The alarm wasn’t supposed to go off yet. It was 3:33 a.m. when she reached over quickly, knocking it down. It came to a stop. Once more, she had easily lost her sleep; it was too late. Jeannie turned over to see John peacefully sleeping on his side and then walked out of the room. Looking into the bathroom mirror, she realized she had grown old in the past months. The lines on her face had become deep and black circles surrounded her eyes. Winter had come and after losing her job for not showing up on time repeatedly, she felt even older and wearier than she looked. She splashed some cold water on her face and down the stairs she went. The coffee pot was half empty, but that was more than enough for now. She warmed up a cup and sat at the opposite end of the kitchen table, sliding into the seat that the family referred to as ‘Dad’s seat’. From there, she could see the window over the kitchen sink and the first snowflakes falling onto the front lawn. It was a beautiful sight. This felt so much like home, so comfy and so heartwarming. It was exactly as she had pictured their lives in their new home. Jeannie was content. It felt good, and she took Morpheus ‘hand.

 

The alarm clock wasn’t supposed to go off yet, but it did, at exactly 3:33 a.m. “Why for the life of me is this alarm clock going off at this time when I keep setting it for 7:00 a.m.?” she said, frustrated. “I should have John take it into the city to have it checked by the horologist, but I know John will tell me I’m being ridiculous and that there isn’t a thing wrong with our alarm clock.” She felt sick to her stomach. Her head was spinning, and her heart was racing. In her mind, the thought kept repeating itself. “Why the hell was the alarm going off every night at the wrong time, even though it wasn’t being set for that time?” She sat on the bed with the alarm clock in hand, trying to solve the mystery, but the ticking of the clock took her away.