The alarm clock went off at quarter to six. Simon groaned, slapped the clock until it shut up, and climbed to his feet. “Stupid daylight savings time.” It had been over a month and he still missed the extra hour of sleep. Simon dropped down into his desk chair, flipped on his desk light, and settle down to get some work done. With luck, he could get a few pages done in the dissertation before he went to work.
Simon blinked in confusion.
His desk was empty. His laptop was gone and his piled books and articles had vanished. Had someone stolen his research?
Then the memory returned, and he began to laugh.
His laptop was missing and his research was gone because he was finished. He had presented his completed dissertation to Dr. Francis and the committee yesterday afternoon.
They had liked it.
In two weeks Simon would graduate with a doctorate in Greco-Roman history. He, Katrina, his mother, and Mrs. Coldridge had all gone out to celebrate last night.
Simon grinned. That wasn’t all they had to celebrate, though Maura and Mrs. Coldridge didn’t know it yet. He set his alarm to eight and flopped back into bed. For now, he would celebrate by sleeping late, the first time he had done that in years.