Late Again

The alarm did not go off. Late Again follows a wild-haired sleepyhead in striped pyjamas through a very rushed morning, one room at a time: the bedroom, the bathroom, the laundry room, the kitchen, the hallway and out of the front door. The clock in the top bar starts at 7:00 and moves on a minute with every job, and between rooms a giant alarm clock sweeps its hand round to wipe from one to the next.

Each job is one word and one look. WAKE! is dragging a sleepy arm out from under the duvet to slap an alarm clock that keeps hopping away. BRUSH! is scrubbing the grubby teeth, but every stroke makes foam, so overdo it and it foams over. PAIR! is tapping the twin of the sock on your foot as the basket fountains socks into the air, and TOAST! is popping the toaster just in time for the slice to land in your mouth as you run past. DRESS! is dragging the clothes on in the order on their tags (trousers before pants and the pants end up on the outside), FETCH! is mashing to tug the homework from the dog and stopping the moment its ears go up, and PACK! is swiping the toys away so only the school things drop into the bag. There are keys to find under the sofa cushions, laces to tie, stairs to climb and a shower to keep at the right temperature too.

A run is endless: the jobs keep coming until all three alarm clocks have popped their springs, one for every job that goes wrong. The pace picks up with every minute and reaches about twice the starting speed by half past seven, with a HURRY! sign every five jobs. Every tenth job is THE BUS: mash to run, swipe up to hop over a puddle, a skateboard and a dog's lead, and reach the door before it closes. Catch it for ON TRACK!, a new rank, from Still in Bed and One Sock On to On Time and First Through the Door, and a lost alarm clock back. The LATE SLIP shows how many minutes you lasted, your best morning is your high score and is saved in your browser, and the TO DO list lets you practise any job you have met.