Ears Stuffy From Cold Instant

Getting out of bed was a journey into a muted world. The creak of the floorboards was a dull thud. The gurgle of the coffee maker was a distant, subterranean rumble. He tried to watch the morning news, but the anchor's voice was a garbled monotone, lost beneath the roaring silence in his own head. He saw a report about a storm and a car chase, but it felt like a silent film. The ticker at the bottom of the screen became his only news source.

He looked at himself in the steamy mirror. His eyes were glassy, his nose red, his expression one of profound, frustrated loneliness. He was right here, in the heart of his home, surrounded by the people he loved most, and he was marooned on an island of silence. ears stuffy from cold

He found Sarah in the kitchen, her back to him as she made Leo a sandwich. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. She jumped, then relaxed, covering his hands with hers. Getting out of bed was a journey into a muted world

"I can't hear anything," he mumbled into her neck. "It's awful. Leo thinks I'm ignoring him." He tried to watch the morning news, but