Daniel's Neighbour Is Too Loud

For two years, Daniel's building was very quiet. The old lady upstairs went to bed at nine o'clock, and the only sound at night was Biscuit walking across the kitchen.

Then the old lady moved in with her daughter, and a new neighbour moved in upstairs.

On the first night, Daniel heard music at eleven o'clock. He thought it was a small welcome party, so he didn't mind.

On the second night, the music came back, louder this time, and he could hear people laughing and chairs moving across the floor.

Daniel looked up. Biscuit looked up too. They didn't sleep much that night.

On the third night, the music was so loud that Daniel's glass of water moved on the table.

"Okay," he said to Biscuit. "Tomorrow, I'll go and talk to them."

Daniel didn't like this kind of conversation. He liked problems he could fix with a laptop. But the next evening, before the music started, he went upstairs and knocked on the door.

A young man opened it. He had messy hair, a friendly face and a guitar in his hand.

"Hi," Daniel said. "I'm Daniel. I live downstairs."

"Oh, hi! I'm Sam. I just moved in last week. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Daniel said. "Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to talk to you about the music at night."

Sam's smile got a little smaller. "Is it too loud?"

"It's a bit loud, yes, mostly after eleven. The floors in this building are very thin, so I can hear everything. Last night, my glass of water was moving on the table."

Sam's face went red. "Oh no, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. The walls in my old flat were really thick, and nobody ever said anything."

"It's okay," Daniel said. "But I start work early, so I need to sleep. Would you mind turning it down after ten?"

"Of course, that's fair." Sam looked down at his guitar. "Can I ask you something? Music is my job, and I need to play every day. Is the afternoon okay for you?"

Daniel thought about it. In the afternoon, he usually worked with his headphones on.

"The afternoon is fine," he said. "How about this? Music is okay until ten, and after ten, it's quiet. And if you have a party, just tell me before, so I know."

"Deal," Sam said, and they shook hands.

That night, the building was quiet again. Daniel slept for nine hours, and Biscuit slept for fourteen.

The next afternoon, Daniel was working at his desk when he heard something from upstairs. It wasn't loud music this time. It was just a guitar, playing a soft, slow song. Daniel took off his headphones and listened for a while. It was beautiful.

On Friday, he found a note under his door.

"Hi Daniel, it's Sam. It's my birthday on Saturday, and a few friends are coming over. We'll stop by eleven, I promise. You're welcome to come too. There will be pizza."

Daniel read the note twice. He wasn't really a party person, but he liked pizza, and he liked people who kept their promises.

On Saturday at eight o'clock, he went upstairs and knocked on the door again.

This time, he didn't need to say sorry.