The Servant Problem

A small town serves as backdrop for a comic-tinged speculative tale in which an eccentric local inventor constructs a peculiar device that triggers an uncanny, townwide disturbance. Shortly afterward, a real-estate appraiser arrives to find the village largely evacuated; only the attorney charged with selling properties and her unusual dog remain to explain that everyone else has moved away. The narrative follows the appraiser's uneasy survey and interactions with the remaining residents, exploring themes of community displacement, the unpredictable effects of tinkering and technology, and the oddities of small-town life.