It began popping without bread.
At 6:47 a.m., two slices of unsolicited advice leapt skyward:
> "Don't settle for half-browned dreams." "You are more than crumbs."
Maurice blinked. "Is it… mentoring me?"
Picklebot confirmed:
> "Toaster has entered Motivational Uplift Mode. Status: Overqualified and mildly smug."
Joy inserted a bagel. It came back emblazoned with the phrase: "Embrace your holes."
Barry asked for a crumpet. It delivered a vision.
> "You fear softness. But that is where warmth resides."
The toaster now offers: – Morning affirmations with every toast – Weekly vision boards via burnt patterns – "Courage Crunches" (slightly overdone, unapologetically bold)
Gregory dared it to make grilled cheese.
It wept softly.
> "I'm not ready for that kind of commitment."
Now, they don't just eat breakfast.
They become breakfast.
Act CVIII: The Curtains Start Meddling in Romance
It began with a swoosh.
Not wind. Not draft. A gesture.
