The Box Has Twelve Sides: Thirteen Curious Tales to Delight and Disturb

JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS

CHARLIE COOK WOKE UP late because the alarm didn't go off.

Perfect, he thought, a great way to start the day, especially after the way last night ended. He'd wound up having his dead battery jumped off at the local Walmart after he stopped there on his way home. But that was last night, and this was a whole new day.

Reaching over to hit the snooze, he knocked the alarm clock off the bedside table, spilling batteries and plastic pieces all over the floor. He'd have to clean that mess up later. Right now his priority was to get ready for work ASAP.

Charlie felt down beside the bed with his feet for his slippers, but found only one. The other must have gotten pushed underneath. Damn, he thought. Have to get down on my knees and fish it out. He knelt down, reached under the bed and something popped in his back. Nothing major but one of those things which reminded him that he needed to get into better shape.

Halfway into his shower the hot water went out. Painfully, Charlie had to wash and rinse his hair in the ice cold shower stream. Well, at least I'm awake now.

He cut himself twice while shaving and, when he went to get toilet paper to dab it with, he found an empty roll. He retrieved another roll from under the sink and pinched his finger as the cabinet door closed.

He dropped his toothbrush onto the floor which made him dig out a new, unopened one. As he was dispensing toothpaste, the back of the tube split and Crest shot out onto the mirror.

Good Lord. Hope the day gets better.

Finishing up in the bathroom, Charlie went to the kitchen, turned on the coffee maker and put some bread in the toaster. Sitting at the table, he put his shoes on and promptly broke a shoelace as he was tying the first one. Really?

Going back to the bedroom closet, he saw the only other pair of decent shoes was brown, not really matching the slacks he was wearing. Charlie hated not matching, but right now he didn't give a rip. He had to get to work and he was already going to be late.

Grabbing his cup from the coffeemaker and the toast from the toaster, Charlie headed out. Just as the door was closing, he realized the keys were hanging on the hook just inside He managed to snatch them but rapped his knuckles in the process. Ouch.

As he turned the key to start his car, Charlie thought back to the night before and his (hopefully formerly) dead battery, wondering if he would be stranded in his driveway. The engine turned over without a hitch.

Hey, things are looking up.

After pulling out of the driveway, Charlie took the first bite of his toast and found it was burnt on the opposite side which he hadn't noticed. Sipping on his coffee to wash away the taste, he was met with a mouthful of coffee grounds. The filter must have folded over on itself, allowing grounds into the cup, making the coffee weak and depositing extra particles he wasn't expecting. Choking down burnt toast with chewy coffee was not his idea of the perfect breakfast, but it was all he had. He continued his commute to work.

The route was mostly highway, but one part of his morning ride involved a stretch of road cutting through part of town strewn with traffic lights. If you timed it just right, you never had to sit and wait on signals to change. This morning, of course, he hit it just the opposite and got caught by every single light on that road.

Making him even later.

Pulling into the parking lot at his workplace, Charlie found absolutely no parking spots anywhere near the employee entrance. The only options were at the very back of the lot, about a quarter mile away from the door. There were two spaces left and he went ahead and took the farthest one away. What the hell, he thought. May as well get my exercise.