the sun was already creeping over the trees, turning the sky a soft pink, but a ghostly crescent moon still flickered at the edge of your vision. you thought about her dark side, looked through the telescope again, looking for a comet, and again found nothing.

you jumped out of bed, pulled your t-shirt over your head, and sniffed it. deciding that it would do, you walked down the stairs, inhaling the smells of burnt toast and sea salt.

the house was quiet, the walls painted in the first rays of dawn, seagulls jumping on the flat roof. your father, half dressed, was asleep in his chair again, his patrol belt lying on her lap, her cold coffee covered in a rainbow film. he wrinkled his nose, seeing something in his sleep. you brushed the hair from his face and turned on the radio.

the hiss of static filled the room. You frowned and turned the dial, trying to catch some wave - anything but silence.

You quickly looked around, made sure that your father was still asleep, opened the cupboard with cereal, but as soon as you put the cup on the table...

-Good morning, baby. Couldn't sleep, so I got up. Early, but I must have dozed off. Put that away. I won't let you eat any junk before school.