20- Reaction
Kirby slept in the closet, well at least he tried to sleep. He remembered seeing the motor in the trash... and the vacuum on the "surgeon's table".
The next morning, he went to talk to Radio.
"What's wrong, Kirby?" Radio asked. "You look a little spooked."
Kirby groaned. "Something I saw yesterday."
"Like?"
"How much gunk can clog up a motor." He paused. "What did they have him vacuum?"
"What exactly are you talking about?"
"There was a Kirby on the table, gutted. His motor was in the trash." He paused. "Remember when I cleaned up Kitty Litter?"
Radio nodded.
A thought struck him. He imagined himself lying on the table and Chris's father standing over him.
"That could've been me."
Kirby returned to the shop. The trash can was empty.
"Want to hear the good news?" Igor asked. "Please, show him, Hugo."
The desktop computer flashed an image onscreen. "His masters have ordered him a new motor."
Kirby cringed.