The air is thick with the smell of cheap cider and woodsmoke from a backyard fire pit. You can hear the muffled bass of a song that was popular four years ago thumping through a Bluetooth speaker in the next room. Someone is wearing a dinosaur onesie, and someone else is inexplicably holding a toaster.

The filename indicates a video sent via WhatsApp on October 28, 2022 . Since this is a private file from your personal device, I cannot see the actual footage.

The room erupts. The person holding the phone (you?) starts laughing so hard the camera tilts toward the ceiling, capturing a single, lonely Halloween balloon drifting near a light fixture. The dog doesn't even move; he just accepts his new bready hat.