Nothing but quiet. Isn't it funny how silence is sometimes the loudest thing? It surrounds you, making you nervous- making you wonder where the noises went. It's like darkness in a way. It blinds you, deafens you, suffocates you.

Some people like silence, some people don't. Some people like to work in silence, but when you're distracted you barely notice it. Your thoughts are busy keeping you from drowning. Your focus- it keeps you afloat.

It's when you stop for a moment that you wonder why there's no little white noises in the background. No birds chirping, no people talking, no clock ticking- nothing.

Has it ever crossed your mind that someone may have taken the sounds? That someone wanted to hear them, and temporarily took them from you? Have you ever looked over your shoulder when it's quiet?

Was anything there?

And are you sure? Did you look closely?

Like I said, silence is like blindness. Have you ever gotten a head rush and been rendered blind for a moment or two? Did you have to stop for a moment to get your vision back?

Something could've been there. Hiding in what you couldn't see- behind the darkness. Waiting. Watching.

Watching how you act.

Listening to what you hear.

Every time you hear someone talking loudly in the other room or see something in the corner of your eye, ask yourself some questions.

Was it there? Can you see? Can you still hear?

Check the darkness; don't let it spread. Make sure no one stole your senses from you.

Don't let them know how you experience things, because it's the small things they need to complete your portfolio. Every little expression. Every little sound in your head. How you see things.

Ask others. Do they hear nothing? If you hear ringing, you're safe. The noise protects you from it. It can sneak in silence. It can't take you. Hide you.

Is there a small part of vision still there when you get a head rush? Good. You're not in danger. It can't watch your face from the perfect angle without being caught.

And don't think your sense of touch is safe, either. When your limbs fall asleep, they borrow that sense. When you're sick and can't smell or taste? Don't assume you're safe from it.

Keep your back against a wall- against anything! A chair, a bed frame, another person will work, too.

Just don't leave it to the darkness. The silence.

You wouldn't want to be replaced.

(Word count: 433)
(Sorry it's super short, I'll try to make longer ones!)