Sweet Cupcakes (and other "stories")

Sweet Cupcakes

You walk into a Sweet Cupcakes, your favorite dessert store.

You take a deep breath and let the sweet aroma of freshly baked cupcakes fill your lungs. Then, you scan the menu board for your go-to flavor: chocolate chip cookie dough. If they have it, you'll order a dozen to go. If not, you'll settle for a vanilla bean cupcake with buttercream frosting. And a coffee, of course.

The menu only has one type of cupcake - orange cupcakes. But you hate oranges.

You're not a fan of orange flavoring, but you love supporting local businesses. You order a coffee and ask if they have any other treats, like cookies or brownies. If not, you'll politely decline and come back another time. Maybe they'll have a different flavor then.

When you get your coffee, you find that there is hair strands inside it.

You politely ask the barista for a new cup of coffee, hair-free this time. If they don't offer to remake it, you'll kindly request a refund. Hair in food or drink is a no-go for you.

The barista is wearing a strange orange hat. You want to comment on it, but think it might be rude.

You try to make a lighthearted comment about the hat, saying, "Love the orange hat, it really pops! That hat's got some serious style!" If the barista seems uncomfortable or doesn't respond positively, you'll drop it and just enjoy your coffee. No need to make a big deal out of it.

The barista thanks you for the compliment and gives you a free ticket to the circus.

You love the circus, so you are thrilled to receive a free ticket. You thank the barista and ask them if they've been to the circus before.

The barista talks for one hour about the circus. You're starting to get bored.

You politely interrupt and say, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I need to get going. Enjoy the rest of your day!" Then you grab your coffee and head out. No need to be rude, but also no need to be held hostage by a lengthy conversation.

The door and windows are gone, and so are all the customers. The entire store has turned a deep shade of red, and the barista has turned into an evil witch, floating in the air. "How dare you interupt my monologue?!" she hisses.

You stay calm and try to reason with the witch. "I didn't mean to interrupt, I just needed to leave. No need to get upset," you say. If that doesn't work, you'll make a run for the door and hope you can find a way out of this strange, red world.

The witch brings out a sword.

Time to make a strategic retreat. You quickly turn around and head back the way you came, hoping to find an escape route or a hiding place. No need to stick around and face off against a sword-wielding witch.

Sunlight peeks out of a window, which might make a good escape route. But it's too high to reach. The witch charges at you.

You plan to grab a nearby chair or table and use it as a makeshift step stool to reach the window.

You move to grab a chair. The witch is incredibly close.

You think of using the chair as a stepping stool, hoping to reach the window and escape. If the chair isn't tall enough, you'll try to use it as a defense against the witch's sword while looking for another way out. No time for offense, gotta prioritize safety.

You quickly grab a chair, but the witch trips you and you fall down. The chair crashes onto the witch's foot, temporarily distracting her.

You take advantage of the distraction and make a run for the window. If you can't reach it, you'll look for another escape route or try to create a diversion to get away from the witch. Falling down gave you a chance, now you need to capitalize on it.