April Showers Bring ...

April Showers Bring …

Tom rolled over in irritation. He'd been having an enjoyable dream but now he could hear Sarah, his Dachshund, barking incessantly.

Peering through bleary eyes, a red "6:42" stared back at him.

“She probably needs to go …,” the muffled voice of Janice slipped out from under the rumpled pile of blankets next to him.

The rumble of thunder cut her off and Tom focused enough to hear the sound of rain hitting the windows. “Isn’t it your turn to walk her?”

“She’s your dog. She barely tolerates me. Besides, it’s only rain. You know what they say, April showers bring May flowers.”

Tom peered out the window. “At this rate, the Mayflower will be able to sail right up to the back porch.”

Janice’s head appeared. “Really? Pilgrim puns at this hour? For that, you are banned from the bed. Go take care of your dog.”

Grumbling but grinning, Tom dragged himself out of bed and pulled on his jeans.

"Sarah!" he yelled but the barking continued. He tottered to the kitchen. Sarah was jumping at the basement door.

"What's going on, girl?" he asked. Sarah barked. "Sorry, girl, I don't speak rough." Tom smiled at his pun but Sarah, unimpressed, turned back to the door.

Opening the door, Tom watched Sarah scrabble down the stairs. Splash, splash echoed back.

"What?" Tom's startled response was cut short as Sarah returned, dripping wet. Tom hurried down the stairs to find his basement flooded. “Janice! I think we have a problem,” he yelled down the hallway.

Janice appeared and Tom pointed to Sarah. “She’s soaking wet. I think there’s an issue in the basement.”

“You think? Did you look?”

“Of course! There’s water half way up the stairs. It was so flooded that the mice and insects were starting to pair up. Is that enough clues for you?”

Janice shook her head. “Okay, okay. So, what do we do now?”

“I’m going to call my buddy, George. He’s a plumber.”

Picking up his cellphone, Tom dialed. "Morning, George," Tom said. "Yes, I know what time it is but this is an emergency. You're a plumber and my basement's underwater. Could you come over?" Hearing an assent, he hung up.

George arrived carrying a toolbox. "Have you shut off the main yet?" he asked.

"I remember the Maine," Tom retorted, thinking of his sinking basement.

Ignoring the weak humor, George said, "Never mind, it's probably drownstairs."

At Tom's groan, George laughed. "Payback's a bitch. No offense, Sarah."

Janice, seeing the direction the conversations was going, chimed in, “With her, it's "O-K, Sarah, Sarah!"

George gave a disgusted stare, shook his head, and then disappeared down the stairs. He returned after a few minutes.

"Were you able to fix it?" asked Tom.

"Nope," was the terse answer. "With all the rain we've had, I'd guess the water level has risen. You've an underground flow that broke through your foundation. The water's almost table high," said George.

"Would that make it a pool table?" quipped Tom.

George groaned more loudly than before. "What have I done to deserve this pun-ishment?" Hoping to move past the joke, George said, "Look at the bright side."

"What's that?"

"Well, you've been telling me how you needed to straighten up your basement. This gives you a perfect opportunity."

"You're right!" said Tom, with a wicked grin. "I guess this could be considered a spring cleaning."

Janice couldn’t take it anymore. “Out! Take your dog and leave.”

Tom just stared. “Really? Look, honey, I was just trying to keep things light.”

Janice grinned. “It’s not permanent but I thought if I got you to take Sarah for her walk, with this rain, it would help clean up your act.”

Even Sarah winced at that one.

An entry for the April round of "The Bard's Hall Contest" 
Prompt: Write a comedy story /dialogue, about being caught out in the rain.
Word Limit: 2000
Word Count: 666