You push the button.
Ding.
The table with leftover pizza is gone. Instead, there is a pedestal. A solid oak pedestal, painted a glossy dark maroon color.
[https://ogtstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/pedestals-slightly-worn-wooden-pedestal-p261650.jpg]
On this pedestal is a glass. In the glass is water. On the glass is a sticky note that says “DO NOT SPILL”.
So many options. What will you do?
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You enter into a staring contest with the glass.
Or possibly with your reflection in the glass?
Not sure why you’re doing this, honestly. Is it some kind of zen thing? I never did get the point of that.
Well, whatever your intent is, you get bored pretty quickly, and look away.
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You pull the sticky note off, ball it up, and toss it over your shoulder. Then you carefully lift the glass of water, and place it on the ground.
You feel smug. Congratulations.
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You pick up the glass and chug.
The water tastes like tap water.
Which, depending on where you live, may or may not be basically a death sentence. I mean, there’s a reason bottled water is such a big business, and it’s not “humans are idiots” (altho that might be a part of it).
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Honestly, though, drinking water from an unknown source is never a good idea. It might have lead or parasites in it, or come straight from the southern part of the Mississippi or somewhere equally as horrifying. Heck, you don’t know where you are right now. Not the city, not the state, not even the country. Drinking water like that is… kinda reckless.
Hopefully you aren’t hospitalized soon.
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You pick up the glass, walk to the middle of the room, and slowly pour it onto the button.
It splashes off, leaving the button mildly wet.
…Nothing else happens. That button is practically indestructible. We’ve done tests. It’ll take more than a cup of water to fry the electronics in that thing.
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In a burst of energy, you grab the glass and chuck it at the far wall with the enthusiasm of a winning baseball pitcher throwing the last pitch of a game.
Or something, I don’t watch baseball.
It shatters with a satisfying crash, sending droplets of water and shards of glass all over the wall. The sticky note flutters to the ground, following the rain of glass and water.
The wall doesn’t seem particularly damaged.
But now there’s glass shards all over the floor on that side of the room.
Be careful if you walk over there.
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You rebel.
You put a single finger on the rim of the glass, and tiiiiiiiip.
It falls to the ground, spilling out all the water, bounces once, twice, and breaks into a dozen pieces on the third bounce.
How dare you break the rules like that. I see how it is.
For good measure, you kick one of the larger pieces.
Hah. That’ll teach us to not give you simple instructions.
Or something.
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Well, that was… a thing that happened. Yep.
DO YOU PRESS THE BUTTON? Yes No