The sun was rising over the Valley of Golden Waters. Mr. Poziomek had woken up a few minutes ago. He decided, quite differently than usual, to first eat a delicious breakfast prepared by Mrs. Morelka, and only then go to the river for a swim. So he sat down at a table covered with a white lace tablecloth. On the platters were truly delicacies. Mrs. Morelka was the best cook in the entire Valley, and who knows, perhaps even in the entire Golden Land. That day, she prepared for Mr. Poziomek delicious milk flavored with wild berries, baked rolls filled with sweet honey, and for dessert (Mr. Poziomek loved desserts – with all meals; he considered it the most enjoyable part of the day – to eat a delicious dessert) peach cake with lemon cream.
Mr. Poziomek ate breakfast, which, unfortunately, took over an hour, as he had a habit of savoring every course. After licking all the plates and the milk glass, he went to the bedroom, grabbed a towel, and left. Along the way, he met several neighbors: Mrs. Skowronek and her children, Mr. Puszczyk, and Mr. and Mrs. Grzybek. He struck up a conversation with them, as he was a very sociable person and couldn't resist chit-chat early in the morning. So, a journey that took every other resident of the Valley fifteen minutes took Mr. Poziomek a mere hour and a half!
Finally, he reached the water. He spread out his towel, took off the bathrobe he always wore before noon (he didn't put on his day clothes until afternoon), and stepped into the water. The sun was already high in the sky, having warmed the already warm water well. Mr. Poziomek swam and played with the children, who arrived at that hour for morning gymnastics with their teacher, Mr. Bunny. After several dozen minutes, he emerged from the water. He was getting hungry and couldn't stop wondering what Mrs. Morelka would prepare for dinner. The party had exhausted him, which only intensified his terrible hunger. On the way home, however, he couldn't help but strike up a conversation with a neighbor he'd met, Mr. Whistle. Initially, the conversation wasn't going well, but after a few minutes, they'd gotten so carried away that they didn't realize how much time had passed. Now it was high time for a hearty and delicious meal.
Mrs. Morelka was very upset because her soufflé had burned, and her host didn't tolerate such imperfections in cooking. He loved to eat, but despised imperfect dishes. He always got furious when the cook didn't get something right. He was so brazen that he would criticize the meals served at one of the neighbors' parties. He even didn't spare the pastor's wife, who, unfortunately, wasn't a very good cook.
He finally returned home and was surprised to find that dinner hadn't yet been served. He wasn't happy about this. He was about to shout at the unfortunate Mrs. Morelka when she entered the dining room with a tureen full of wonderfully fragrant vegetable soup. Mr. Poziomek calmed down a bit and began to eat. He devoured the entire soup and began demanding a second course. The cook, thank God, had managed to cook pancakes with caramel sauce instead of the burnt soufflé. For dessert, she served cocoa ice cream and cream rolls. She also prepared a delicious rowanberry compote.
After dinner, Mr. Poziomek went out into the garden and took a short nap. However, he couldn't sleep because the birdsong was bothering him. So he decided to do some gardening. He grabbed a rake, swept up the leaves, and planted a few roses, which Mrs. Skowronek had surely brought in during his absence. After his hard work, he deserved a rest. So he sat down in a comfortable beech armchair on the terrace and began reading the newspaper. He never did this in the morning, like everyone else. It was a habit from his youth, when he would read the newspaper after dinner to annoy his father. However, he quickly grew tired of reading Mr. Puszczyk's uninteresting articles, so he put the newspaper down on the table and began to think about what to do that evening. He hated being home alone when he could go to one of the neighbors to gossip. But which one? Yesterday he had been at Mrs. Skowronek's. The day before yesterday he had dined at Mr. and Mrs. Grzybek's. Who would have the honor of hosting the biggest gossip in the entire Valley that evening?
Dressed in an elegant tuxedo, Mr. Poziomek went to visit Mrs. Koniczynka, who lived on a parallel street. He liked her cooking, especially her specialty—steamed dumplings with fruit. He also loved talking to her, for she always had the latest news from all over the Land. She came from a large family, with many brothers and sisters who lived in different parts of the Land and often visited her.
So, around eight o'clock, Mr. Poziomek reached his neighbor, who was very happy about the visit. She enjoyed evening conversations by the fireplace, and it was very pleasant to gossip with this neighbor. Besides, he was a very funny man, and his jokes always brought peals of laughter.
Freshly brewed coffee and a delicious walnut cake were a pleasant start to the evening. The neighbors talked for a long time. About the weather, the upcoming elections for mayor of the Golden Water Valley, and the arrival of Prince Płatek. Mrs. Clover was telling her neighbor the latest gossip from the Golden Forest Upland, where her eldest sister lived, from whom she had just received a letter.
After a few hours, Mr. Poziomek felt a bit tired and decided to head home. He excused himself to his neighbor and left. On the way, he stopped by Mrs. Skowronek's to thank her for the beautiful roses. He happened upon a small birthday party and was treated to a coffee cake, which he simply adored. By the time he got home, it was midnight. He took off his tuxedo, put on his pajamas, and went to bed. The night was chilly, so he carefully wrapped himself in a soft, slightly worn duvet, which he'd had since childhood. He buried his head in the pillow and fell asleep…
He was a child again. He lived in a small house on the edge of the Valley, with his parents. He was four years old…
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