Bernard Bigglesworth wasn’t known for his culinary skills. In fact, his toast-making abilities were legendary… for all the wrong reasons. Every morning, Bernard’s attempts at breakfast resembled charcoal more than crispy bread.

This particular Tuesday was no different. Smoke filled the kitchen as Bernard wrestled with the toaster. “Come on, you stubborn contraption!” he muttered, finally retrieving two blackened pieces of toast.

Suddenly, a loud “POP!” echoed through the kitchen. The toast shot out of Bernard’s hand, sailing through the air with a surprising amount of speed. Bernard stared, dumbfounded, as the toast landed – with a satisfying “plop” – right in the goldfish bowl!

“Bubbles!” Bernard cried, rushing over to his goldfish. Bubbles, a rather portly orange goldfish, was bobbing next to the toast, looking mildly surprised. Bernard scooped Bubbles out cautiously.

“Don’t worry, little fella,” he soothed, placing Bubbles back in the (now slightly smoky) water. “Looks like breakfast is a bit burnt today.”

Just as Bernard reached for a towel to clean up the mess, the toast began to move. Bernard blinked, then rubbed his eyes. Yes, the toast was definitely wiggling! Slowly, a tiny face with two beady eyes and a surprised expression appeared on the toast’s surface.

“Well, that’s a new one,” Bernard muttered.

The toast-creature (let’s call him Toasty for now) spoke in a high-pitched squeaky voice. “Excuse me, sir, but could you please help me out of this watery predicament?”

Bernard’s jaw dropped. “A talking piece of burnt toast?” he spluttered.

Toasty puffed out his tiny toasty chest (which was surprisingly impressive). “Indeed! I am Toasty, a proud member of the Toaster Kingdom. Unfortunately, I seem to have been ejected with… excessive force.”

Bernard, still reeling from the talking toast, managed a weak, “Oh.”

“So, a hand up would be much appreciated,” Toasty continued, his squeaky voice becoming a tad impatient.

Carefully, Bernard fished Toasty out of the goldfish bowl. Toasty hopped, or rather slid, onto the counter.

“Thank you,” Toasty squeaked. “Now, how do I get back to my kingdom?”

Bernard scratched his head. “Honestly, Toasty, I’m not sure. Maybe…” he looked around the kitchen, spotting the toaster with a mischievous glint in his eye, “…you could try going back in?”

Toasty looked horrified. “Absolutely not! That contraption nearly turned me into charcoal! I wouldn’t go back in there for all the jam in the world!”

Bernard chuckled. “Fair enough. Well, I’m not much help with magical portals or anything, but I can try to think of something.”

Suddenly, Bubbles, the goldfish, jumped out of his bowl with a mighty splash, landing with a satisfying plop right next to Toasty. Toasty stared at Bubbles, then at Bernard.

“Perhaps,” Toasty squeaked hesitantly, “a swim might be a good way to cool down after my ordeal?”

Bernard burst out laughing. “Well, Toasty,” he said, wiping a tear from his eye, “you’re certainly one of a kind. And who am I to deny a brave toast a refreshing dip?”

He carefully placed Bubbles back in his bowl, leaving enough room for Toasty to join him. Toasty hopped (or rather, slid) into the water with a surprised yelp. Bubbles, ever the sociable fish, swam up to him, nudging him playfully.

Bernard watched the unlikely pair, a smile spreading across his face. Maybe burnt toast and talking wasn’t such a bad way to start the day after all.

As he poured himself a bowl of cereal (much safer than toast-making!), Bernard couldn’t help but wonder what other adventures awaited him with Toasty the talking toast as his new house guest.

One thing was for sure – his mornings would never be dull again.

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Vocabulary Notes

legendary (adj): extremely well-known, especially for a bad quality (e.g., “Bernard’s burnt toast was legendary.”)
wrestle (v): to struggle with something difficult (e.g., “Bernard wrestled with the toaster.”)
dumbfounded (adj): shocked and speechless (e.g., “Bernard stared, dumbfounded, as the toast landed…”)
predicament (n): a difficult, uncomfortable, or embarrassing situation (e.g., “Excuse me, sir, but could you please help me out of this watery predicament?”)
splutter (v): to speak quickly and with difficulty, often because you are surprised or angry (e.g., “A talking piece of burnt toast?” he spluttered.)
eject (v): to force something out of a place (e.g., “Unfortunately, I seem to have been ejected with… excessive force.”)
impatient (adj): not willing to wait; wanting something to happen now (e.g., “his squeaky voice becoming a tad impatient”)
mischievous (adj): playfully naughty or likely to cause trouble (e.g., “with a mischievous glint in his eye”)
horrified (adj): feeling extreme shock and fear (e.g., “Toasty looked horrified.”)
ordeal (n): a difficult or unpleasant experience (e.g., “a swim might be a good way to cool down after my ordeal”)
unlikely (adj): not likely to happen; improbable (e.g., “Bernard watched the unlikely pair…”)

Story written by Google Bard AI

Image created by dezgo.com AI

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