#sol23 March 16 Sound of Silence

 

Thanks to the Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life Challenge

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It took a while to fall asleep as the wind battered the windows and the heat attempted to keep my drafty, old house warm. When I did fall asleep, it was a snuggled under the covers, deep sleep, until I heard the sirens. There are often sirens on my block which is near fire and police stations; but, they usually are just a blip in my sleep.

It was different this time as they seemed to be stopping abruptly rather than fading softly into the night.  It was silent and I was tempted to go back to sleep, but for some unknown reason, I  reluctantly peeked out from under the covers into the dark room punctuated with flashing lights. 

I reluctantly shuffled to the window where everyone who was awake in my little borough seemed to have gathered around a very large branch that had succumbed to the wind taking ever wire it could find!  I watched the police vehicles block the road and the crowd of first responders gathering around the perimeter of the site for a while.  But, the cold seemed to penetrate the window and there was no one really moving or doing anything about the very large branch, bigger than most trees, laying silently in the middle of the road.

Clearly, there would be no electricity or internet for a while even though the wind was no longer rattling the windows and even the heaters appeared to be resting, silently.  As I pulled my covers over my head in my now silent room, I made a mental note to remember to send a donation to the many volunteer first responders who were keeping everyone safe.  Then, I began to settle into thoughts... (and a song)

How did these first responders find out about the blocked road? 

Were some of my neighbors awake at 3:30 in the morning reading or watching movies?
If a tree or a very large branch falls during the middle of a really windy night does it make a sound? 

"Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again, Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping, and the vision that was planted in my brain, still remains within the sound of silence.