Here is a short original story based on that idea. The Familyscrew
"You're trying to bankrupt me over a line item labeled 'general vexation,'" Leo replied.
The judge peered over her glasses. "And why would you do that?" familyscrew
The judge ruled the will partially valid, voided the "emotional principal" as unenforceable, and ordered the cookie cake deduction removed "as a matter of public policy against pettiness."
When Caleb was called to testify, he stood up, looked at his aunt, his father, and the empty chair where Grandma's lawyer sat, and said: Here is a short original story based on that idea
What the Vexlers had was a familyscrew — a slow, multi-generational torque where each member was both the tool and the bolt being tightened until something stripped.
The hearing was in a small, windowless room at the county courthouse. The judge, a woman with eyeglasses balanced on her nose like a skeptical insect, listened for two hours. She heard about the fondue (Mara had used the wrong cheese; Grandma never forgot). She heard about the "emotional principal" (Leo had missed Thanksgiving 1994 to go skiing). She heard about the cookie cake. "And why would you do that
Leo and Mara left the courthouse not speaking to each other — an improvement over the screaming they'd done on the way in.