“When did you last have the drains inspected?” I asked, kneeling down.

But here’s the part I don’t tell clients: the next morning, I reviewed the camera footage one more time. Standard procedure. And I saw something I’d missed in the moment.

The Drain Doctor still practices in Wellington. Still unclogs sinks and clears storm drains. But I’ve added a new clause to my contract: Not responsible for anything found behind sealed doors below the waterline.

“Thank God,” she whispered. “It started this morning. Just a gurgle in the laundry tub. Then… the smell.”

“Drain Doctor Wellington,” I said, wedging the phone between my ear and shoulder as I pulled a clean shirt over my head. “Leo speaking.”

I’ve been the Drain Doctor for twelve years. I’ve pulled out tree roots that looked like alien octopi, retrieved a wedding ring from a grease trap, and once found a live possum living happily in a storm drain under Courtenay Place. But something about Mrs. Holloway’s voice made me grab the heavy-duty auger—the one I call “The Exorcist”—instead of the standard snake.

The pipe didn’t just narrow. It changed . The terracotta gave way to a rough-hewn stone channel, like an ancient culvert. And there, at the fifty-foot mark, was the obstruction.

Not pushing it open.