My Nan who I loved dearly was considered to have a bizarre mind.
She absolutely feared the sound of dripping tap, but why?
It took ages for mum and dad to calm her down as she shrieked with horror. When we got home they both raged at me for a good hour even after apologising for a millionth time. They even made me write an apology letter to Nan, and they stopped my pocket money for 2 whole months ! Ever since this day, I never experimented again and I even avoided Nan most of the time, as I thought this was best.
A few years later, as I got much older, I started re-visiting nan. After playing a few favourites of hers I plucked the courage to question her about her fear.
"Nan. Why don't you like dripping tap?" Nan opened her mouth but then her mouth snapped shut again. She was silent for a long time and took small deep breaths. I wondered if she'd thought better of telling me. Then she turned towards me,
"Kyle, look. I am going to tell you something...something, I have never told anyone before. When I was young, I .. I used to attend Lammas secondary school where I had lots of friends. It was a great school. One day my teacher Mrs Clarke arranged a trip for our class to see the local pantomime as a small treat. She said we were extra special as we will have the opportunity to see the actors and actresses. Everyone was obviously looking forward to is, because most of us have never even been the theatre before," Nan too her glasses of before continuing.
"That day, I ran home with excitement. When I handed my mum the letter, she deliberately lowered her head. I glanced at my sister who was glaring at me, sparks flying form her eyes. I realised that I should know better thank to ask, but... I .. I always believed 'don't ask,don't get."
"I'm sorry, Amy," Mum said firmly. "I can't spare the money to let you go on a treat. We haven't yet paid the electricity let alone the gas bills. I'm .. I'm afraid we really can't afford it."
"Was life very difficult for you Nan ? " questioned Kyle. Nan looked down and replied quietly,
"Well after my dad di-died mum had to work for extra hours to cover up, but... it still wasn't enough for our family."
She continued, " I pleaded my mum. I even said I will get a job to pay back even though I knew I was making an impossible promise. I yearned for this, a trip.. a trip with my friends, all I ever wanted was some fun but I knew the answer. When I returned to school the next day, Mrs Clarke asked for my consent form but I replied in a low voice that I wasn't going.It was worse, when my friends found out. How could I tell them I couldn't afford it ... so instead my friends thought I wasn't interested."
"When the day of the trip came, I bunked of school. I was infuriated at everyone, my mum, my sister.. everyone.I was enraged and just hated everyone, something I always regret now. So I decided to spend the day in the library and wondered around the park. The next morning I went into school and as I was walking across the corridor I noticed some people hanging around. They seemed very disturbed about something. I left them and walked into my class room where I noticed all my mates sitting in the places already, including Adam... the boy who is always late. I knew, something was very wrong," Nan paused for a while. Then she began hesitantly,
"Everyone sat dead silent, no one was laughing or chatting or even whispering. The hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle. Ms Wells told me to leave instantly, but I couldn't, I belonged to them. The whole class chanted, 'She belongs with us ! '. They all looked at me in the same way, the exact same way. My stomach churned and rose within me. The prickling sensation on my back grew. Suddenly the door opened, I jumped out of my skin. The headteacher entered,s he looked shocked while I was confused. I didn't know the loss of my friends until she explained", she said now in tears.
"The coach they were travelling in was overturned on the way back and.. and they all ended up in the river" She sobbed, then slowly continued again...
" When Adam told me this, everyone in the class began to drip, drip, drip. I just screamed and screamed..."
"Is that why you hate the sound of dripping... because it reminds you of what happened?", I managed to gasp out.
"Partly. When a tap drips, it's as if my friends, my class and my teacher appear before me. They stare at me silently while their clothes just drip, drip,drip ... onto my carpet. Even though nothing gets wet. It's as if they want me to join them. I'm so tired or this..."
Out in the kitchen, we both heard the sudden sound of a tap beginning to drip... I sprinted to the kitchen to turn it off but it was too tight. I turned and twisted but nothing happened.
Nan stared, her eyes wide and then she started to scream. Then the screaming stopped which made it worse. I ran into the living room, nan was still sitting in her chair, her eyes wide open. But she wasn't breathing. The thing that will now haunt me until I'm old and grey is that her clothes are soaking wet... dripping, dripping, dripping onto her armchair and the carpet.
