Member-only story
DAILY RITUALS
5.14am: Early Writer
You get up in the dark and sneak downstairs to try and get some writing done — but the stakes are high
The first time I awoke today, a sneaky look at my watch told me it was 5.04am. Knowing that my watch is an hour out — I never changed it after the clocks went back last time — plus an extra 5 minutes fast to stop me being late for things, I make a quick calculation and decide 4.09am is too early to get up. ‘Never get up before 5’ is one of my little rules.
So I attempt to doze. When I look again the real time has turned into 5.14am and I slip out from the under the duvet. Stealth is essential here. My wife can be relied on to sleep through my stirrings, but I sense that my 7-year-old son joined us in the bed at some point in the night. He has the nocturnal Ninja alertness of a cat, and will gladly join me downstairs at this hour if he picks up on the slightest sound. These, then, are high-stakes moments.
My glasses click as I try to pick them up silently from the bedside table. The clothes dryer creaks as I sway past it. The floor is a bit cold and I would like to hunt for my slippers, but the risks of detection are too high. My son sighs in his sleep. I slip out of the bedroom door, careful to pull it to (to minimize any noise I make downstairs) but also not to let the wood come into contact with the frame.
No matter where I put my feet, the stairs creak and my bones click as I step down to the ground floor. I try not to creep; it just sounds louder. Just slip down is the best way, as quickly and rhythmically as you can.
Down and safe. Base camp established. I make sure to close a couple of strategic doors before I turn any lights on. I am mostly only thinking about the coffee machine right now, though I am also aware that two black cats are lying in ambush for me somewhere down here too.
The cats are brother and sister. Sometime they are asleep, and can only be identified by the…
