‘Here; I brought you some coffee.’ ‘Uh, thanks,’ mumbled Daniel drowsily. He sat up and reached out his hand. ‘Good morning, by the way,’ he said as Kate handed him the steaming black coffee. ‘Aftemoon, actually,’ said Kate, ‘but I thought I’d let you sleep... you looked so tired last night, and there was nothing much to get up for. Anyway, take your time; when you’re ready to get up you’ll find me on the veranda.’ As Kate drifted out of the bedroom, Daniel pushed open the wooden shutters and allowed the day to flood into the room. He sipped the strong, aromatic coffee, and gazed out at the range of mountains that stretched from one edge of the window to the other, and reached almost to the top of the frame. He tried to focus on the foreground, but it was still too early for him, and he had difficulty fixing his gaze on anything. All he registered was a wash of pale, bleached hues and random, unidentifiable shapes. Daniel swung his legs out of bed and set his feet on the cool, tiled floor.
