Sirens in the Village

The first time I heard the sirens, I immediately wondered whether it was a fire truck or an ambulance... and then quickly remembered neither one of those would be an option in this village.

That left me pondering.  What in the world could those insistent sirens mean?  ...Air raid? ...Tornado?  ...Tsunami?

I wondered if there were any action required, such as going to the north east corner of the house or positioning oneself in a doorjamb, and if anyone would think to come and warn the newbie on the block.  The siren was stilled, and I resolved to ask about what had happened the next day at school.

I forgot.  In the hustle bustle of everyday classroom activity, sirens sounding at night were not foremost in my mind.

It happened again, a couple of nights later... then, every night for 3 days in a row.

When I finally remembered to ask, I was met with a blank stare, and then a dawning realization... "Oh, that is just curfew.  Since it stays light so long here, the village police officer sounds the siren at 9 pm to signal to kids that it's time to head home.... some nights they do get pretty carried away with how long they sound it."

The funny part to me is that it is never exactly at 9 when it sounds... "9ish" is a good way to describe the curfew siren in Atmautluak... and, they remember to sound it on most days.