The coffee machine has a strange message on the touchscreen this morning. It reads: Do not miss the latte macchiato. Since part of me is at least one cat life, the cappuccino macchiato button is touched on the screen. Then nothing happens, but a sign pops up that reads 14 seconds of milk. It is followed by total silence. Then a burst of steam and foam begins. Another moment of silence, then, strong espresso flows into the foam. The first sip brings a rush of flavor and the quiet that comes when the machine shop sound of a low-caffeine warning finally stops.

The second sip (okay, say it with me) brings the cacaphony of the Westminster chimes of the doorbell and the eardrum rupture octaves of Twiggy and Tempeste trying their best to bark the visitor to St. Louis. A new bacon-flavored pair of nylon bones tossed into the soundproof room, followed by a door slam, sends the hounds of Baskerville into a cone of silence.

Checking the monitor, it appears that Deputy Dog is on the porch with a clipboard and an envelope. Knowing that conversation is useless, the security shutdown process begins.

The B-2 bomber squadron and the F-35 escort must be called off. One call does it. The tank corps and gunboats are told to stand by. The Apache helicopters are rerouted. The electric shock fence is turned off. The drawbridge over the quicksand is lowered. The robot attack dogs returned to their charging station. The laser-guided machine guns on the roof are set to caution. The nest filled with rattlesnakes was put away. The bucket filled with 1000 marbles is locked down. The tear gas canisters shut off. The electrified welcome mat set to off. The fall-away sidewalk into the pit filled with spikes is locked. The hornet’s nest closed. The water cannons are set to safety. Bear traps are set to off. Peregrine Falcons perched on the roof above front door fed. The vat of boiling oil set to warm. The front door is opened.

The envelope and clipboard are passed to me. After signing, the clipboard is returned with a five-dollar bill under the clip. “Sir, there is no need to tip,” says Deputy Dog. Silently giving a small curse to those who suggested a tip, a word of advice is cast to the dog. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

Stepping back into the house, the envelope is opened, and inside is a message from Linda Hill. It reads “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “miss.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!”

If you would like to see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2026/06/19/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-20-2026/

Miss by John W. Howell © 2026

“Well, you missed the opportunity to save a tip.”

“Let’s not even talk about it.”

“I like that you did give him some words to live by.”

“I’m sure The Pilgrim liked that as well.”

“You sound ready for a visit to the pub.”

“More than ready. You order an Uber?”

“Right over there.”

Photo by Dan Antion

“Oh, just perfect. A GTO under construction.”

“All that’s missing is the front bumper and headlights.”

“So riddle me this, Robin. How are we going to get home after dark?”

“That brings up the one stop we have to make before we hit the pub.”

“Please don’t tell me it’s a body shop. That will take hours.”

“No, nothing that complex. We need to stop at Walmart.”

“Walmart? What for?”

“Some duct tape and two flashlights.”

“Please tell me you are kidding.”

“Come on. It’s not a long trip home. A couple of flashlights will be plenty of light.”

“Who pays the ticket when we get pulled over?”

“Hmm. Hadn’t thought of that. Okay, I have a backup. Over there.”

Photo by Dan Antion

“You are riding on the roof.”

“There is room for three, and it has headlights.”

“Okay, but I call for the seat up front.”

“You got it.”