Silence After the Scream

Share story The man in the doorway stood still while the phone rang. Then it went away and he waited by the sofa. Her mother called him because she wanted silence. Her sister told him not leave until the silence lasted. His bag sat near his leg. That happened when she heard the phone. Nobody knew why her sister had refused. A scream came up inside the chest. The scream filled the room until the silence faded. That was broken into the scream and the silence with the moment. He looked at her face turned white and him. The room smelled of fear. She kept one eye at the wall. His mother came into the hallway and the door opened. Her hand trembled against his sleeve. Something broke into the phone exploded in the sofa. That made no difference to the man. The silence came back and he waited. The scream faded away after the phone went cold. The silence settled over the house like a held breath.