The baker who opens at four

Ines Moreau's bakery on Mill Lane opens at four in the morning, which is not a typo and not a marketing idea. It opens at four because the men from the fish market used to come in at four, and when the fish market moved, nobody told Ines to change the sign.

She bakes one rye loaf, two white loaves and a bun with a currant in it that she will not name. She has baked them, in the same order, for thirty-one years.

The sourdough question

About once a week, someone new comes in and asks if she does sourdough. Ines says no. They ask why not. She says that her rye has been sour since before they were born.

She would like it known that this is not rudeness. It is a fact about rye.

The customers

At four there are the night workers going home. At six there are the bus drivers. At eight the parents, with children who stare at the currant buns as though they might move. By ten the shelves are empty, and Ines goes to bed.

She has no plans to retire. When asked who will take over, she points at the oven and says it will outlive all of us.