By the skin of my teeth

A quick 300-word story to demonstrate skills learnt in escalating the tension to a climax and denouement.

The alarm rattles my hand; one of many I set every morning as a countdown.

Yeah, time management issues.

Racing to the sink, I jerk the toothbrush off its holder, the other hand reaching for the toothpaste.

Aarrrhgh!

The tube is all but empty save for that last bit that gets away.

No, not today!

I hate wastage. So my trickis to grab the shaving cream can and squeeze the toothpaste out.

Hold On!

I must make sure the toothbrush is angled to catch the spill. With extreme care, I position the bristles, ready for the prize to come aboard.

Here we go, tiger!

I pinion the tube with my torture appliance, hoping to squeeze the toothpaste into submission. Nothing.

More pressure!

After a century and many seconds, the tube begins to swells under the neck. I loosen the cap, and resume the milling.

Almost there!

I think I have enough to form a perfect quenelle over the bristles so I manouvre the tube like a dangling carrot.

Riiing!

Another bloody alarm rings like a mad crow!

Damn!

It's all Hollywood slo-mo now. I've unleashed the toothpaste from its cage and a sinewy blob has exploded, making it's inevitable drop to the filthy floor.

I lunge to get a hand under it, but I've never made a successful catch in cricket. I see my heart sink through the gaping chasm between the falling blob and my fingertips. 

Then, Starship Enterprise glides into the void, except this one looks like a hand with impeccably manicured nails.

"Dropped something?", that blob on Sue's palm is like a proposal.

Yes!! I do!

"Thanks love!", I say instead, "I could kiss you right now, you know?"

"Well, certainly not until you've brushed your teeth!"

Author's Note

I would love to know if I manage to create rising tension in a otherwise mundane scenario given the tight bounds of 250-300 words.