My Cup OverFloweth
By Patty "UncleBibby" Locke

Jace lipped their lips, sitting in their upholstered chair. Their mouth was dry. They needed a hot chocolate! Jace sprung out of their chair, a little too fast. they were a little dizzy now, because their blood was rushing out of their head. "Haha, I'm like an empty cup," they mumbled. Jace sat down again to get their bearings. Finally, more slowly this time, they stood up and began walking toward their kitchen.

Jace lightly slapped their knees as they walked around the kitchen, thinking "where, where is the hot chocolate powder.... or maybe i should get a cup first?" They tentatively opened a cupboard.

"Oh.... Hello!!!!!" yawned a cup at the front of the cupboard.

Jace was taken aback. They almost fell over, but grabbed the kitchen counter. "who.... hello?" said Jace, vaguely towards the cup. It had a youthful face jutting slightly out of its ceramic finish, animated as if by magic. "Hi!" said the cup, in a high-pitched voice, "you must be my master, i think!"

"No, i'm nobody's master. That kind of thing is immoral." Jace was flattered but stood their ground. "it's immoral to own objects?" the cup asked quizzically, almost tilting its face a little bit. "i'm just a cup, i'm not a person." Jace frowned, "but you're talking! and you're clearly sentient. At least, by the typical philisophical standards that i'm familiar with." The cup frowned in response "but master..... i'm here to serve you as an object. i mean...... i USED to be a person..... but i got sick of it. I'm much happier as a cup. Please use me!!!!!"

Jace thought there must be more to this, but it was 5 in the afternoon and they wanted their hot chocolate. So they grabbed the sentient cup and placed it down on the kitchen counter. "wheeee!!!" it said, as it was being placed. Jace then went into the closet and grabbed the hot chocolate powder (they had remembered where it was in the meantime) and popped its can open.

"so i can just..... pour this into you? you won't mind?" Jace wanted to be cordial with this little thing. "yes of course" said the cup, "just don't break me.... and warn me before you put somethin reeeeally hot or reeeeeally cold in me. that stuff is a bit intense!!!" Jace nodded and poured 3 spoonfuls of hot chocolate powder into the cup. "oooh it feels like snow!!!" said the cup, smiling.

Jace grabbed the cup and held it under the sink, "im gonna pour some water in you now, okay?" The cup gave a lil grunt in affirmation. Jace turned the knob and water filled up the cup to about its three quarter mark, at which point Jace turned the knob back down. "ahhahh... i feel jiggly... like jello!!" squeaked the little cup. the hot chocolate powder had clearly been swirled around by the water falling in.

Jace went and opened the fridge, grabbing some milk. "This stuff's kind of cold" warned Jace. "you don't have to warn me for every little thing, master. this is kind of my job...." Jace sighed and poured the milk into the cup so that it was full to the brim. "oh..... that IS cold!!!!!!" exclaimed the cup, "you were right, master!!!! you're smart!!!!!" Jace put the milk away and closed the fridge with a SLAP.

Jace put the cup down on the counter. "um, i don't know how to tell you this, but...." Jace scratched the back of their head. "the final step is to put you in the microwave. for a long time, too!!!" The cup looked up with puppydog eyes at Jace, "i....really? you weren't gonna use a kett.... oh right the water came from the sink............" the cup seemed to gird its loins, to brace itself "well, if regular cups can handle it, i should be able to too. i'm not a person after all. Let's do it master!!!!!"

Jace gentle placed the cup full of water, milk and hot chocolate powder into the microwave. they whispered to the cup "i'm sorry. it'll just be 90 seconds, okay? i know that sounds like a lot but it'll all be over soon." the cup cried exactly one tear of cold hot chocolate, "i can do it master, don't worry." Jace closed the door to the microwave and set it for 90 seconds. then, rethinking, they erased the 90 seconds and set it for 89. just to be nice. they pressed the start button.

The loud hum of the microwave began. The cup started slowly spinning on the microwave plate,  and Jace could hear a muffled voice going "ooOOooOOooOOoohhhh..." but the cup didn't complain otherwise. it was stoic. When the microwave DINGED, Jace THREW open the door and asked, "are you okay???????" the cup gulped and said "yeah, i'm..... i'm okay..... it was just dizzying and really hot and humid. but it was kind of like a steam room, you know, like at a swimming pool? it was like a really intense steam room, that's all. 90 seconds was...... okay i guess."

Jace gave a sigh of relief and grabbed the cup by the handle. "oohh!!!! hot!!!!!!" they barked, and pulled their hand away. "really??? replied the cup, "wow, i really AM an inanimate object. i didn't even notice how hot i was!!!!!" Jace waited a minute or 2, and then ripped off some paper towels from a dispenser, wrapping them loosely around their hand. they grabbed the cup carefully and lifted it onto the kitchen counter. "there you go, little cup.... you're a hot chocolate!!!!" sang Jace. The cup cheered, "thank you master."

Jace left the paper towels on the kitchen counter, because the cup wasn't so hot anymore. They carried the cup over to their upholstered chair and sat down, absentmindedly taking a biiiiiig sip from the cup. "mmm." grunted Jace, suddenly realizing what they had done, "oh sorry!!! should i, um........" the cup interjected, "take me out to dinner first? no it's okaaaayyyyy master. im just happy to be useful!!!!!" the cup closed its eyes and grinned. Jace took another sip, with the cup holding back a giggle, "that tickles a lil bit master!!!!" the hot chocolate wasn't very creamy. Could probably do with more milk. but Jace and the cup had a lot of opportunities to make better drinks!

THE END