Island Writers Network

Hilton Head Island Writers and Their Books

From the 4th Anthology: ‘Death of a Vacuum’

Written By: Admin - Dec• 18•15

Ann LillyThis post from our fourth anthology features an excerpt from a story by Ann Lilly. Here’s what Ann has to say about the entertaining lesson: “Death of a Vacuum is proof that even when you think you have it all figured out, technology can go terribly wrong.”

Excerpt from Death of a Vacuum

Shortly after installing hardwood floors in our house, we purchased a Roomba robotic vacuum. To say this little vacuum was life changing is an understatement. Programmed to come on every morning at 10:00, the Roomba cleaned the floors for an hour or two before returning to the charging station. It roamed our house in what appeared to be a random pattern, but managed to clean every inch of floor space. Gone were the days of sandy grit and cat hair tumbleweeds.

On Mother’s Day our family spent the day at the beach. Returning late in the afternoon, I walked into the kitchen to unpack the cooler. Sunlight was streaming into the dining room and I noticed the wood floor looked dull. On closer inspection I found something smeared all over the floor and our dog, Raisin, cowering in the corner, looking guilty.

My eyes roamed the room and settled on what remained of a pile of dog poop in front of the sliding glass door. Oh my God! Raisin, who was perfectly housebroken, had an accident on the floor and, early in its appointed rounds, the Roomba had run over it. The poop had been methodically spread, board by board, over the entire floor before drying to a crispy dull finish. A trail of evidence led to the charging station.

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The full version of this story was first published in Hilton Head Island: Time and Tide.

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