it over the drain, pushed down, and pulled back. A sickening glug-glug sound echoed through the tiles, followed by a burp of air that smelled faintly of wet dog and old pipes. The water level didn’t drop an inch. stopped up tub drain
Elena sat back on the cold tile floor, exhausted. Her hair was frizzy from the steam, her knees ached, and she had just engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a plumbing demon. She looked at the pliers again
Use a small (flat bottom, no flange). If you have an overflow hole (the small hole under the faucet), you must plug it with a wet rag—otherwise, you’ll just push air out that hole. She tried the plunger
The tub emptied in seconds. The porcelain groaned as the pressure released. The water vanished into the dark pipe, leaving a clean, wet ring around the tub.
It was horrifying. It was the size of a large mouse.