Sound

| uno |

{cover above made by justamk_ }

"Hi, my name is Lizzy. What's yours?"

He read her lips, understanding every word and thinking of a thousand ways he could answer. Finally, he raised his hand and pointed to his ear, and then his throat.

Deaf, he mouthed.

He ducked his head, expecting an apologetic glance and an awkward wave as she backed away from him. It was something he was used to, something that people just did when they saw him. They pretended to be sorry, to know the pain he was going through.

As if any of them could ever understand.

He slowly looked up, wondering why she was still there.

His gaze was met with an unreadable stare, and then a small smile appeared on her face as she lifted her hands to her chest. Hi. What is your name? she signed.

He looked at her in surprise. You are deaf?

She shook her head. No. My mother – deaf. Before she... died. Lizzy's hands slowly lowered to her sides.

He stood, frozen, as one word repeated itself over and over in his head.

Died.

Dead.

He felt his stomach drop as he tried desperately to tear away from the thought, to erase all the memories that were attached to that one word, before they all came flooding back at him... But it was too late.

Dead. Just like his father.

No. Too many memories.

His heart pounded in his chest as he strained to focus on something... anything that would bring him back from terrible moment in time; back to the present, to Lizzy, back to anything but his own memory.

He shut his eyes and focused, forced his breathing to gradually grow more even, his breaths to become steady. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

I'm sorry. I have to go. A hastily signed apology, a quick glance farewell.

And then he ran.

He ran and ran, until he could no longer feel his arms swinging wildly, his ragged breath, his legs pumping beneath him.

He ran until could not feel anything at all.

He was numb.

He was falling.

Down,

down,

down.

He wasn't sure he would ever hit the ground.