It was late afternoon when Marco, Carl’s dad, returned home from his long shift at the construction site. His clothes were covered in dust, his muscles sore from a day’s hard work. With a grunt, he dropped his tool belt by the door and wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief. His son’s door was slightly ajar, light spilling into the hallway from Carl’s lab.
Marco frowned. What’s that kid up to this time?
He knew Carl was smart—way smarter than he’d ever been at that age—but sometimes his inventions left Marco scratching his head. Carl always seemed to be working on some new gadget or tech thing Marco couldn’t begin to understand. He respected his son's passion, though, even if it all seemed a bit over his head.
“Carl, you in there?” Marco called out as he peeked into the room, but there was no answer.
The place was a mess of wires, circuit boards, and half-assembled devices. Carl wasn’t around, probably off grabbing a burger with his friends. Marco stepped into the room, careful not to trip over anything, his heavy boots clunking on the floor. That’s when something on the desk caught his eye—a small, sleek remote with glowing alien symbols. It was clearly different from Carl’s usual tech projects.
Marco picked it up, turning it over in his large, calloused hands. “Now what in the world is this?” he muttered, squinting at the strange markings.
Without thinking, his thick thumb pressed one of the buttons.
A sudden flash of light engulfed him, and Marco yelped, dropping the remote to the ground. His whole body tingled as if he’d been hit with a jolt of electricity, and for a moment, he thought maybe Carl had rigged up some kind of prank.
But then, as the light faded, something felt... different.