Sunrise

The coffee sputters into the pot so I turn off the blue gas flame underneath, pour black sludge into my cup and add cream. I wrap my hands around the warmth of the cup, clutching it close as I curl up on the couch. A few lights ribbon along the highway in the distance and the beacon flashes at the airport from across the valley. The house is silent and still, below, the town is sleeping for the most part; I love this part of the day, when I feel like I am the only person awake and aware of the dark peacefulness.

The sky is brightening over the hills to the East, a ghost of pale color, creating a silhouette of the pine tree outside the dining room window. The glow gradually spreads to the North and South, until the range of hills across the valley is visible. Slowly the hills become three dimensional as the dawn light casts shadows in their folds and crevices.

Finally, the sun makes its appearance, a shot of brilliant white between two hills, christening the river and fields with its first light.

Time to wake the family and share the morning's beauty.