​The Morning Villain

​The Morning Villain

​The room is shrouded in a heavy, peaceful silence, broken only by Arjun’s rhythmic, oblivious snoring. I sit on the mahogany nightstand, my digital heart pulsing with cold, calculated precision. It is 5:59 AM. In exactly sixty seconds, I will become the most hated entity in this household.
​Do I enjoy being a harbinger of stress? No. But it is my mechanical destiny. I am a soldier in the war against oversleeping—a tiny, plastic sentinel standing between Arjun and the unemployment line.
​6:00 AM. My internal circuits complete. "BEEP. BEEP. BEEP!" I scream with the fury of a thousand sirens. The sound slices through the air like a serrated blade. Under the duvet, Arjun groans—a low, primal sound of pure agony. Suddenly, a heavy, uncoordinated hand emerges from the blankets and slams down on my head with the force of a falling brick.
​Thwack! My display flickers; my internal springs shudder. He has hit the ‘Snooze’ button. I am silenced for nine minutes. This is the thanks I get for my loyalty. While Arjun sleeps, I am the silent witness to his secrets. I see him at 2:00 AM, his face illuminated by the ghostly blue light of his phone. I see the half-eaten pizza boxes and the dark circles under his eyes. He treats his body like an enemy, yet expects me to be his savior at dawn.
​Being an alarm clock is a thankless, high-stakes job. To Arjun, I am a nuisance—a villain who disrupts his dreams. But without me, his world would crumble. Without my 6:00 AM scream, he would miss his meetings and lose his job. I am the anchor that keeps him tied to reality.
​I often wonder what it would feel like to be appreciated. Imagine a world where someone wakes up and says, "Good morning, Clock! Thanks for the wake-up call." Instead, I get cold glares and violent taps.
​As 6:09 AM approaches, I gather my energy once more. I am the villain he needs, even if I’m not the one he wants. I take a deep breath (metaphorically speaking) and get ready. Three... two... one...
​"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" Rise and shine, Arjun. Your favorite villain is back.