My Alarm Clock Quit Its Job

Ken woke up at eight twenty on Monday morning. School started at eight thirty. His alarm clock was quiet, so Ken jumped out of bed and shouted, “Why didn't you ring?”

Words appeared on the clock's screen: I QUIT. Ken stared at it. Then a second message appeared: YOU PRESSED SNOOZE SEVEN TIMES YESTERDAY. YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME.

“You are an alarm clock. Ringing is your job,” Ken said. The clock answered, “And waking up is your job.” Ken had no time to argue. He ran to school in his pajamas.

Ken was late for class. Everyone laughed, but his teacher gave him a gym uniform. After school, Ken came home and made a deal with the clock. “I will press snooze only once,” he promised.

The next morning, the alarm went off at seven. Ken pressed snooze once. Nine minutes later, it rang again and said, “Good morning. No more negotiations.” Ken laughed and got up.

He arrived at school on time. That evening, Ken put a small thank-you sticker on the clock. The screen lit up: EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH. Just before it went dark, the screen flashed blue for one second. Ken thought it was a new celebration effect. The clock had returned to work.