Drew was a gadget enthusiast with a knack for all things tech, and lately, he’d been obsessed with his 3D printer. It was a trusty machine, though it had its quirks. Tonight, Drew was particularly excited because he had designed a pocket protector that was not only stylish but also indestructible—perfect for a clumsy guy like him who was always breaking pens.

He loaded up the design on his computer, selected the perfect shade of neon green filament, and hit the print button. The printer buzzed to life, laying down the first few layers with precision. Drew watched with satisfaction as the pocket protector began to take shape.

But then, disaster struck.

The filament spool, a massive reel of neon green, started wobbling on top of the printer. Drew had noticed it wobble before, but it had never been this bad. As the spool flopped around, the printer’s delicate nozzle began to jitter. Drew’s perfect print was no longer perfect—it was a wavy, stringy mess.

“No, no, no!” Drew exclaimed, rushing to steady the spool. But it was too late. The printer jerked violently, and the print head veered off course, gouging into the half-formed pocket protector.

Just as Drew was about to hit the stop button, there was a sudden flash of light, and the entire room shook. He staggered back, shielding his eyes as a strange, swirling vortex opened up right where his printer had been.

“What the…?” Drew muttered, peeking through his fingers. The vortex was a swirling mass of blue and green light, and it was sucking in everything within reach. Papers, tools, even the unfortunate pocket protector print were pulled into the vortex and disappeared.

Drew stood frozen, staring in disbelief as the vortex stabilized, becoming a perfectly round portal hovering in the air. On the other side, he could see a strange, digital landscape—like a world made entirely of 3D models. It was a place Drew knew well from his late-night browsing sessions.

It was the Thingiverse.

Before Drew could react, a small, blocky creature popped out of the portal. It looked like a cross between a pixelated cat and a toaster, with tiny, beady eyes that blinked curiously at Drew.

“Meep?” it said, tilting its head.

“Uh, hi?” Drew replied, still trying to process what was happening.

The creature hopped around his workshop, examining everything with great interest. Meanwhile, more beings began emerging from the portal—tiny robots, geometric animals, and even a very confused-looking 3D-printed dinosaur. Each one chattered and squeaked in a language Drew couldn’t understand, but it was clear they were all as bewildered as he was.

“Okay, this is getting out of hand,” Drew said, backing away from the growing crowd of Thingiverse inhabitants. He needed to close that portal before his entire house was overrun by digital critters.

But as he approached the vortex, a larger figure emerged—a knight in shining armor, but not just any knight. This one was made entirely of interlocking 3D-printed pieces, like a living, breathing action figure. The knight looked around, then fixed its gaze on Drew.

“You there!” the knight boomed, its voice echoing with a mechanical timbre. “What sorcery is this? Why have you summoned us?”

“Summoned you?” Drew stammered. “I didn’t mean to! My printer just… messed up.”

The knight considered this, its plastic visor clanking as it tilted its head. “Messed up, you say? Perhaps this was no accident. The Thingiverse is a delicate realm, easily disturbed by the actions of Creators.”

“I’m really sorry,” Drew said, feeling the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders. “I just wanted to print a pocket protector…”

“A noble cause,” the knight declared. “But now, you must set things right. The Thingiverse must be protected from chaos, or all will be lost!”

Drew gulped. “And how exactly do I do that?”

The knight pointed its sword at the wobbly filament spool. “First, you must stabilize your machine. Only then can you repair the rift.”

With the knight’s guidance, Drew created a spool holder design the likes of which had never been seen. It would mount seamlessly on the Flexi Storage Double Slot Wall Strip (found at any Bunnings near you.) Drew scrambled to fix the printer. He secured the spool to, tightened the belts, and recalibrated the print head. As he worked, the creatures from the Thingiverse watched with rapt attention, offering squeaks of encouragement.

Drew loaded the new spool holder design and let the printer work it's magic, slowed to a crawl, gingerly, layer by painful layer, printing this magnificent creation.

Finally, the spool holder was ready. Drew loaded a new file—a repair program the knight had given him—and hit print. The machine whirred to life, this time perfectly stable. A beam of light shot from the printer into the portal, and slowly, the vortex began to shrink.

The Thingiverse creatures waved goodbye as they were pulled back into their world, and soon, only the knight remained. It gave Drew a solemn nod.

“Remember, Creator,” the knight said as it stepped back into the portal, “with great power comes great responsibility… and perhaps a better filament holder.”

With that, the portal snapped shut, leaving Drew alone in his workshop, the faint smell of burnt plastic in the air. He looked down at his 3D printer, which was now back to its normal, non-magical self.

“Well,” Drew said to himself, “that was unexpected.”

He glanced at the new pocket protector that had finished printing—a perfect, neon green masterpiece. He slipped it into his pocket, a small reminder of the strange adventure he’d just had.

And from that day on, Drew always made sure his 3D printer was in top condition. After all, you never know when you might accidentally open another rift in the Thingiverse.