Cooling

After running it, make sure to use the fan setting to dry the unit out, building manager reminded everybody. First heat wave of the summer: ran the unit; it sputtered and coughed up dust. No cool air. The neighbor threw it onto the sidewalk, and the back cover fell off in two pieces revealing a skeleton of wires, pipes, fan blades, blower wheels, motors, pumps, and filters. Looking up: the new unit, shiny in the sunlight, already dripped water onto the sidewalk below. The puddle collected beneath the husk of the broken.

No. 124

Unsurety

The dial on the air fryer broke, stuck 45 degrees to the left. Loading wheels spun interminably. A twenty dollar sandwich had five ingredients. The rain left pockmarked dirt across the hood of the truck. Gas pedal’s on the right. Faded signs pointed in every direction.

No. 079