The hero of my story is wide awake. He has taken his shower, brushed his teeth, and shaved. Also, he has checked his electronic mail and the latest news. What will he do next? Will he go now for his morning coffee, as usual? Or will he first go to the store to buy some bread, so that he avoids the growing heat? And when will he go to the post office, which has been closed all day yesterday because their computer was out of order? Yes, this is what I have to figure out this morning. And my hero is in my hands entirely. I am the author, after all. My hero does as I please. Most of the time, at least. He gets kind of stubborn every once in a while, I must admit. Being an author gets tough on such occasions. Anyway, my hero seems rather malleable today. First he will go to the store to buy some bread, and then he will go for his morning coffee. The post office can wait. Who knows, it may be closed today, as well. Perhaps their computer is past repair, for the post office was struck by lightning a day or two before my hero’s last return to town. There! That is what the hero of my story will do this morning.

Addendum (February 5, 2015)

The hero of my story is in the Croatian capital right now. As usual, he is spending the winter with his beloved. They are very much in love after so many years, but the Istrian hilltown in which he lives is deserted during the winter. There is hardly a soul anywhere around. The store and the post office are open, but that is about it. At any rate, the hero is in one of his favorite watering holes right now. What will he do next, though? That is up to me, the author, it goes without saying. Let me think… Yes, the hero will go to his beloved’s apartment and have a light lunch. Oats with yogurt, if that can be called a lunch. And then he will return to his laptop, as he usually does. Browsing and scribbling is his daily round. What next? Hey, too many questions here! Way too many! For crying out loud, I am only an author. Actually, the author. The trouble is that my hero is kind of hard to manage, I must admit. For all I know, he may even go for a long walk. Out of the blue, he does whatever comes to his mind. To tell the truth, the hero of my story annoys me often enough. The fickle bastard.