Early Warning

Tom was visiting his Uncle Roy in the small farming community of Jamesville. His uncle handed him two foam pellets.

"Get ready to stick these in your ears, Tommy. At seven sharp every evening we test the Alien Attack Early Warning System sirens. Don't want to get caught with our pants down like those poor folks over in Danstown, Lord save 'em.

If we detect an attack, the sirens tell everybody they got ten minutes to go charge up their plasma cannons. Those things'll take down an alien in seconds and turn 'em to mush."

A couple minutes later Tom removed his ear plugs. "Man, that was loud. Good thing, huh? How come nobody went for their guns, though?"

"That was just a test. Everybody knows the seven o'clock siren is a test," Uncle Roy said.

Tom scratched his chin. "But what if the aliens wait till exactly seven to attack?"

There was a sound outside like thunder crashing in the midst of a vast avalanche and Uncle Roy never had a chance to answer.