Exercises
“The silence was eerie, but the noise when it came, was eerier.”
The silence was eerie, but the noise, when it came, was eerier. At first I thought it was a cat yowling but it was above the ground and moving fast, faint at first but growing closer and louder by the second until the dark night was filled with the tormented screeches. I sat frozen with fear until another sound joined that one — the sound of wings. I had heard my first Night Jar.
by Michele deBes
The silence was eerie, but the noise when it came was eeerier. Not loud. Not soft. Just there. In everybody’s ear cananls. To the extent that all other noises took second place. People took to shouting, to begging pardon. Some even to sign language. It penetrated even the loudest subwoofer, and started to affect the economy, technological progress, population growth , and finally, Maxine's Flea Circus.
The fleas had been well trained. Girls separated out. Boys culled. Then: six hours a day, training on a cotton thread lead. Tightrope, somersaulting, leaping through flaming hoops. There wasn’t much point to it. Few people could actually see them perform. But Maxine was proud of the long tradition behind her, and had planned to start breeding fleas especially.
That all changed when the noise came. Unable to hear her whistle, or tapping on the table, they were confused and disoriented. Worst of all ... Felicity: the Queen flea ... suffered a nervous breakdown.
She curled up in a corner. When Maxine viewed her under the magnifying glass, she had all six legs over her ears.
Maxine was devastated. The fleas would never perform if Felicity was off the air. They were haphazardly leaping around the aquarium ...
by Karen Goldrick
The silence was eerie, but the noise when it came was eerier. The wind whipped down the long, straight street of fibro houses with the lowing sound of cows in the morning. Out of the moan a sussurating whisper started as the sand rose like a wave from the edge of town and danced up to the roofs, raining on the tin sheets like sparks dancing around the gas cooker. We huddled together next to Nana as the cyclone started to gather its fury together and smashed against the thin wide windows.
by Pil Lee
Shipwrecked.
The silence was eerie, but the noise, when it came, was eerier. A long ululating howl, the voice of the mountain itself.
Wolves.
Ned started to run, slow leaden strides in the deep snow. It was half a K to the bridge but he doubted he could make it without the skis. And he was bleeding pretty badly now. He checked the pulse rifle. Twelve charges. He couldn't hold them off for long. He pinged the drop-ship again.
Nothing.
by Peter Miller
he silence was eerie but the nosie when it came was eerier. I put down my microphone and fiddled with the levels to contain its girth within the feeble capabilites of my cassette deck. The little needles jumped and jammed but I could still hear very little myself. Only a thin keening slowly doubling then re-doubling every seven seconds or so. In the darkness there appeared a faint glow as the intensity increased until on the fifth re-doubling the sound became visible and I could see a vague outline moving towards me.