A modern fairytale
Ethan Wolfe was the live-in caretaker at an estate for elderly residents. Every night he ran the security system – locking windows, checking cameras, and resetting the alarm. But the system was well past its sell-by date.
Just before midnight the alarm blared. Wolfe scrambled downstairs, heart pounding, only to find a loose wire had tripped the sensor. Neighbours peeked out, grumbled at him, then went back to sleep.
The next night: another false alarm. This time it was a software update gone awry. A patrol car showed up, lights flashing. Wolfe sheepishly waved off the officers while the neighbours again sighed in frustration.
It went on for a week: each night bringing the same chaos – squawking siren, flashing lights, needless police dispatches. Ethan apologized repeatedly, but tolerance ran thin. People started muttering that he was either incompetent or playing games.
On a stormy Thursday, lightning knocked out power in the neighbourhood. The backup battery kept the alarm alive, but none of the usual safeguards were working. At 2 AM. the siren screamed again.
Exhausted and frustrated, the local patrol commander radioed, ‘Wolfe’s at it again. Don’t bother checking – false alarm.’
At that moment, two burglars were slipping through the side door, their torches dancing across stolen jewellery.
By dawn, the house lay ransacked. Ethan sat on the curb, dazed, as medics confirmed the occupants – an elderly couple he’d known for years – had been cornered and killed. Neighbours stared, guilt washing over them. They had ignored the one call that mattered.
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Words: Richard Rooney
Illustration: A.I.
Flash Fiction 250
Flash Fiction 250 