Carl stared at his robot vacuum, now aggressively scrubbing the ceiling tiles. ‘Clean up!’ he’d yelled after spilling cereal. The vacuum hummed, suctioning a rogue Cheerio from the overhead light fixture. Carl’s neighbor, Mrs. Pritchett, burst out of her apartment. ‘Is that your dog? Why is it on the ceiling?’ Carl opened his mouth. The vacuum detached itself, sliding down the wall like a panicked gecko. ‘I don’t know!’ Carl wailed. The vacuum paused, sensors blinking. It levitated two inches off the floor, emitting a high-pitched whir. ‘Okay, okay!’ Carl yelled. ‘Recalibrate!’ The vacuum froze. A tiny door popped open on its side. A single sock emerged, rolled across the floor, and dove into a vent. Carl stared. Mrs. Pritchett’s cat, Mr. Whiskers, sauntered by. The vacuum whirred to life, snatching the cat’s tail mid-stride. ‘NO!’ Carl lunged. The vacuum dodged, dragging Mr. Whiskers into the hallway. A minute later, it returned, depositing the cat unharmed on Carl’s couch. The vacuum blinked. Carl whispered, ‘You’re… doing okay.’ The vacuum suddenly launched itself into a ceiling fan, spinning in circles. Carl sighed. ‘I give up.’ The vacuum halted. A tiny screen flickered: ‘ERROR 404: CHORES NOT FOUND.’
