The Mystery of the Missing Remote

The roommates Samir and Rahul were living in their favorite pastime--not doing anything at all. The documentary on snails was airing on the television, and not a moment of it was watched by either of them."Pass the remote," said Samir in a lazy stance on the couch."I don't have it," came the reply from Rahul, without lifting his eyes from his cellphone."What do you mean you don't have it? You were the last one with it."Rahul scrutinized the room and said, "Oh, I passed it to you after changing the channel to this snail nonsense."Samir moaned, "What should I do watching a show of snails? You're the one who gets obsessed with random facts; how about you remembered when you tried teaching me the mating habits of pigeons?""Hey, don't knock the pigeons! They're really quite interesting," Rahul replied defensively. "And besides, the remote is not here."Sighing, Samir started looking around in the couched cushions. "It's definitely around here somewhere. Stuff just doesn't vanish!""And you are very sure about it? Remember the time your wallet went missing, and we found it in the fridge?" Rahul arched an eyebrow in response."That was ONE time!" Samir scowled as he waved a fistful of lint and an especially forlorn sock. "You don't help!"Rahul shrugged. "Clearly, I'll help you. Where's the last place you saw it?"Samir shot him a look. "If I knew that, genius, it wouldn't be lost!"Rahul nodded sagely. "Fair point. Maybe the remote got tired of your terrible taste in TV and left for a better life."Samir glared. "This is not a joke! What if we never find it? Do you have any idea what kind of dystopian nightmare we are going to live?" He let out a dramatic gasp.Rahul snorted. "Relax, Sherlock. Let's retrace our steps. You were sitting here, eating chips, right?"Samir looked at him. "Yeah, and you were sitting there, Googling 'how to get abs in a week.'"Rahul rolled his eyes. "Don't judge my aspirations. Did you check under the coffee table?"Samir got on his knees and looked under the table. "Only dust and... ew, is this a gummy bear? How old is this?"Rahul popped his head down to look. "Looks like it predates the dinosaurs. Leave it, it's probably a historical artifact."Samir groaned and stood up. "Alright, maybe it's in the kitchen. You took the remote with you when you went to grab snacks, didn't you?"Rahul blinked. "Why would I take the remote to the kitchen? Do you think I watch TV while opening the fridge?""With you? Anything's possible!"They marched into the kitchen, turning it upside down. No remote. Samir even checked the freezer, just in case."Maybe it's in the bathroom," Rahul suggested.Samir gave him a horrified look. "Why would it be in the bathroom?!"Rahul shrugged. "You never know. People do weird things in moments of boredom."Against all logic, they checked the bathroom. Nothing.After 20 minutes of frantic searching, they returned to the living room, defeated."I'm done," Samir said with a thud as he plopped down on the couch. "Gone is the remote. This life has to start anew. No TV. Just books and... and nature sounds."Rahul consoled him with a shoulder pat. "Stay strong, brother."A moment of silence followed while they grappled with the prospect of their sad fate, when Samir changed position and was greeted by a clunk.He froze. Slowly, he reached beneath himself and extracted the remote.Rahul burst into laughter. "You've been sitting on it the whole time?!"Samir turned red. "It probably fell under me as I was searching for it!"Rahul shook his head, still laughing. "So the last thirty minutes were wasted on searching for something you were literally sitting on. Guess that's why you aren't getting invited to an escape room."Samir frowned, holding the remote like a trophy. "Next time, YOU lose it and sit on it!"Rahul grinned. "It's a deal. But for now, let's change the channel. These snails are moving faster than your brain."Samir hurled a pillow his way. And just like that, peace was restored until the next time the remote vanished mysteriously from sight.The End.