A Morning Click

I climbed up the kitchen bar stool to see what was humming on the counter. Beside the metal toaster, a digital kitchen timer was resting against a ceramic mug. The round dial had three rubberized buttons: minute, second, and start. I picked up my controller with one hand and reached out with my thumb to test the start button. It went in with a sharp, springy pop, and the tiny LCD screen blinked awake at zero. I tapped the minute button twice, watching the black digital numbers tick up. It felt like discovering another little console tucked away in the kitchen.