Chirp Chirp

It began two days ago, an indefinable noise that sounded and disappeared so quickly I might have imagined it. I listened intently but didn't hear it again. Hours passed, and once more a faint chirp chirp reached my ears. Outside the rain poured, so perhaps the noise came from raindrops patting against the central heating unit outside the window. I dismissed the sound and got on with my life.

Yesterday I caught the faint traces again of an insistent chirp chirp. Standing motionless in the hallway, I tried to trace the source, but alas, all was quiet. Last night the disturbance penetrated my dreams, my subconsious mind whispering, "Smoke detector battery." Of course! I tuned out as best I could and made it until morning, the irritating warning becoming more and more frequent.

It'd just tested the many smoke alarms in the house (actually, that happens every time I cook). All fuctioned properly, and none spoke up when I asked, "Which one of you is bitching about a new battery?"

And the noise persisted. Only when it became persistent enough to trace was I able to track it to --- inside the guest room closet? Why would anyone put a smoke detector in a closet when there's one in the guest room a few feet away? But the mystery is solved, the detector that a former occupant deemed necessary has been fed, and for good measure, I fried an egg and retested them all.

Oh the sweet sound of security. Hmmm.... do you think only one fire extinquisher per room is enough?