Got a Dustpan...Better Make it a Shovel (Story by Sissy with comments from Martois)

We are safe - but a little shocked. As I write this in the Minto St. Guesthouse just down the road from the pieces of what used to be our wee apartment, I still can’t believe what has happened. However, it will certainly be hard to forget. I feel the grit between my teeth despite having brushed them and see the grime on my skin and under my fingernails despite having showered. I also have a burn at the back of my throat, but it’s hard to tell if it is all the dust I inhaled or the whiskey afterward. At least for the rest of the night we have what looks like a stable roof over our heads, but that is what we thought a few short hours ago in the wee apartment.

I had just gone up to bed to read and Marty was sitting underneath in the nook on the couch, luckily, since moments later we both heard a sound that Marty described as marbles rolling on the floor. As I looked directly above me I saw a large crack quickly spreading across the ceiling. The next few minutes are a mess (like the current state of the apartment) since it all happened so fast. There was a huge crash and the ceiling came down. (I was sitting on the couch below the lofted bed. When I heard the crackle of ceiling falling to the ground I actually feared that the sound was coming from the loft. I had a split moment of "this might be the end.) When we both came to - Marty was the first to ask, “Siss, are you OK?” It took a moment for me to respond but I choked an, “OK” and, “Open the window and door” - the dust was so thick it was hard to breathe and see (the light fixture had crashed to the floor where I was previously sitting). I brushed the plaster off me and hurried down the ladder and out the door after Marty.

Interestingly, as I rushed out I grabbed my purse and once we were safe on the street I saw that Marty had grabbed his bottle of Scotch. I believe he took the more useful item as we sure as heck needed a stiff drink. Fortunately for us a neighbor was walking by at the time. After overcoming his surprise at seeing two Americans abandoning their home in the middle of the night followed by a giant cloud of debris and profanity, he allowed us to use his phone and gave Marty a glass. We all surveyed the scene and he took pity on us and started calling guesthouses close by while we awaited the arrival of the landlady who lives about 45 mins away. She agreed to come into town straight away to survey the damage - she really had no idea how bad it was until she saw it with her own eyes.

In my PJs I waited for her outside, while Marty notified the woman living directly above us of the catastrophe and warned her against using the room that we shared the ceilng/floor unless she wanted to risk becoming our roommate by unexpectedly dropping in on us. When the dust had started to settle I went in to grab my camera and took some photos. As you can see on the web page my computer got hit with chunks of plaster. Our clothes, Marty’s computer, everything from toothbrushes to neck ties is covered in dust. Belongings on shelves were thrown off into piles of rumble with the force of the plaster coming down. Thank goodness, I managed to dig out my ring - “My precious”.

The first to arrive on the scene was the contractor who informed us the apartment was unsafe - uh, you think? Then the owner came with her husband and they were both baffled. They were good enough to put us up for the night here at the Minto house and tomorrow we will return to the disaster scene and try and retrieve our goods and clean them to the best of our abilities. The important thing is that we are safe, we have each other, and are once again Engaged, Drunk and Naked in Edinburgh - I guess we have come full circle.

Keep checking the blog for updates. Sissy's blog has more photographs, and soon we will have a wee video of the wreckage as well.