Daniel woke up at 7 o’clock.
He did not open his phone. Not yet. That was his rule.
First, he went to the kitchen. He filled the kettle with water and switched it on. Then he fed Biscuit, his cat.
Biscuit was already waiting by his bowl. He always woke up before Daniel.
“Good morning, Biscuit,” Daniel said.
Biscuit said nothing. He just ate.
Daniel made his coffee. He used a simple method — a filter, hot water, and good beans.
No machine. He liked the process. It made him feel calm before the day started.
He sat by the window with his cup.
Outside, the street was quiet. A few people walked past.
A deliveryman parked his van. A woman walked her dog slowly, like she had nowhere to be.
Daniel liked this time of day. Nobody needed anything from him yet.
After coffee, he opened his laptop.
He worked from home. His job was to fix problems in computer systems. Most people found this boring.
Daniel did not. Every problem was like a small puzzle. And Daniel loved puzzles.
He checked his messages. There were three emails from clients.
One was urgent. A company’s website had stopped working at midnight. The client wrote in capital letters.
Lots of exclamation marks.
Daniel read the email slowly. Then he read it again.
He was not worried. Capital letters did not make a problem bigger. They just made the email louder.
He opened the system, found the error, and fixed it in twenty-two minutes.
He wrote back to the client. His email was short and polite.
“Good morning. The issue is resolved. Your website is working now. Let me know if you need anything else.”
The client replied in two minutes.
“THANK YOU!! YOU ARE A LIFESAVER!!”
Daniel smiled a little. He closed the laptop. It was only 8:45.
At ten o’clock, he decided to go out.
He put on his jacket and took his bicycle from the hallway. He cycled slowly through the neighbourhood.
The air was cold but fresh. He liked cold mornings. They made him feel awake.
He stopped at the market near the park. He needed a few things — bread, tomatoes, eggs, and milk.
He always bought the same things. It made shopping easy.
But today, something was different.
The usual bread was not there. The shelf was empty. Daniel stood in front of it for a moment.
A woman next to him laughed softly. “They always run out on Saturdays,” she said.
Daniel looked at her. She had a camera around her neck and paint on her jacket.
“Do you know another bakery near here?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Follow me. It’s only five minutes.”
Daniel was not used to following strangers. But he followed her anyway.
Her name was Anna.
She talked a lot.
She told him about a photo she had taken that morning.
She told him about a cat she had seen on a rooftop.
She told him the names of three streets he had never noticed before, even though he had lived there for two years.
Daniel mostly listened. But he did not mind.
She was interesting.
The bakery was small and warm. It smelled like butter and fresh bread. A man behind the counter smiled when Anna walked in.
“The usual?” he asked.
“Two usuals,” she said, and looked at Daniel.
Daniel did not know what the usual was. But he nodded.
It was a thick slice of sourdough bread with olive oil and a little salt.
It was very good.
They sat outside on a small bench.
They did not talk much. Anna looked at the street through her camera. Daniel drank his water and watched people walk past.
After a while, Anna said, “You live in this neighbourhood?”
“Yes,” said Daniel. “Two years.”
“Me too,” she said. “I live on Elm Street. Number twelve.”
Daniel looked at her. “I live on Elm Street. Number fourteen.”
Anna laughed. It was a big laugh for such a quiet morning.
“We are neighbours,” she said.
“Yes,” said Daniel. “I think we are.”
He cycled home slowly.
Biscuit was sleeping on the sofa. Daniel put the bread on the table and sat down next to his cat.
It had been a good morning. A small problem. A short detour. A new friend.
Daniel opened his laptop again.
The next puzzle was waiting in a new bedtime story.
Have a good night, everyone.