The offices of the Lüttmoorsiel News were located above a former fishing tackle shop that had been empty for years and somehow still smelled faintly of rubber boots and fish food.
Fluorescent lights hummed softly overhead.
Outside, darkness had long since fallen.
Beyond the windows, the wind swept across the village square, making the bakery’s old sign rattle.
Officially, the editorial staff consisted of three people: Leonie, the editor-in-chief, and Mrs. Haberkorn, who handled obituaries, birthdays, and classified ads.
Although by now, Leonie usually handled those too.
Tonight, the ads lay forgotten beside her keyboard.
Wanted: living room cabinet in good condition.
In loving memory of Erwin Möller.
For sale: sofa bed, hardly used.
Leonie pushed the slips of paper aside.
Tonight, she wasn’t interested in secondhand sofas or deceased members of the local bowling club.
The old editor-in-chief had gone home hours ago. Normally, he carefully checked every single article before anything was published. Words like “dramatic” or “shocking” were routinely crossed out and replaced with phrases like “unusual incident.”
And tonight’s article?
He would never approve it.
“Too exaggerated,” he would say. “Too sensational. This is a newspaper, not a disaster show.”
By now, Leonie knew every one of his lines by heart.
She looked over at the editor-in-chief’s empty desk.
His reading glasses lay neatly beside the keyboard. Next to them stood his half-full cup of peppermint tea.
Tomorrow morning, he would read her report.
And tone it down.
Again and again, until the story was nothing more than a missing egg in some little village.
But Leonie didn’t want that anymore.
Maybe this was her chance.
The one story that suddenly appeared everywhere.
The big one.
On the screen, the cursor blinked behind the headline.
She chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip.
Outside, the wind briefly howled around the gutter. Somewhere, a garbage bin toppled over with a clatter.
Leonie began to type.
MISSING EGG SPARKS CONCERN – IS GERMANY FACING A NEW CRISIS?
In the small coastal village of Lüttmoorsiel, a mysterious incident is causing growing concern. For the first time in years, a resident’s chickens have failed to produce their usual number of eggs. A veterinarian called to the scene has not ruled out health-related causes or further consequences.
Shortly after news of the incident became public, the price of locally produced organic eggs rose significantly. Residents and local officials are watching developments with increasing concern.
Leonie slowly leaned back.
That was more like it!
This didn’t sound like a village newspaper anymore.
This sounded like news.
Her gaze slowly drifted toward the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
The small gray button.
“Release to dpa.”
Leonie stared at it.
She almost had the feeling the button was staring back at her.
Click me… Go on. Click me!
Her heart began to beat faster.
Maybe this was where her real career began.
Not with politics.
Not with war.
Not with some huge scandal.
But with a story everyone else had underestimated.
Leonie placed her fingers on the mouse.
Pulled them back.
Took a deep breath.
The little gray button was still waiting patiently.
CLICK ME!
Leonie swallowed.
Then she clicked.