They all sat together with blank stares.

An old grandfather clock ticking in a dusty corner. Old photos of happier times nailed to the walls, mocking them with what was no longer their reality. Silence ruled as if they were the ones entombed within the glass frames.

Erica suddenly glanced around as if woken from a trance. A childhood favourite cartoon was flashing across their small tv screen.

And then it was gone.

She jerked around to see that her brother had his thumb on the button of their remote, switching it to a news channel. Her sadness was seeping out through her eyes so she ducked her head and stared down at her plate, scrutinizing the perfectly cooked steak, mashed potatoes and fresh greens on the side.

The silence was smothering.

She gathered her courage to drag a few words through her vocal chords and hesitantly released them into the stale air. "What'd you season the steak with?"

Looking up from the food, she sees that nobody seemed to have heard her question, nor did anyone seem to care enough to ask her to repeat it.

The silence won.

***********************************************

A/N Feeling a little down lately. Everything seems to be falling a little flatter than normal but I know that just because it's been a bad year, it doesn't mean it's a bad life. I won't let the silence win and neither should you.