8 Days To Go

See this entry for an explanation of this madness.

The present beeped.

High-pitched, electronic, unremitting, incessant...

The present beeped, although at the rate at which Elijah's nerves were disintegrating at the grating noise, it might not be for much longer. A present, that is. It might not be a present for much longer.

It might be a crumpled mass of paper and ribbon, with beepless circuitry crushed and sprinkled on top.

Picking up his jacket, he decided to leave the flat to resolve this particular problem itself. If it had any spirit, he felt sure it would helpfully arrange for the tree to fall destructively upon the pernicious parcel.