He’d fixed a hundred dishwashers before, but this one came with a script he should have followed. Laura’s message sounded simple: key under the mat, fix the machine, ignore the bulldog, and under no circumstances speak to the parrot. The dog’s size rattled him at first, yet it barely moved, only watching as he worked. The real torment came from the parrot’s relentless insults, pecking at his patience with every shrieked word.

Hours of cursing and mockery finally broke him. Red-faced and exhausted, he spun around and shouted at the bird, hurling his own insult into the air. In the sudden silence that followed, the parrot cocked its head, almost amused. Then came the calm, chilling command: “Get him, Bob.” The dog, obedient and terrifyingly fast, proved why some warnings are never, ever given lightly.