Drip... drip...

When drops of dirty water began to drip from the floor onto the ceiling, she felt something strange happening. At first, it was almost imperceptible. She had grown accustomed to the tiny slaps of the drops on the surface of the bucket. Then one day, the slaps quieted, becoming soft, as if water were suddenly dripping onto the carpet or onto a thick layer of duckweed. She was sitting in the kitchen, sipping tea. She sat and stared out the window. It had been raining for almost two weeks. Everything seemed to be saturated with damp. Mold was creeping into the corners of the house. She sat, her mind racing with various ways to eradicate it. The small specks, barely the size of a pinkie fingernail, haunted her. Just then, she heard a change in the sound of the drops. The change was abrupt. One drop fell with its usual, characteristic slap, while the next struck softly against its target. Plop... plop... plop... As if someone had set down a bucket and drops began to fall onto the carpet. Except that the living room didn't have carpet, only parquet. The sound should have been hard and sharp, not "plop, plop!" So it would be reasonable to assume something was wrong. The girl got up from the table and went into the room. The bucket was still in its usual place, and the drops continued to fall. She wanted to go back to her tea, blaming it on exhaustion or misheard. After all, she hadn't been sleeping very well lately. Problems with her newly purchased apartment were troubling her. Only at second glance did she realize something was wrong. Normally, drops should fall from the ceiling onto the floor, into the bucket, like any normal drops. She looked at the surface of the water in the bucket. The water was gathering in small clumps and dripping from the center of the surface. The drops rose and hit a small puddle that had formed on the ceiling. Her first thought was how to place the bucket on the ceiling. After a moment, she decided that thought was as irrational as the very fact of such an event. But the drops continued to "fall," defying all laws of common sense. She approached the bucket and hesitantly held out her hand under the rising drop. It splashed against the hollow of her palm. Another followed, and another. As the water pooled, it began to seep between her fingers and trickled toward the ceiling. She thought it was absurd. This had to be a dream. But everything around her was perfectly real—the kitchen, the floor, the boxes of things stacked against the wall. Everything else was perfectly normal. The previous owner hadn't mentioned any strange or supernatural occurrences. True, the building was old and required some renovations, such as fixing the leaky roof, but otherwise it was in good condition. Located in a desirable district of the city, the bedroom window offered a magnificent view of the Old Town. She'd been thrilled like a child when she bought this apartment! Now all her happiness was ruined because of the strange behavior of the raindrops! She turned her hand over, and the remnants of water fell to the ceiling.She stood for a moment, head tilted back, staring at the growing puddle of water on the ceiling. This was absurd! She'd fetched a long-handled dishcloth from the kitchen. However, wiping it off only left streaks on the white ceiling, and the water continued to drip. Moving the bucket around didn't help either. Water dripped from the bucket onto the ceiling from everywhere in the room. Desperate, she decided to empty the water into the bathtub. She hefted the bucket and clumsily shuffled to the bathroom, gripping the handle with both hands. She poured the water out. It churned in the drain, and for a moment, nothing happened. All she could hear was the gurgle of water flowing down the drain. And then silence. Satisfied, she was about to finish her tea when she heard a soft splash. Then a louder "drip!" and a drop of water carelessly fell from the drain strainer and splashed on the ceiling. Now that was it! She plugged the drain with a towel and went to the kitchen. She finished her tea and walked around the apartment, searching for other unusual incidents. But other than that, everything was fine. She was even pleased that the water had finally stopped dripping from the ceiling in her room. She sat on the couch and lit a cigarette. She had to think. Maybe they could get a biocurrent specialist in the apartment? Maybe it was some kind of water vein? But the previous tenant had praised this apartment and hadn't mentioned anything like that. Something didn't feel right. She stubbed out her cigarette and went to bed. She decided to deal with the problem tomorrow. She would report it to the manager. Have the installers come and investigate. But what exactly would they do? They would come, talk, scratch their empty heads, and leave. A specialist would be better. But who? A plumber, a magician, a bioenergy therapist? Are there any esoteric plumbers? Or maybe call "Unbelievable"? But that would be tomorrow...She decided to deal with the problem tomorrow. She'd report it to the administrator. Have the installers come and investigate. But what exactly would they do? They'd come, chat, scratch their empty heads, and leave. A professional would be better. But who? A plumber, a magician, a bioenergy therapist? Are there any esoteric plumbers? Or maybe call "Unbelievable"? But that's tomorrow...She decided to deal with the problem tomorrow. She'd report it to the administrator. Have the installers come and investigate. But what exactly would they do? They'd come, chat, scratch their empty heads, and leave. A professional would be better. But who? A plumber, a magician, a bioenergy therapist? Are there any esoteric plumbers? Or maybe call "Unbelievable"? But that's tomorrow...

During the night, she was awakened by a rustling sound, like sand in an hourglass pouring. For a moment, she listened in amazement. The sound gave her the worst premonition. What if this was another strange occurrence? What this time? It sounded like sand in an hourglass. Sand? She threw off the covers and, dazed by sleep, shuffled into her room. She turned on the light and for a moment saw nothing. She dimmed the brightness. At first, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. But the strange noise continued. And then she noticed small piles of dirt on the ceiling. Earth was dripping from two flowerpots, falling directly onto the ceiling. The girl cursed aloud. This was more than she could bear. On her first impulse, she moved the pots to the bathroom. She returned to the living room, grabbed her jacket, and ran out into the hallway. She ran downstairs and knocked on the neighbors' door. She had to knock several times before the portly old woman opened the door.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in a cracked voice.

The girl didn't know what to say. And when you don't know what to say, it's better to tell the truth or remain silent forever.

"Haven't you noticed anything strange in your apartment?"

The old woman looked expectant.

"You know, something unusual. Maybe something with the plumbing?

" "Do you know what time it is?

" "Yes, I know, but... my water is dripping!"

"I guess that can wait until tomorrow, right, honey? Please put the bowl down. This problem was reported to the management a long time ago...

" "But you don't understand! My water is dripping from the floor to the ceiling!"

The old woman's eyes widened and she slammed the door in the girl's face. Later, she was supposed to tell her husband that they'd given the apartment to some drug addict. Such things should be reported to the appropriate authorities, the old woman declared, and went to bed. The girl, however, stood by the door for a moment longer. She decided against visiting anyone else. She ran to her room and closed the door firmly. She ran to the bathroom. The sand had almost completely drained away. Mixed with the water she'd collected earlier, it created a picturesque muddy mess. She cursed loudly. Then she heard the tinkle of breaking glasses. She ran to the kitchen. Just as she thought, the glasses on the table shattered against the ceiling. A broom lay on the ceiling right by the window. She opened the cupboard; knives and forks flew skyward. She fled back to her room. Just as she entered, boxes of things crashed against the ceiling. She screamed in terror. The neighbor downstairs began banging on the ceiling with a broom. And then, in mere seconds, all the objects were on the ceiling. And silence. The girl stood on the bare floor, unsure what to do. It seemed that now it would be her turn. She stood, her hands stretched above her head to cushion a possible fall (or perhaps a rise?). But nothing happened. An ominous silence reigned, broken only by the creaking of the concrete beneath the old cast-iron bathtub, which also desperately wanted to rise to the ceiling. And, only now did she hear it, water was pouring from the toilet. The puddle of mud was growing larger and larger. The girl ran into the hallway. Deciding not to bother the neighbors and to seek help elsewhere, she ran out to the front of the building. The sky was clear and cloudless. She stopped on the sidewalk to consider what to do next, when suddenly she felt herself losing ground. She rose toward the clear, star-studded sky, above the city ablaze with streetlights and car headlights. She flew past an antenna; with her last strength, she managed to grab onto a white satellite TV cable. She hung there, swaying like algae in a weak current, and remained there until dawn broke and the city's inhabitants were treated to a vision of a woman floating peacefully on a television cable. Someone called the police, someone else an ambulance. Finally, with the help of the fire department, she was pulled down. Strapped to the bed, she was transported to the hospital.

"What were you doing on the cable? How do you manage to levitate?" the doctors asked.

"I don't know," the girl replied. "I don't know at all. It happened suddenly. In my apartment, everything suddenly started floating and rising to the ceiling. Apparently, it caught me too.

" "We were in your apartment. Everything is in its place. It's a mess, but everything is in its place. Nothing is floating there!

" "But... I saw it." And the ceiling!

- What about the ceiling?

- Is it muddy, damp?

- You have quite a bit of mold. But we didn't notice any mud.

The girl's nose hung down. The doctors left, and she was alone.

"The army has taken an interest in you," they added as they parted.

Another night had fallen after that terrible night, when everything had come to a halt. The girl slowly floated above the hospital bed, tied to her ankle with a soft rope. She stared out the window at the moon, which seemed as clinging to the world as she was.