LEAKS

By Azul Herrera

The leaks became a problem two weeks after the move. It was to be expected, the house was old and run down, and with the amount of rain we got humidity, it was a problem. We placed pots and cups around the place, and for days the house was filled with pit, pat, drip, pit, pat, drip. It honestly drove us mad. The second choice, naturally, was to bring in professionals, but when we called in they said it would take about five to seven business days. Of course, we took the bet, and decided to take matters into our hands.

We were four weeks into the new house when the mould started to grow. Patches of black moss-like substance, covered in white fuzzy dots; if you looked long enough it almost seemed as if something was squirming beneath the surface. We were not bold enough to prod at it.

The coughing began three days after, first my partner than me. We assumed it was a cold at first, the way it felt as if bags of smoke were shoved down our lungs, and every inhale or exhale we took would release the smog and tear our lungs apart. The itch that came with it was the worst part, just as though the very mould that grew in the house, had started to bloom in our throat.