Then white.

And it whispers:

He walked to the bus stop, got on, and went home. That night, he microwaved a nugget. It was fine. Just fine.

The cabinet sighed. The nugget rose through the screen, floating past Leo, leaving a trail of seasoned salt. It broke through the arcade roof, into the night sky, where it became a new constellation: Nugget Major . The arcade lights returned. The Whack-a-Mole beeped.

By click 50, the nugget grew a tiny sesame seed. By click 100, it developed a second seed. A progress bar filled the bottom of the screen: NUGGET RIPENING: 12% . Leo’s bus came and went. He didn’t notice.

Leo had two dollars left and an hour to kill before his bus. He inserted a coin. The nugget on screen twitched.

“One nugget. Infinite clicks. Become the fryer,” the subtitle whispered.

A number appeared above the nugget: 1 . The nugget shimmered, turning from pale gold to a slightly richer gold.