Akiko slipped three more times before she got home, but she was already so wet and cold that it made no noticeable difference. As soon as she got in, she turned on the heater, started the bath filling, and took her things out of her bag, lining them up on the table, under the heater, to dry off. Everything, even her cell phone, still seemed to be working, which was a plus; the bag had kept most of the water out. She reflected that the Vuitton bags really <em>were</em> good quality; it had probably saved her as much as it cost.

As she finished, she realised that she was dripping onto the floor, and hurried into the changing area outside the bath. Hot water was filling the tub as she started to peel her sodden clothes off. They were literally sticking to her skin, and it took her a long time to get her blouse off. Even her underwear was so wet it was see-through, making her glad that her work uniform was dark-coloured.

She wiped some of the cold water from her body with a towel, and realised just how chilled she was. Pulling the door shut behind her, she stepped into the bath, leaving the water running to finish filling it up.

The warmth of the water slowly seeped into her body, and her shivering stopped. Leaning back in the tub, she started to relax. She hadn’t realised just how tense she was until that moment, but her stomach was a knot and her jaw was clenched shut. Gently massaging her face, she closed her eyes, deliberately remembering the good aspects of the day; work really had gone well. She wasn’t going to let the bad weather on the way home spoil everything.

The water level rose, steadily enveloping her in soothing heat. She let herself drift, listening to the sound of rain in the background… She suddenly realised that the water was overflowing, and sat up to turn the taps off before lying back once more, luxuriating in the warmth.

Something cold splashed onto her face, and slid down her cheek. She brushed it away, wondering why there was so much condensation building up. Then there was another one, and a third. Akiko opened her eyes.

She should have been looking at the plastic, pale yellow ceiling of her unit bath, but it was almost lost to sight behind black clouds, which boiled and raced across and around the room, seeming to dodge in and out between each other with no concern for wind direction. Rain was falling from the clouds, the drops falling into the bath, leaving expanding circles in the water, and splashing on the floor of the shower area beside it.

Akiko closed her eyes and opened them again, but the clouds were still there, and they even seemed to be thickening. The rain started to fall faster, chill on her exposed head, and Akiko’s calm disappeared, as her stomach churned.

Still not entirely believing what she was seeing, she stood up and reached above her head. Her hand vanished into the clouds, and she felt the cool, smooth surface of the plastic beyond. The clouds themselves, however, were cold and damp against the skin of her hand, and the falling drops of rain were chill on her body. She swept her hands through the clouds, trying to get rid of them, but they just swirled around her, mocking any attempt to grasp them.

The rain suddenly intensified, becoming as heavy as a cold shower. Akiko gasped as the chill penetrated her body, and for a moment lost her breath. The surface of the bath water was churned up by the number of falling raindrops, and a layer of water was building up on the floor beside it. Akiko stepped out of the bath, wincing as she put her foot down in cold water, and pushed on the door.

It didn’t open.

She pushed again, but it still didn’t move. Rattling it made a noise, but gave no sign that it might be about to open. The water on the floor was around her ankles now, and she was shivering as the rain streamed down her body. She reached to check the lock on the door, but it was open, as always. Desperately, she grabbed the handle again, shaking the door with all her strength. The cold water rose up her calves towards her knees, but the door would still not shift.

Realising that the water ought to be flowing away, she turned round, looking for the drain. She had to crouch down, into the chill water, to reach it, but as her fingers found it she could feel the tug of the current around them as the water flowed away, rushing down and out. Water flowed into her eyes, and she brushed it away. There was no blockage, then. The flow was just faster than the drain could handle.

When she stood up, the water was almost to her knees, higher now than the rim of the bath, and she felt her tension turning to fear, to panic. She turned back to the door, banging on it, rattling it, and calling for help, but there was no apparent response. The water had passed her knees, and was rising up her thighs, when she gave up, and looked around the room for something, anything, she could use to break the door open.

Directly behind her, a serpentine head broke out of the water, which flowed off it in sparkling rivers and droplets. The bright red, green, and purple shone in the dim light, and the gold and silver seemed to flow themselves as they reflected the chaotic surface of the water. The shining eyes were fixed on her, and Akiko screamed, backing away, until she came up against the edge of the bath. She was moving too quickly, and the floor was too slippery; she lost her balance and tumbled over backwards, plunging into the water, banging against the sides of the bath as she fell into the warm water.

When she surfaced, the room was back to normal, with the water all in the bath, and a single drop of condensation fell from the ceiling to splash on the floor in front of her.