Chapter 1: Morning Routines
The morning in Cool Vale rose soft and golden, as if the hills themselves were waking from a sweet dream. Mist floated lazily over the sloping lawns, curling between the hibiscus bushes and croton leaves. The houses glowed in colours that seemed plucked from a painter’s palette—rose pink, banana yellow, sea-blue, and warm butter-cream. Yards were bordered by hibiscus hedges, trimmed neat, and dotted with proud breadfruit trees and mango branches heavy with promise.
Inside the butter-yellow Wright house, the rhythm of family life was already in motion. Mr. Wright sat at the dining table, rimless glasses balanced on his nose as he flipped through the day’s Newspaper. His voice, deep and steady, was the kind that could carry both wisdom and humour in the same breath.