The Bath: A Freewrite

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posted: Jun 27th, 2006
under: writing

Freewriting is a wonderful technique for getting the creativity flowing. Here’s an example of one I did a while back:

Abby Daniel tossed her keys on the couch as she entered her apartment. She shook out her hair, cursing the inconvenience of the recent downpour. Of course it would be her luck to get caught outside in it. Typical. She pried her overcoat from her arms and let it slide to the floor, as she thought about her day.

She and Mark had argued. It was her fault and she knew it. She had freaked out on him. It all just seemed too soon. Spending a weekend away together? Just the two of them? She paused as she kicked her shoes off and smiled, recounting the moments preceding the fight. She blushed. Well, perhaps it wouldn’t be all bad. Maybe it wasn’t too soon. Maybe she was actually falling in love with him. Maybe.

Abby dismissed the thought as quickly as it came, focusing instead on how cold she felt. A hot shower…no a bath would be a nice end to the day. She slithered out of her wet clothes, leaving them rumpled in the hallway where she stood. She grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass from the kitchen, and headed for the bathroom, where she drew a bath and allowed herself to disappear beneath the steam.

She emptied her glass of its wine and set it on the floor, then laid against the back of the tub. She let the water come up over her ears as she thought about calling Mark and apologizing. He would understand. He’d has his share of freak outs too. Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint tapping in the distance. Clanking pipes.

She liked listening to them. It was a muffled tap here and there, unrhythmic in its beat. Old houses were famous for them. Tap. Clink. Tap. She closed her eyes and focused on the music in the pipes. Tap. Tap. Plink. CLANG.

She jolted upright and water splashed over the sides of the tub. That wasn’t normal. TAP. The sound grew louder. She sighed. Lovely. CLINK. There goes my relaxing evening. A pipe must be busted. Great…

Abby flicked the drain stopper with her toe. No matter. She felt warm enough. She noticed then that the water didn’t empty from the tub. Wonderful. It’s clogged now. Running her thumb over the drain, she felt the normal tug that should make the water flow, only it wasn’t moving. It remained still. CLANG.

Silence.

What the? Does that mean the pipe burst? She sighed. Can this day get any worse?

A current shifted the water around Abby’s calves. She startled at the movement, but felt relieved for it too. Perhaps the clog unstuck itself. Ouch! She grabbed her toe. It felt like…like something bit her. But that can’t be right…can it? Blood entered into the current as it swirled around her legs. The stream of murky water raced around calves, circling up her thighs, then squeezed.

Abby screamed.

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This free-write I wrote after being inspired from my own bath. I heard similar sounds, only nothing came out of my drain. If I decided to do anything with this, it would need some work. But sometimes free-writes can be fun.