First-grade bedtime. Lights are out. A coat-draped chair turns into the mummy watching my bed. Malfunctioning WiFi turns the nanny cam’s playful green light into the red-eyed demon watching me, too.

The wee, perilous hours of the night require defensive weapons of choice: a blanket pulled overhead and Duracell flashlight.

Darnell Cureton is a middle-aged man at the crossroads of life, expressing his personality through technology and creative writing.