Tolstoy vs. Torrential Rains

I'm a typical American. I have literature by the toilet, just like everyone else. But you know me - I can't be contented to just follow a trend or custom; I have to make it my own. (Call it my over-developed sense of individuality.) So, as bathroom reading, I have a basket of all my Russian novels.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a torrential downpour. This was unlike anything we ever got in the Northwest. I wouldn't have been surprised if Auntie Em had flown by the window, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, not unexpectedly, we had minor flooding in the basement. Nothing too major. Just in my bathroom.

The only things that got wet? A bathroom rug, and...

I wish I had a "before" picture, but trust me that this is over twice its normal size.