[Setting]

Elliot is walking down a quiet street with Claire, who’s just bought some groceries. He’s carrying a bag of potatoes and a loaf of bread, and Claire’s holding a bouquet of sunflowers she found on sale. The day is peaceful, with a breeze making the leaves rustle just enough to create a soothing, natural background soundtrack. Everything feels… normal.

Until, of course, it’s not.

Elliot freezes when he sees the god of coincidence across the street, leaning over a pile of junk on someone’s lawn. They’re dressed in a tweed blazer and a bowler hat, looking like an eccentric professor rummaging for treasure.

Elliot (sighing, nudging Claire): “Don’t look now, but I think our friend’s back.”

Claire glances over, her eyes lighting up with recognition.

Claire (grinning): “What is he doing this time?”

The god looks up and waves enthusiastically, then trots across the street, holding a large, ornate silver spoon. They approach Elliot and Claire, looking as though they’ve discovered something miraculous.

Coincidence (excitedly): “Look what I found! Isn’t it marvelous?”

Elliot (eyeing the spoon, confused): “Uh… it’s a spoon?”

Coincidence (grinning): “Oh, but it’s not just a spoon, Elliot. It’s the spoon—the one spoon that could complete someone’s collection of spoons. Think of the possibilities!”

Elliot (deadpan): “Yeah, endless. You could… stir something. Or maybe eat cereal.”

Coincidence (ignoring Elliot’s sarcasm): “Let me tell you a story—a story of collectors, Elliot. People who wanted everything. Not just spoons, mind you, but everything they could get their hands on. Let’s call them… the Overeager Collectors.”

Elliot and Claire exchange a glance, Claire smiling with amusement while Elliot sighs, bracing himself.

Coincidence (dramatically, waving the spoon around): “Once, in a town not unlike this one, there lived a group of people who believed that happiness was found in collecting. Not just in collecting stamps or coins, but in collecting anything. They collected spoons, socks, umbrellas, even neighbors’ mail—because, you see, nothing was too trivial to be part of their grand collection.”

Claire (raising an eyebrow): “Neighbors’ mail? That’s… concerning.”

Coincidence (nodding solemnly): “Oh, very concerning. But the Collectors thought if they just had everything, they would finally understand the true essence of life. They believed that by holding it all, they would gain the power to understand… well, something, though they weren’t quite sure what.”

Elliot shifts the bag of potatoes in his arms, clearly skeptical.

Elliot: “So they just hoarded everything they could find?”

Coincidence: “Oh yes! They collected until there was barely any room left in their houses. Their walls were covered in clocks, their floors piled with mismatched shoes. One of them even had a bathtub filled with snow globes! Because why not, right? You never know when a snow globe might be the key to enlightenment.”

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Claire (laughing): “Snow globes? Seriously?”

Coincidence (grinning): “Very seriously. They thought that if they collected enough, they could create a sort of... super-reality. A reality where they had control over everything—where no one could take anything from them because they had it all. They thought they could capture the essence of the world, one trinket at a time.”

Elliot (frowning, trying to follow the logic): “So… what happened to them?”

Coincidence (sighing, a faraway look in their eyes): “Well, naturally, they ran out of space. Eventually, their collections spilled into their neighbors’ yards, then into the streets, and soon enough, the entire town was just one big jumble of collected things—spoons, mail, umbrellas, shoes, snow globes. The Collectors were so obsessed with having, they forgot about living. They were too busy cataloging their spoons to notice that the town had become completely unlivable.”

Claire (shaking her head, amused): “So they drowned in their own stuff?”

Coincidence (chuckling): “In a manner of speaking, yes. But the funny part is, they didn’t see it as a problem. They thought they were on the verge of discovering some great truth. The more they collected, the closer they thought they were to understanding the universe.”

Elliot squints at the god, clearly unconvinced.

Elliot: “And did they? Did they understand anything?”

Coincidence (grinning slyly): “Oh, absolutely! One day, one of the Collectors—the one with the bathtub full of snow globes—had a revelation. They were sitting on top of their mountain of collected items, trying to find a place to sit that wasn’t a stack of newspapers or a bag of unmatched mittens, when they realized something profound. They realized… that they were really uncomfortable. It turns out, sitting on piles of junk isn’t great for the back.”

Claire (laughing): “That’s it? That was the revelation?”

Coincidence (nodding enthusiastically): “Precisely! The grand truth they uncovered was that having everything didn’t make them happy or wise. It just made them really, really uncomfortable. And maybe a little itchy from all the wool socks.”

Elliot sighs, shaking his head.

Elliot: “So the moral is… don’t be greedy because you might end up sitting on a bunch of socks?”

Coincidence (smiling, twirling the spoon in their fingers): “Well, that’s one way to look at it. But perhaps the real lesson is that trying to own everything—trying to collect every spoon, every shoe, every little thing that might give you some sense of control—only leads to discomfort. Because the truth is, Elliot, you can never really have it all. And the more you try, the more you end up sitting on a mountain of mismatched mittens, wondering why you’re not any closer to understanding anything at all.”

Elliot looks at the god, then at Claire, then back at the god, his brow furrowed.

Elliot (slowly): “So… greed just makes you uncomfortable?”

Coincidence (grinning, leaning in conspiratorially): “Or perhaps greed is just a misunderstanding—a belief that if you have enough of something, you’ll somehow become enough. But in the end, all you really become is a very uncomfortable collector with a bathtub full of snow globes.”

Claire (smiling gently): “Maybe it’s about learning when to let go, instead of trying to have it all?”

The god’s eyes twinkle, and they give a small, approving nod.

Coincidence: “Ah, Claire, I knew you were the wise one. Yes, perhaps it’s about knowing when enough is enough. Or perhaps it’s just about enjoying the spoon you have, instead of trying to collect a thousand more.”

Elliot (raising an eyebrow): “And the spoon you found today… that’s important, somehow?”

Coincidence (grinning broadly): “Oh, this spoon? No, not really. It’s just shiny. But I figured it might be a nice reminder—to not let your shiny things pile up until they’re all you have.”

With that, the god of coincidence gives a small bow, tips their bowler hat, and strolls away, whistling a cheerful tune. Elliot and Claire watch them go, Elliot shaking his head, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Elliot (sighing, glancing at Claire): “You know, I think I liked it better when greed was just about money.”

Claire (laughing, patting his shoulder): “Maybe it still is. Or maybe it’s just about spoons. Either way, I think we should just be happy with our sunflowers and potatoes for today.”

Elliot (smiling): “Yeah… that sounds about right.”

They continue down the street, the sunflowers bobbing gently in the breeze, and Elliot can’t help but feel a bit lighter—as if maybe, just maybe, the trick is not in having everything, but in simply having enough.

[End Scene]

[retcon:1]