How a Toilet Works (A creative writing descriptive essay)

When was the last time you stopped and listened to the flush of your toilet? I mean, really listen? Think about it, when was the last time you stood and just mediated on the gurgling sound a toilet makes as our waste is carried off into the great unknown? I thought so. It's been awhile, hasn't it? Maybe too long. That flushing sound is only the beginning of an astonishing journey which occurs billions of times a day in homes, restaurants, schools, stores and countless other places all with the pressing of a handle.

What happens to our waste after we have finished our usual custom of relieving ourselves? When we flush the toilet, we're actually in a sense, breaking a wine bottle on the helm of a maiden ship. That handle that we press is our waste's ticket to an exciting rollercoaster ride. How does this all happen? Let's watch as Mr. Jones demonstrates the mechanisms of this miraculous invention.

The handle on the left side of the toilet is attached to a chain. This chain, in turn, is connected to a stopper located in the center of a tank filled with water, behind the toilet seat. Looking down into the tank, you can see that this stopper plugs a large hole in the tank, which prevents excess water from flowing into the bowl. As Mr. Jones presses this handle, it pulls the chain attached to it. Through a complicated form of physics, the chain lifts the stopper that plugs that hole in the center. Lifting this stopper allows the water that is stored in the tank to fill the bowl in a matter of seconds. Exactly like pulling the plug from a bath tub filled with water. When a large amount of water is added to the toilet...