The incessant dripping sound in my basement never stops.

Have you called the plumbers?

Many.

What did they say?

Nothing.

Nothing is wrong?

No, they said nothing.

Why?

Some of them made it to the bottom of the stairs, turned around, and left without a word.

And the others?

Others never even made it down a single step.

What’s down there?

Where?

What do you mean, where? In your basement.

Nothing.

Nothing?

Nothing, but it takes time.

What? What takes time?

Nothing takes time.

What are you talking about?

Nothing takes time. It takes time to open the basement door. It takes time to walk down the stairs. It takes time to check the pipes and the tanks and the water pressure. It takes time to climb back up the stairs. And it takes, and takes, and it drips, and it drips, in its hourglass, for all time, in my basement.

It takes time to have this conversation, and it takes time to read this conversation.

The incessant dripping sound in my basement never stops.