Leon has never missed his morning ritual. Every morning for the past forty two years started the same: hot shower, two eggs over-easy, a cup of smoldering black coffee. Then a suit, the black one with grey stripes. A final look in the mirror to make sure all the buttons are buttoned, and a black hat. Then he steps outside.

Leon is a chimney sweeper. He loves his job, because seeing the dirt that comes out of a chimney and the clean scrub that follows makes him feel good. He loves being unnoticed, coming in quietly to do his job and leaving discreetly, with a clean chimney the only reminder of his visit.

He also enjoys the rhythm of his job. You see, most chimneys get dirty over the course of the day, making evening time the most appropriate for cleaning. Leon walks on the dimly lit streets toward a house in need, lost in his thoughts but acutely aware of the black smoke from chimneys he hasn’t yet visited.

An evening job leaves plenty of time for the morning. Not surprisingly, it is the time of day Leon enjoys most. The world is still clean in the morning…

Clean and naive, exactly like the day he met Her twenty years ago. He still remembers it. He was going to his first ever chimney cleaning when he spotted a yellow dress on the other side of the street. He squinted his eyes for a moment because her yellow dress shone brighter than the sun. Yes, he still remembers… Her smile, a little crooked but oh so genuine. Her light brown hair, the way it cascaded down her shoulders. And of course, her eyes. Fierce blue eyes with shards of ice in them. You could easily drown in those eyes. Willingly.