Kitchen Night Shift

Heading back inside as evening settled in, I followed the click-click of metal straight into the kitchen. Right beside the drying rack, a round kitchen timer was ticking loudly, vibrating with every click and creeping inch by inch toward the slippery granite edge. Danger zone! I sprinted across the polished counter, dove low, and slid under the timer just as its edge tipped over empty air. Bracing my back against the counter edge and wedging a stray wooden toothpick beneath the timer's rubber foot, I locked it securely in place. One buzzer, successfully tamed.