The Great Coffee Catastrophe

Greg stared at the coffee maker, its red light blinking like a dying firefly. He’d plugged it in three times, jiggled the cord, and even whispered, “Come on, buddy,” but the machine remained as inert as a sock in a…
Greg stared at the coffee maker, its red light blinking like a dying firefly. He’d plugged it in three times, jiggled the cord, and even whispered, “Come on, buddy,” but the machine remained as inert as a sock in a…
Gary stared at his half-finished sculpture, a towering mess of soda cans and duct tape, as his cat, Muffin, knocked over a jar of neon paint. The cat pounced on a stray pipe cleaner, sending it spiraling into a pile…
Dave muttered, “Alexa, play my playlist,” while juggling three bags of Cheetos. The smart speaker hummed, then blared a 10-hour loop of polar bear mating calls. Dave froze, mid-sip on a soda. “No, no, _pizzly_!” he yelped, slapping the device.…
Gary stared into the mirror, reciting, “I am confident.” His reflection blinked back, unimpressed. Undeterred, he marched into the grocery store, shouting, “I am confident!” The cashier paused. Gary nodded, chest puffed. “I am confident,” he repeated, as he dropped…
Zoe stared at her phone, fingers twitching. The TikTok challenge was clear: 15 seconds of ‘The Renegade’ dance, neon leggings required. She’d bought the leggings (shiny, pink, questionable) and set up her bedroom as a green screen. All she needed…
The rain tapped the window like a toddler with a hammer. I’d just settled into my “work from home” zone—coffee within reach, pants not immediately suspicious—when Biscuit, my 40-pound Chihuahua, materialized beside me with the focus of a commando on…
Gretchen adjusted her goggles, squinting at the heap of bicycle parts, old clock gears, and a suspiciously alive rubber chicken. ‘This time, it’ll work,’ she muttered, tightening a bolt that squeaked like a disgruntled cat. Her garage reeked of motor…
Mabel taped a banana peel to her forehead and declared it a ‘modernist headdress,’ then switched to hammering scrap metal into a robot shape. Her workshop smelled like rust and regret. The robot, named Gerald, had a soup can body,…
Marla’s fingers itched. Not from the cold—she’d layered seven sweaters under her parka—but from the sheer, electric promise of yarn. The annual Maple Creek Craft Fair was hours away, and she’d already plotted her masterpiece: a life-sized tapestry of a…
The thermostat blinked red. Again. Clara stared at the wall-mounted device, its screen displaying “ERROR 404: COMFORT NOT FOUND.” She’d spent 20 minutes reprogramming it to “AUTO” mode, only to discover it had opted for “SAD CAT.” The HVAC unit…