The street was blue and quiet. A yellow bus rumbled past the corner, its engine humming a low warm song.
Pip stared at the clock. 5:47 a.m. He tiptoed to the window, pulled on his shoes one foot at a time, and slipped out the back door.
Pip crept along the quiet sidewalk. Mrs. Chen's wind chime clicked softly in the cool morning breeze.
The bus idled at the end of the block. Pip pressed his nose to the glass. The driver stretched her arms high over her head.
The bus rolled forward, one stop at a time. 'Sleepy heads ahead!' called the driver to the row of dark houses.
At the fourth stop, the driver turned around. She saw the boy following behind on the pavement.
The bus hissed to a stop. The driver waved Pip into the front seat. 'You're on time,' she said, and gave him a high five.
Pip rode to school with his chin on his hands. The sunrise painted the whole street gold.
The bus dropped Pip at the crosswalk. Two cheerful toots from the horn. The driver waved goodbye.
Pip waved back and walked to school. He thought about tomorrow, when he could watch her morning routine all over again.