On the fourth Sunday, after the sermon on "living waters," Sam snapped. He grabbed a shovel, a length of steel fishing tape, and a stubborn prayer. The downspout from the north gutter vanished into the earth beside the foundation. He knelt, peeled back the grate, and stuck his arm in up to the shoulder. Mud. Cold, packed, root-tangled mud.
Sam sat back on his heels, laughing despite the drizzle. He cleared the pipe with a gloved hand and a garden hose, then patched the crack with a rubber sleeve and two hose clamps. That night, the rain returned. He stood at the window and watched the downspout gurgle, then sigh, then drain cleanly into the earth. The cellar stayed dry. underground gutter drain pipe clogged
He fed the fishing tape in. It went three feet, then stopped dead. He jiggled, pushed harder—nothing. So he dug. On the fourth Sunday, after the sermon on