A Love of Silence

Bzz. Bzz. A vibration gently blows across the room. Softly whispering to the mind. Wake up. The lights are dim. And the winds are still. The curtains dampen the sun, while the passing warmth plays a melody. The mind invites the soul to a voiceless choir. A soundless playlist. A speechless chorus. The heart comes to listen to the final arrangement. A quiet harmony. Coming together in a slow crescendo and. There it is. The sound of silence. 

Concluded with a familiar tone. Bzz. Bzz. 

The displaced headphones on his head falls onto his bed as the young boy sits up straight. He sat still for a moment. Nothing in particular came to him, he just simply sat there on his bed, his legs still enveloped by his blanket. Staring into the silence. Living the stillness of the moment. After a while he takes his first step off the bed. Steadily lifting his upper body.  He grabs his headphones, places it beside his PC and he makes his bed in this silent room. 

He taps the screen of his phone. 07:17. Monday. A sudden discord fills the room as he is reminded of the coming hours. He takes soft steps towards the window and opens the curtains. The light of the sun rests on the roofs and walks slowly on the streets. The trees spreads its arms and feel the morning breeze. The symphony is almost over. He turns his body. And walks towards the exit. With each step the sound of silence becomes quieter. He slowly moves his hand towards the handle. He listens to the concert one final time. He takes a deep breath. And he opens the door. The sound of silence is no m-

"MOM, WHERE'S MY TOWEL?!!" "DON'T ASK ME." "NATSU, WHY ARE YOU WALKING AROUND NAKED?" "BRO, THERE'S NO TOWEL!" "YOU'RE MAKING THE FLOOR WET." "OH, G'MORNING DAD."  "NATSU, YUTA, C'MON STOP PLAYING AROUND. COME DOWN FOR BREAKFAST ONCE YOU'RE FINISHED"  "YES, DAD" "YUTA, HAVE YOU SEEN SORA?" "NO, HE'S PROBABLY STILL IN HIS ROOM."

It's so early, why are they so loud? These words float around his head as Sora stares at the loudness. He refuses to further add to the dissonant sounds. 

"Mom, I'm going first." He walks out the front door, adjusting the position of his headphones. His portable room. It is not as efficient, but it does its job when he needs a moment for himself. 

"Sora, you're not gonna have breakfast?"

Sora stops walking and turns to his mom. He reply silently by shaking his head and turns back to continue walking. "Well, see you later then. Stay safe."

Sora begins the playlist with the song he discovered on the weekends. Jazz. The genre of freedom. As it plays, his mind roams free and he is reminded of the manga he is currently reading. A magic fantasy. If he could use any form of magic, it would be shadow or dark magic. Because the users are somehow always cool and powerful. Wind would also be nice. The element just gives off such a serene and peaceful vibe. But, why don't wind users simply just suffocate their enemies? The same goes with water. Why can't they just manipulate the water in the body of their enemies? 

He arrives at school and sits on the window seat of the back row. The seat of anime protagonists, he thinks to himself. 

The teacher enters. 

As he takes off his headphones, all the unorganized sounds floods his ear. He bears with it and stay silent. Throughout all classes he simply sat silent. Speaking only when his name is called out. During group works, he asks the teachers to work alone. No one asks to be a group with him nor will he accept working with them. 

The long awaited bell rings and it's lunch time. A burst of sound breaks only to be immediately silenced. He grabs two things out of his bag. First, his headphones. Second, his bento box. He wears his headphones and delights himself with a silent lunch in the corner of the class. After which, either he stays in class and read the manga he brought or he seeks fresh air and sits below a tree on the schoolyard. Also to read his manga. 

The second anticipated bell rings and it is go home time. But it is not time for him to go home. If he goes home there is a chance a family member would talk to him. Inside or outside of his room. Or he might asked to do something. Instead he goes to a manga-café. 

"Shinomiya-san, you're here again," greets the owner as Sora Shinomiya replies with a nod and the owner again wonders the quietness of the boy. 

He finds a seat. Still wearing his headphones, he takes out his book and start working on his homework. On the outside he is aloof and apathetic, but he knows what he has to do. He prefers to do things his own way. Silently. 

Homework finished and he reads his manga. No outside sound penetrated the barriers of his headphones. And the only view in sight is the black and white scenery. A world to himself. Even if it is only to be soon interrupted by a peculiar appearance in the corner of his eye, followed by the regular refrain. "It's time for me to close the café." 

He looks around. The store is empty. The shop owner closes early so that students visiting won't go home too late. And like usual Sora is the last one in the store.

Sora returns his manga into his bag and begins to stand up. However. As he was lifting his body, he caught a glimpse of a person other than the shop owner and turns to towards him. It's a her. Sitting on the corner of the store was a girl. Earphones on both ears. A manga on her hand. A presence of which he is all too familiar with. 

Apparently he wasn't alone. What he's interested in the most is not how the girl wears his school's uniforms. Or why she hasn't left the store. Rather the notion that maybe, someone else is listening to the same playlist. That maybe someone else appreciates the noiseless world. 

That maybe someone out there also. Loves the silence.