By: Ellen Townsend.

It should have been straightforward for Tim to train the Kitchen Bot to make him a cup of tea—his favorite drink since visiting Scotland—but it was taking days, even weeks. He liked it strong with a dash of milk in his favorite cup, with a chocolate cookie on the side.

He could have done it standing on his head, but the Kitchen Bot made it too milky, too strong, too weak, too nauseating. He missed his morning tea and cookie; life was not the same anymore without them.

It never occurred to him to just make it himself.

© 2026. Ellen Townsend

Ellen Townsend is an art teacher in the UK. Her work has appeared in Friday Flash Fiction, Flash Fiction Magazine, Fairfield Scribes, Spillwords, Short Beasts, 50-Word Stories, and others. Her stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio.