It started out easy. Wake up with the sun, go to sleep with the sun. Easy. So, she woke up earlier than most people. Big deal. That just gave her more time to do the chores she would usually do at night.

Then the seasons started to shift. It was gradual, at first. Go to bed at 8:30 changed to go to bed at 8. But then it started getting worse. At the peak, she only got 7 hours of light. She wasn't able to make it to work, and if she did, she couldn't make it home. So, she stopped going. She got fired. Her friends stopped calling. She had never felt so... alone. Eventually the sun returned, but her life didn't return with it. Her entire life trajectory had to change, to fit with the sun. She worked on a homestead now. She made income by selling her wares at farmers markets, though she could never make it there by opening.

Sure, the artificial light hurt her eyes, but she started craving the days she could stay up until 1 reading. She missed the days she could wake up early to go see friends. She missed the light.