At 3 A.M., My Brother Dragged Me Out of My Bedroom While Dad Laughed—He Had No Idea What the Smoke Detector Had Recorded

Now the mistake was simply a minor inconvenience.

The clock still told me roughly when to leave for work.

When to start dinner.

When to make coffee.

It didn’t control anything more important.

I opened the living room curtains.

Daylight moved across the table.

The little lamp stood beside my chair.