Crack of Dawn

The Duff woke up early today. He'd gone to bed dead tired the night before, even though he hadn't been up to much before that.

At 5am, his eyes opened and his body didn't resist the call of consciousness. He felt refreshed, rejuvenated even. He enjoyed getting up early. This contradicts much as he had prided himself as not being a morning person. He had always struggled with school and lectures before 10. Or any time for that matter. Hmm....

He supposes that it might be that the accomodations are quiet at that hour. He had always enjoyed walking through his house when everyone else was asleep. He'd look at his dog snoozing under the moonlight in the backyard. Sometimes, the dog would be awake, and could somehow sense him in the kitchen. Much remains to be learnt on the acute senses of Man's Best Friend.

He had his usual breakfast of eggs (half boiled), cereal drowned in milk, and coffee. A mix of both the traditional and the modern, eastern and western. Eating alone in a quiet dining hall, reading more depressing news of the world on food encrusted week old newspapers, he was joined by 2 others who were older than most of the cohort here, being that they were previously from the Air Force. Perhaps only older fools leave the bed early.

He decided to walk through the open air quadrangle enroute to his room. He breathed in the fresh, crisp air, and was immediately brought to an earlier, simpler time when he was in the army, of mornings met with aching pains of sleeping in the great outdoors, squeezing the cold out of the joints, and yet feeling healthier with the clean, oxygen rich air that his lungs relished. Getting into his position while watching the fog rise out of the freshly minty dewey grass, he runs his tongue over the plaque coated teeth, awaiting to pour hot lead into the soft, weak flesh of his enemies. Surreal to say the least.

He cleaned up his room, made his bed and started preparing for his flight this evening. The weather spoke solemnly of the likelihood of going up for the sortie. Even with the wonderful morning, his nightmare continues. To alleviate his mood, he watches the last episode of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. 17 years on a programme, 5 nights a week. What an industrious personality. No matter what his life is like, every night he would appear in front of a worldwide audience and bring laughter and cheers into many a living room. What a professional. And you thought women were good at faking it.

He ended the show with a talk of his legacy. It all stems from his crew of wonderfully loyal participants, from the cameramen to publicists, writers to editors. Most had stayed for all 17 years, and during that time, there were many unions amongst them. His legacy thus was all the children borne of these unions. The curtains rose to show them, all 68 of them. Wonderful. And so appropriate for the Duff truly thinks that all children are our legacy. Every one of them. And thats the undeniable Truth.