Annoy May 2026

The hairspring, a coil thinner than a human eyelash, had Ping-Ponged out of the tweezers and vanished into the shag carpet. Elias sat frozen. The annoyance he had been carefully tamping down suddenly flared into a cold, white heat.

"Toby," Elias said, turning slowly in his swivel chair. "Do you know what 'annoy' means?"

Elias put his forehead against the floor. Some days, the world was just one giant, persistent itch.