There was no need to set an alarm.

She heard it through the walls, as she did every morning. The screeching of whatever animal. Well, she knew what animal it was. During the day, he was a very nice dog. She enjoyed seeing him from over the fence, wiggling his tail and the rest of him.

Yet at six o’clock in the morning, he didn’t understand why anyone was still asleep and had to wake up the neighborhood.

Getting out of bed, she opened her window and, after making sure the window was closed, aimed a rock from her pile at the sill. She struck it dead on. She readied another, but didn’t throw it as the movement from the curtains told her the person on the other side was actually getting up.

With a sigh, she got ready for work.