The only sound in the house was the sound of the computer's fan. He padded around slowly in his socks, listening. Nothing. The creaking of the floor, the sound of his own feet, and as he passed the window, the white noise of the nearby street. But otherwise, nothing. There were three other people in the house, but they weren't making noise.
He continued his survey, walking in a circle and returning to the computer. He began to type, still listening for noise. He'd wished the house was a little darker, but he could see several lights on. It had been a long day, a good day, but now he was grateful for the silence. There had been meetings, oh, so many, many meetings. All but one had run long. And as a result, he'd had but a 30-minute lunch and he spent that working as well. Good thing he enjoyed his job so much.
He wiped at some dust on the screen and then leaned closer to blow on it, pausing, listening. Still no sound. Surprising. He made the circuit again - dining room, kitchen, hall, living room. The creaking of the house, the padding of his footsteps, the ticking of a clock and the sound of traffic, the clicking of light switches being turned off. Still, so silent. The refrigerator. Shouldn't that have been making noise? He opened the door. The light was on and it felt cold. Maybe it was quieter than he realized. Ah... there it was... shortly after closing the door, a motor quietly kicked on.
He leaned against the wall and sighed. It had been a long day, but a good day. And now he was content to just stand quietly at the computer and be still. Or at least try to be still. After a few seconds of standing there looking at the carpet, he found himself swaying. Too much caffeine or sugar or ADD in his blood, stillness wasn't really an option. And so he began pacing, still enjoying the peace and quiet, pulling aside curtains to stare into the darkness -- (no rain) -- before settling on the couch resting with his eyes closed.
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