Alan’s Birthday
Scene 1: The Apartment Alan sat on the couch, watching a microwave that wasn’t plugged in. It beeped every ten seconds anyway. Today was his birthday. He knew this because his calendar, which hadn’t been updated since 2019, had today’s date circled in red marker—with the words “Alan’s Probable Birthday?” scribbled underneath in his own handwriting. From the kitchen, his roommate Gerald emerged, holding a balloon that had “Happy Bar Mitzvah!” written on it in Comic Sans. He handed it to Alan wordlessly and then sat down on the floor to knit a single glove using spaghetti. “Thanks,” Alan said. “I’ve always wanted cultural confusion on my special day.” Gerald didn’t look up. “I got it from a party supply dumpster. It still had air. That’s rare.” Scene 2: The Elevator Later, Alan decided to treat himself. He pressed the button for the building’s elevator, which promptly opened to reveal a room filled with live chickens and one confused opera singer humming the Jeopardy! ...