‘Twas the holiday season and all through the town Everyone was happy.  Nary a grimace, sneer, or frown Decorations were hung from the street lights with care While festive tunes from small speakers pleasantly blare. The children all look to the sky with crossed fingers As the hope of a snow day constantly lingers. A shopper returns home and turns on the lights with a clap On the couch she flops down for perhaps a quick nap. But down in the basement there arose such a clatter She rushed down the stairs to see what was the matter An inch of water- no, two, four, six! She started to cry, “this will take forever to fix”. A pipe must have burst. That’s all it could be. Water was gushing, nearly up to her knee. Her in-laws were arriving at 6 that same night. If things weren’t perfect, there’d be some sort of fight. Behind her on the stairs stood her son full of shame He’d flushed a toy down the toilet as part of a game. Catastrophe, disaster, an unfixable mess. How she’ll solve this in time is anyone’s guess. Away to the phonebook, she flew like a flash She spilled the dog’s water and tripped over the trash. “Calm down.” She was told by the voice on the phone. She was made to feel better by the compassionate tone. She hung up the phone and didn’t wait long. A Jack Berleth plumber arrived. He looked strong. He came in the door, he was just so polite. His face was clean shaven, his red shirt tucked in tight. A quick wink of his eye and a twist of his head. Soon let her know she had nothing to dread. With red booties on his shoes to keep out the mud He headed downstairs with scarcely a thud.  The snow fell outside as he worked with expert-like haste While upstairs in the kitchen she nervously paced. “All done downstairs.” He announced with a smile. Her heart raced with joy, like she’d just run a mile. “Which way to the bathroom?” He asked.  She almost forgot. As they walked down the hall he told her, “This happens a lot.” With the grace of a dancer he quickly retrieved the drowned action figure. They were all so relieved. Her son cheered “hooray” and gave a high-five pleased that the toy had survived the deep dive. Tools were collected and a mess cleared with care He knew that the in-laws soon would be there. The hero thanked her for calling JB&S When asked if she would again she gave an absolute “YES!” Let this be a lesson, a moral for all: For holiday plumbing crises, JB& S you should call! Have a wonderful holiday season!