When thoughts grow dull and the eye calcifies, a little lubrication is required to keep the pipes from stiffening. With sticky valves he was having to puff harder which pushed the bolts sharply into his sides and arsed up his focus, though it wasn’t just his aim that was off.
A harmless calibration ritual: ‘Do two,’ said Gadget. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, the Pipes Man released a single drop of oil into the system, and paused with the pipette still hanging… then put it back down.
He rose up from the floor, visuals now sharp and hard. ‘Go go gadget shutter! Gadget shut up. Shut up.’ He laughed nervously and tried again: ‘Heee!’
The shutter responded crisply. ‘Back in the game,’ muttered the Pipes Man under his breath.
‘Dickhead,’ said Gadget.
