Borrow Trouble

Miso found the bottle behind a cupboard. Mochi found the spray head somewhere she declined to identify. The blue yarn belonged to a larger project, which now belonged to the cats. They cleared a workbench by placing everything else on the floor.

The box came from the alley with most of its corners. A crinkled bag became a window, old receipts became padding, and two cardboard portraits were fastened to the cap at angles the artists considered flattering. The bottle-cap charm jingled once. Both makers stopped work for a forty-minute inspection.

Borrow Trouble was finished when the tape ran out. It sits in Closet Curiosa with its crooked label facing proudly forward, proof that a thing can be found, chewed at the edges, and still have another lovely use. Miso has signed the paperwork with one dark paw. Mochi is trying to eat the receipt.