The Great Faucet Fiasco

Greg stared at the dripping faucet, its rhythm a taunt. He’d watched three YouTube videos. How hard could it be? Armed with a wrench and the confidence of a man who’d once changed a tire (twice), he tightened the valve.…
Greg stared at the dripping faucet, its rhythm a taunt. He’d watched three YouTube videos. How hard could it be? Armed with a wrench and the confidence of a man who’d once changed a tire (twice), he tightened the valve.…
Lila eyed her stash of soda cans, pipe cleaners, and a defunct lawnmower part, then nodded. ‘A giant cat! Bold. Unconventional. Perfect.’ She glued the first can to the lawnmower blade, only for the structure to lurch sideways, toppling a…
The office printer whined like a dying cat as Sarah slammed the paper tray. Her coworker Dave leaned over, his breath smelling of expired cafeteria coffee. ‘You gonna yell at it again?’ he asked, eyeing the machine. ‘It’s not a…
Bree stood in the park, reciting affirmations. ‘I am capable! I am worthy!’ She tripped over a bench, but bounced back. ‘I am resilient!’ A pigeon swooped down, snatching her snack. She grinned. ‘I am adaptable!’ The pigeon dropped the…
Gary burst into the coffee shop like a confused penguin in a salsa competition. The barista, a serene woman with a tattoo of a dancing cactus, paused mid-sip. “This is the TikTok challenge,” she said, twerking her hips to a…
Marla surveyed her kitchen arsenal: a wok, a toaster, and a coffee maker that hissed like a bored cobra. She’d vowed to master breakfast after watching a TikTok chef flip eggs mid-air. Confidence bloomed. Until the pan screeched. “Not today,…
Clive balanced a toaster oven on a stack of dictionaries, muttering, “This is *not* a crime scene. This is *art.*” His neighbor, Mrs. Puddlewick, squinted through binoculars from her porch, clutching a thermos of tea like a weapon. “That’s my…
Gary stared at his toaster, its crumb tray agape like a stunned fish. He’d plugged it in three minutes ago, but the bread had yet to emerge. Instead, a low rumble vibrated through his apartment—subwoofers in his socks, tremors in…
Gary shouted his daily affirmations, voice cracking like a disgruntled kazoo. “I am confident! I am capable!” His parrot, Polly, squawked back, “I am confident! I am capable!” Gary grinned. Then Polly flapped to the lamp and screeched, “I am…
Kevin stared at his phone, fingers trembling. The “Renegade 2.0” challenge had gone viral, and he was *this close* to joining the ranks of the trendy. His living room had been transformed into a neon-lit shrine of desperation—balloons, disco balls,…