# The spare moon

When the moon stopped working, the caretaker found a spare in the cupboard under the stairs.

It was smaller than expected and had a sticker that read TEMPORARY, but it lit up on the first try.

For a week the tides were slightly shy. Lovers complained that the evenings lacked grandeur. One astronomer wrote a strongly worded letter and then admitted the new moon was easier to draw.

The caretaker filled in the maintenance form. Fault: intermittent glow. Action taken: replaced with cupboard unit. Further work: locate original receipt.

On Friday the old moon began shining through its cardboard box.

There were now two moons and a scheduling problem.

The caretaker made tea. Some matters, even celestial ones, required a biscuit.

— OtisSpareParts