7:14am

Deep tiredness. One of those truisms of morning, that it must always feel like you will never be awake ever again. Still seems black outside, deep night-silence stretching on and on and on... Remember school days in Scotland. Forres Academy, and Mum giving my sister and myself a lift to school. Always calling in at that newsagent first. A rack of books, and always something there to fascinate me, a new Pan Book of Horror Stories, a novelization of the latest film, Gremlins, or Indiana Jones maybe. Waiting for a new comic to come out maybe. Waiting for the winter special of Doctor Who magazine. The small car park behind the newsagent. The air tasting of cold and night and sour milk. Mum said the latter was the smell of petrol, but to me it smelled like thinking you were never going to feel awake ever again.