Yuck!

• Emilia Cilento, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2008

YUCK!!!

It was my birthday, and I had a couple of friends over for a sleepover. I was so exited to be eleven. Eleven is my lucky number. Anyway, I’ll get back to the story. We were having some barbecued chips (my favorite,) for afternoon tea when a terrible stench started wafting around. It smelled like rotten eggs, fish, and…… well…… poop. ‘EWW!!!! Cried Sandy, and pinched her nose,’ what is that smell?????’
‘I dunno’.’ I said.
“Maybe the toilet exploded!’ Kelly yelled.
‘As if!’
‘You wanna’ bet?’
‘No.’
‘Come on you guys!’ I cut in. ‘Kelly, as if the toilet would explode. Anyway, let’s go and see.’
We walked up to the toilet. Kelly got there first. Kelly laughed, holding her nose even tighter. ‘Lucky you didn’t bet, Sandy!’
I gulped. Surely she didn’t mean………. I reached the toilet and clapped a hand over my nose. Sandy screamed. The septic tank had overflowed. Brown sludge was spilling out every where. The smell was so bad it could have melted plastic. ‘MUM!!!’ I yelled.
“What?’ She replied from the garden.
‘Quick! Come here! The uh….. the.. the toilet exploded! No wait, the septic tank overflowed!!…. There’s poo everywhere!!’

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Unfortunately, the plumber didn’t come for two hours, so we had to stay in my room, holding our noses. He finally came, and he lifted up the manhole with no difficulty whatsoever. ’Strewth!’ He yelled.
‘What is it?’ Mum asked.
‘I forgot me pumping hose!!!!’
‘What’s that?’
‘The thing to suck the stuff out with! I tell you what, it’s a bit late in the day, so how ‘bout I come back tomorrow with it and finish the job?’
‘Okay.’ Mum said.
I sighed. One night of complete and utter stink.


That night, Kelly, Sandy and I went to bed in a tent on the hill behind the house. This meant that we could make as much noise as we liked without disturbing the parents.
We talked for a while about secrets and so on, but finally we fell asleep. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had, I thought. I fell into a pleasant dream filled with chocolate and fairy floss. I woke up a few hours later to go to the toilet. Feeling dreamy, I stumbled out of the tent and proceeded to walk. I listened to the frogs croaking, and took another step. On this step, my foot touched nothingness. I dangled in space for a few milliseconds, and then I fell. In that moment, a foul smell told me what had happened.