The Big Machine On The Table

Last night there was a big machine

on a wooden table. The room

was full of people. A grim-faced

young woman stood by the table,

touching the front of the machine.

For some reason, I was standing

behind the table by the back

of the machine. The young woman

pressed something on the machine’s front.

Water gushed out through a small tube

protruding from the machine’s back.

I said, “Hey, the machine’s leaking.

Water’s pouring out all over.”

I tried tipping up the machine

from the back. The stream of water

continued to pump through the tube.

I hurried around the table,

studied the front of the machine.

“What button did you press?” I asked

the grim-faced young woman. She shrugged.

Somebody across the room said,

“The orange button on the left.”

There were half a dozen orange

rocker switches on the machine.

I started to asked which switch, but

I noticed that one rocker switch

was pressed up, all the rest were down.

I pressed down the one that was up.

Water stopped gushing from the back

of the machine on the table.

I lifted up the whole machine,

put it on another table.

On the table where the machine

had been there was a big puddle

of standing water on the wood.

I said, “The water might ruin

the table.” No one seemed to care.