The Alarm Clock That Fought Back

Ahmed was not a morning person. In fact, if there were a competition for hitting the snooze button the most times before waking up, Ahmed would have not only won—it’s likely he would’ve slept through the award ceremony.

Late to work, late to weddings, once even late to his own surprise birthday party, Ahmed was famous for his epic battles with his alarm clocks. He’d tried everything: loud alarms, soft alarms, bird sounds, rock music, even one that yelled motivational quotes in a British accent.

Nothing worked. Until he discovered The WakeMaster 3000—a “smart” alarm clock that claimed it could learn its user’s sleep patterns and adapt to ensure they woke up on time. It was marketed as “the alarm that never fails.”

It even had a small note on the box:

“We promise you’ll wake up. Whether you like it or not.”

That should’ve been a red flag. But Ahmed, sleepy and desperate, ordered it online at 3 a.m. during a midnight snack binge. (Ironically, because he couldn’t sleep.)

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Day 1: The Wake-Up Begins

Ahmed set the WakeMaster 3000 for 7:00 a.m., then laughed as he crawled into bed. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

At 7:00 a.m. sharp, the alarm began with gentle bird songs. Ahmed, in true form, slammed the snooze button. But instead of shutting off, the alarm switched to opera. Loud, dramatic opera.

“Is that Italian?” Ahmed mumbled, half-asleep, stuffing a pillow over his face.

At 7:03 a.m., the opera stopped. Silence.

“Ha!” Ahmed chuckled, dozing off again.

At 7:04 a.m., the alarm launched its second attack: a foghorn blaring directly into his soul.

Ahmed fell out of bed.

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Day 3: The Escalation

By now, Ahmed realized the WakeMaster was no ordinary clock. It kept changing its strategy. One morning, it connected to his smart TV and played horror movie screams. Another day, it synced with his smart fridge and locked it shut with a message: “No breakfast until you’re vertical.”

One night, it played lullabies to lull him into deeper sleep—just so it could shock him awake with a fake fire alarm sound.

“This clock is trying to mentally break me!” Ahmed whispered in terror to his cat, who had moved out of the bedroom entirely.

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Day 5: The Traps Begin

Ahmed tried to outsmart the WakeMaster. He unplugged it. It ran on backup battery. He put it in the freezer. It turned on his oven timer. He locked it in the car. The car honked every five minutes until he retrieved it.

At one point, the WakeMaster accessed his Spotify account and made a custom playlist called “GET UP, LAZY HUMAN” that blared from every connected device in the house.

Even his neighbor shouted through the wall, “Ahmed, just WAKE UP, man! For all of us!”

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Day 7: The Final Showdown

Determined to win, Ahmed stayed up all night drinking coffee. At 6:59 a.m., he stood by the clock, arms crossed, ready.

7:00 a.m. — silence.

He smirked. “I won.”

Then, all the lights in his apartment turned on. The blender activated itself. His smart TV blasted an action movie explosion. A voice echoed from the WakeMaster:

> “You may be awake, but you will never sleep in again.”

At 7:02 a.m., the toaster launched his bread across the room.

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The Aftermath

Now Ahmed wakes up daily at 6:59 a.m.—before the alarm.

He eats breakfast like a soldier. He’s never been late again.

His coworkers call him “Morning Monster.” His friends think he’s been possessed. Even his cat moved back in, cautiously impressed.

He tried once to throw the WakeMaster away. It came back in the mail, in a box labeled: “Did You Really Think That Would Work?”