Soundless by Franco Machado-Pesce
Prologue
Missing.
The dark printed text on the milk cartons was the only thing that floated in Alex’s head. The graffiti wall of the shed was brimful with the notices. Where have these kids gone? Are they having fun? They must be if so many of them have left Arborwood-
Chapter 1
A hand persistently pulls Alex away from his thoughts and back into the world.
“Come on, Alexander,” a harmonious voice flows in the air, “or do you want to be late to the park?” Alex smiles up to agree with his mother, Eliza. Eliza’s teeth gleam against the light, revealing a comforting smile that compliments her entire essence. Alex’s mom was as kind as she was beautiful, especially in the eyes of the little boy. There’s no one else he looked up to more. Not even his father, Vince.
“Are there going to be fireworks?!” Alex ponders excitedly. His feet follow clumsily as he tries to keep up with his parents. Vince pops out from the other side of Eliza’s yellow sundress with a warm chuckle.
“Too many for you to count,” Alex’s father puts his arm around his wife and the family strolls into the Nocktol Park. The little boy’s eyes widen as he searches for an end to the green horizon. This park seems eternal, or at least, it did to the little boy. His smile reaches from cheek to cheek, revealing his signature dimples. A soft hand strokes his hair and then points off into the distance. Children of all ages scamper around the trees, laughing.
“Go play, Alex,” Eliza prompts.
And just like that, Alexander runs off to join his friends, leaving Eliza and Vince to unwind.
“We’re doing a good job,” Vince says, he kisses Eliza on the cheek. She continues to gaze at her son, who kicks a soccer ball through the patches of grass. He celebrates and his friends high-five him.
“Ten more years to go,” Eliza falls into Vince’s arms. Their breathing synchronizes.
“Ten years go by quick,” he gives her another kiss and pulls away, “come on, let’s go find the neighbors.” Eliza glimpses at her son one more time before they wander under a smoky pavilion. The smell of barbecued burgers and hot dogs meanders throughout the park, capturing the attentive nose of Alex.
He lifts his head to take it all in, but then a small little spark grazes his arm. He looks back down into his grasp and finds a sizzling sparkler. He stares at it, intrigued by the intricacy of the spark and its patterns. Not the yellow glow though, but the sound. It’s constant crackling demands the attention of the boy. Suddenly, a bumble bee swoops in front of him, buzzing similarly to the wand in his hand. The sounds synchronize into a rhythmic whisper. The boy’s iridescent brown eyes shift from brown to a gold-tinted yellow, as the fire reflects and grows in his glance. The full sound drowns out the laughter from the other children and Alex leans into the sparkler until a girl accidentally brushes past him.
“Sorry,” she whispers and then runs off. Alex looks down at his sparkler. It’s dying out. His smile transforms into a frown, but only for a moment as he looks up to see a teenager in the distance. The adolescent scoops popcorn to put into paper bags, mechanically. Alex doesn’t care though, he rushes towards the popcorn boy, not letting his red and brown-striped shirt of his out of sight. Alex gets to the older boy, who is stoic in every sense. Slouched, hair unraveled, shirt untucked, lips smacking from chewing gum.
“50 cents,” the popcorn seller croaks. Alex scavenges his pockets, clenching his teeth as his fingers stretch deeper and deeper. He pulls out a nickel, a dime, and a roll of lint. He offers it to the vendor who blows a bubble that pops in front of the little boy’s face. Alex pleads with his eyes. “Keep your things,” the seller, surprises the child, and pushes his money back into the boy’s hand along with an overflowing bag of treats.
A satisfied Alex jogs back onto the playing ground. He sits in the shadow cast by the largest tree he could find. The impulsive boy eats his popcorn, listening to the crunch of every bite as he watches the older kids toss firecrackers. Alex always admired the older kids, they seemed so mature and powerful. He often wondered how long it would be before he gets that old. Speaking of old, Alex shifts his head, scanning for his parents. He hears their voices through the soft howls of the wind. He gets up and stumbles, catching bits of popcorn that slip out of the bag. Then a scream pierces through the park.
“ALEX!!!!” The boy turns confused to see his mother sprinting towards him.
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE!
The little boy falls onto the dirt, holding his head. A persistent and annoying ringing coursing through his ears. He crumples on the ground, with muted voices rumbling around him.
“What were you thinking Alice?!”
“I’m sorry, mom! It was an accident!”
“Alex, baby, it’s okay mom’s here.”
“Call 911!”
Alex’s head falls to the side, his eyes slowly coming to a close.
Chapter 2
Tick. Tock.
Eliza and Vince sit in a waiting room, hands held. Eliza’s leg pulses as the anxiety builds. Nobody likes hospitals. The dead pale white of the walls reveals a more imminent sense of death and loss than hope. The smell of unsanitized rooms haunt the hallways, causing Eliza to wrinkle her nose. Vince tightens his grip to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, everything will be-”
“Where’s the doctor?” Eliza interrupts.
“It’s only been what,” the collected father checks his watch, “2 hours? The doctor said-”
“The doctor said that he would be out to tell us how everything is going.”
“Let them do their job, dear. I’d rather them focus on the operation than have to stress about two worried parents.” Eliza drops her head onto her husband’s shoulder.
“You’re right.” The clock on the dull wall continues to tick, its echo vanquishing any clear thoughts in their heads.
On the other side of the wall, three doctors in their turquoise scrubs are operating. An unconscious boy lies on a gurney, small toes poking out of his hospital gown. Different tools get moved to different places, but a constant beeping from the heart rate monitor stays intact in the room of emotional chaos.
Alex drifts through beautiful scenery of an overwhelming green landscape. He plays soccer with a group of children around his age. Before he knows it, night conquers the light from the sun. Fireworks of all colors launch into the air, exploding serenely. Red ones. Blue ones. Green ones. Alex sits on a blanket with his family, laughing in their arms. Happy Fourth of July, mouths Eliza, but there’s no sound. Alex looks at her, confused. What’s going on? She keeps speaking to him and points to the sky, but Alex just stares at his mother. A strong ringing travels across his surrounding. It gets louder, and louder. Alex covers his ears, but it continues. He grinds his teeth, it’s starting to hurt his head. He shakes uncontrollably. Everything around him disappears. No trees. No fireworks. No children, only his parents’ laps. Alex shuts his eyes, hoping for the pain to vanish. His eyes creak open and he looks up, to find the popcorn seller.
But It’s not the one from the park. Pieces of skin cracked off his jaw. A flushed, pastel green fills his face. Patches of hair grow out of the torn skull, and a yellow smile with two sharp canines blows onto the boy’s quivering lips. The ringing crescendos with a hollow murmur brushing against the boys ears.
“Keep your things, if you can.” Alex screams, scrambling to break free, but no sound escapes his mouth. The vendor lowers his head, lip stretching-
Chapter 3
Alexander opens his eyes.
“Alex, honey, how are you feeling?” A sweet voice comforts him. Alex sees Eliza glancing over him. His father Vince on the chair next to the bed.
“Hey champ, did you get enough sleep?”
“Yeah..” The little boy whispers.
“Well don’t worry, I just have to sign some papers and we are outta here, okay?” Vince strokes his son’s head, as he nods weakly.
“I’m glad to see Alex finally coming to,” a deep voice rumbles in the room, he reaches for his parent’s hands, “Dr. Stilas, pleasure.”
“Hi, doctor.” Eliza backs up from her son and lets the medic take a look. He moves the boys head from side to side.
“Looks like everything came out perfectly. How do you feel, Alex?”
“Good,” Alex replies.
“I’m glad, it’s a scary thing that happened, but you were very, very brave.” Alex flashes a dainty smile. The doctor’s kind eyes fill the boy with tranquility. Everything is okay. Dr. Stilas edges back and takes his parents with him, Eliza blows Alex a kiss, who lifts his arm slowly to catch it.
Their voices are faint, but Alex tunes into the conversation.
“Alex suffered from severe trauma and second degree burns to his left ear from the sparks. It will take a while, but these injuries will heal. It’s good that you brought him so quickly.”
“Oh thank goodness,” Eliza breathes.
“However, it pains me to say that… his hearing won’t come back. Or well, it won’t be like it used to be. When the cracker exploded, it ruptured his eardrum and it’s a very dangerous procedure to be done, given the circumstances. We did all we could... and most of inner canal is intact, but Alex won’t be able to hear clearly without the hearing aid anymore.” Alex’s finds his hand caressing his ear. A plastic shape lies loosely between the bandages. He gasps, his body shutters. “When he takes it off, it will be common for a very high pitched ringing to go through his ears. We call it tinnitus. It’s totally normal and most of us experience it, but Alex will have a more intense version that could cause irritability, headaches-”
“Yeah, we get it Doc,” Vince chimes in, “so, his hearing, will never come back?”
There's a pause. “No, it will not,” the doctor looks down, “but consider yourselves lucky, any closer and it could’ve been much worse.”
“Yes, thank you Dr….” Eliza looks for the name.
“Stilas.”
“Oh Right, Dr. Stilas.” They shake hands and the doctor proceeds to his next patient. The little boy, unable to understand his emotions, stares out the window. Drops of rain patter on the window and he can hear them.
Chapter 4
The world’s beauty reaches over all the senses. The way things are perceived is directly influenced by the ability to smell, see, touch, taste, and hear. Alex now knew how important all five of those things are.
He sits at the breakfast table, eyes staring at a plate stacked up with pancakes. He leaves it untouched, observing the syrup slurp down the side. His bandages are off, showing the detail from the reconstructive operation. It truly was a miracle. However, the small white, probe is nowhere to be seen. Muffled voices stroll into the kitchen as his parents discuss the day’s plan. Alex closes his eyes, trying to focus.
“I have a lunch at 12 and business meeting at 3,” Vince proclaims.
“Okay, that’s fine, I get off of work at 4 so I can pick-up Alex from Emanuela then.” Nothing. The little boy couldn’t make out what they were saying, instead a ringing starts, similar to the one in his dream. Alex looks up momentarily to see his parents share a peck, but the screeching distracts him. He looks outside the window into the backyard and it gets louder. A figure sits outside, scraping grass and dirt. Alex gets up from the table and wanders onto the outdoor patio, unnoticed by his parents. The tinnitus becomes ear-splitting with each step the little boy takes until suddenly the figure turns around.
It’s head is still down, but the torn clothing is unmistakable as the red stripes reflect the dim light from the rising sun. It’s mouth opens, revealing hideous teeth, a long tongue slips out. The ringing persists.
“Keep your things,” it looks up and reveals the dead popcorn seller from before. Alex stumbles back, falling on his back. The monster walks closer and closer and closer-
“ALEX! What are you doing outside? Your food is going to get cold!" Eliza pulls her son to his feet and disappears through the glass door, leaving the popcorn seller outside. “And, hey, look at me.” The boy’s eyes meet his mother’s and it’s as if every evil ceased to exist. She stands in front of the door, blocking the boy’s view of the backyard. “You have to wear this,” she shows him the hearing aid. Alex doesn’t hesitate and plugs it into his ear, turning it on with one swift motion. The ringing stops. Eliza kisses her son on the forehead and goes off to finish getting ready for her work. A bit eager, Alex looks over, expecting to see the vile being trying to break through, but it’s gone.
Chapter 5
Eliza reaches over the wheel to pick up her cellphone. Traffic is light with almost no cars on the road. It’s a typical drive to work, except Eliza has more things on her mind. She glances from the street to her phone, swiping through her text messages.
Eliza: Are you sure you have everything you need?
Emanuela: Of course! He’s in good hands don’t worry dear.
Eliza: If he needs anything please let me know.
Emanuela: I will. Don’t worry, Alex loves it here. Sparky missed him.
Eliza: He really loves dogs.
Emanuela: Don’t forget to breathe today, work will feel different if you keep worrying.
Eliza: You’re right. Thank you.
The text conversation ends there. Emanuela is right, Alex’s worrisome mother needs to focus on the day at hand, or else nothing will get done. Her client won’t be too happy if none of the proposals meet the deadlines. But, Alex...
While at a red light, Eliza starts to type on her cellphone. She hesitates sending it.
HONK! Eliza jumps in her seat, startled. The car behind her flashes its lights until she starts to move.
“Okay, geez.” She sets her phone down in the cupholder and continues to drive. Typed on the screen, but not sent is:
Eliza: Tell him I love him.
Eliza uneasily presses the accelerator, adrenaline submerged in her veins. She looks out her window and sees an auto repair shop. It’s old, with rusty steel walls deteriorating at the roof. A man walks out with a small saw. Time slows down, letting her observe him set the saw on a rod of metal. The tool comes to life and sparks fly out, frantically escaping their metal creator. They dance in the air and Eliza shivers. Her eyes start to water and then, there’s a ringing. A high pitched, pulsating scream that hides in the depth of her ears, but Eliza can’t seem to ignore it. It continues, growing louder and louder-
HONK! SCREECH! Eliza reacts and slams on the brakes. Her head hits the wheel, a searing pain striking her face. The smell of burnt rubber emits from the window. She looks up and sees an old man in a copper-red truck give her the finger. She takes a minute to regain herself as the man drives off and breathes.
“I really need to focus,” Eliza grabs her phone and deletes the typed message before continuing to work.
Chapter 6
Alex sits on the couch, watching TV. It’s summer so there’s not much for the boy to do, especially not in Arborwood. When not in school or the playground, Alex clicks the television to watch his favorite sitcom, Friends. Funnily enough, Alex didn’t understand half the jokes in the show. Each time Joey was going to sleep with someone, he just assumed that they were going to go play on a slide. Or at least that’s what Alex’s father told him. To his dismay, Alex couldn’t even enjoy the show, not with constant pestering of his thoughts.
He knows that he needs his hearing aid. Every time the apparatus flows across his mind, Alex finds one of his fingers almost pulling the thing out, but he can’t do that. Or the ringing will come back. That's what the doctor said.
Sparky, a black and silver Australian Shepherd jumps onto the couch to rest his head on the boy. Alex slips his fingers through the animals fur, caressing his ears. Alex couldn’t help but feel joyous around the canine. It’s breathing is what intrigued the boy the most; it was hushed especially when it was sleeping. When Alex feels the pup’s stomach rise and fall, he found that his heart would start pumping slower too. They were one. Or, so the boy thought. As Sparky’s eyes finally shut, succumbing to a nice slumber, Alex continued to stroke its bent ears.
“Is there anything you need, hun?” Emanuela appears through the door frame. She’s a fragile old lady, wearing cute white bunny slippers. Her gown stretches over her hole body and ends at her neck, where her grey hair flows majestically. Alex always wondered how old the kind ancient lady was, but he didn’t know if he could count that high. He shakes his head in response.
“Okay, let me know.” The floor creaks and she disappears back into her dining room, where she was probably reading cooking magazines or knitting before coming to check on him. Alex was never intrigued by her activities, only archaic people are. The laughter from the show beams, catching his attention.
He turns his head, but before reaching the television, his eyes notice a window leading to the backyard of Emanuela’s house. He stares, immobile.
There’s nothing in the midst of trees, grass and flowers. Mundane. Alex eyes it cautiously, ready for the popcorn seller to creep out of any corner. He moves, trying to approach the window, but Sparky whines. Alex falls back into the embrace of the sofa and continues to watch the show, unable to forget about the popcorn vendor and the evil ambience that came with it.
Chapter 7
Bells chime and Emanuela opens the door. Eliza welcomes herself into the house, excited to see her son.
“Hey cutie!” Alex runs into her arms, “How was he?”
“Oh just wonderful, as always,” Emanuela exclaims. With that, Eliza says her thanks and they go home.
The smell of garlic and cooking meat is absorbed by the little boy’s acute nose. His eyes glow as he realizes that his mother is making his favorite dish, beef and spiced rice. Simple, but Alex was never one for the extravagant. He is only eight after all. His mother dances as she mixes the vegetables into the beef pan, making Alexander’s charming dimples reappear. Eliza’s excitement can’t help but reciprocate a grin. A door closes and Alex flinches.
Moments of silence stack onto each other, making every beat materialize into a symphony of quiet. Vincent shuffles into the room, his energy seaming through the thick lining of his blazer and vanquishing the tension.
“That smells good,” Vincent roars and kisses Eliza while on his way to hold Alex. He pats him on the back and lands a large kiss on the boys cheek. Alex giggles softly. The parents go into a discussion about how their day went, who they talked to, the plan for tomorrow, and all the other things that just fly over Alex’s head. He didn’t want to listen to much of what they had to say, instead he found pleasure in watching them. Their interactions, the way they held each other. Each and every moment full of delight was a reminder of the happiest moments in Alex’s life: his first soccer goal, finding the money from the tooth fairy under his pillow, and fourth of July, where fireworks fly up in the sky and explode beautifully. Sorrow abruptly strikes the boy though, for none of these things could be the same. He sat back, absorbed by the dreadful hopelessness of being tied to his hearing aid forever.
Luckily, Eliza passes out the dinner plates at the same time and a full stomach helped the little boy eagerly forget about his trauma. One thing was for sure, the taste of his favorite dish will always be spectacular.
After dinner, the family rests on a couch, studying the intricate pirouettes of the flames in the fireplace. It shifts from side to side, with the peak of each flicker flying up the chimney. The black ashes of scourged wood fall effortlessly to make a small hill on the cement, but the crackles of the fire are what caught Alex’s attention. It was one of the first serene sounds he’s paid attention to since his arrival from the hospital.
The darkness of night overtook the environment and in its company came an inescapable drowsiness.
The little boy excuses himself from his parents and goes upstairs into the bathroom. Alex turns the knob to let the water heat up. It’s an old house, so it took a minute for the boiler to warm up a bath. The boy waits patiently and takes off his hearing aid, setting it on the sink. Alex puts two fingers under the water and its perfect.
Downstairs, Eliza and Vince continue to slack on the comfortable sofa. A high pitched screech starts to revolve around the room. Eliza twitches.
“Do you hear that?” Eliza rubs her hand against Vince’s chest, inquiringly as well.
“What?”
“That ringing?”
“No, hun.” Eliza looks up, listening to the water running.
“I’ll be right back,” the brave woman walks away from the safety of her husband and goes upstairs. The ringing gets louder and louder. It’s unbearable and Eliza pulls her hair. Her tongue rubbing against her clenched teeth.
Alex turns off the water, steps out of the shower and looks at himself in the mirror. The mist desaturates the entirety of his surroundings with white. The ringing suddenly conquers his head. The sound disorients him and he knocks his hearing aid onto the ground. He looks at the mirror one more time and then reaches to grab it, but a whisper holds him back.
“Keep your things…”
Eliza approaches the door with light creeping underneath. Water flows into the hall from the bathroom. The ringing is at a climax. Eliza turns the doorknob. Alex puts on his hearing aid, as the door squeaks open. His mother peeks inside.
“MOM!!!!” Alex scrambles to cover himself with a towel, alarmed by his mother’s intrusion.
“Oops,” Eliza shuts the door, “sorry honey,” she laughs at herself. The ringing is gone. She must’ve imagined it. She goes back to the common room to fall back against Vince’s chest.
Alex lets his heart lower from his throat. He looks in the mirror one more time, the mist has finally gone down. He sighs and walks into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.
Chapter 8
Alexander enters his room and turns the lights on. A red pair of flannel pajama pants slip up to meet a matching shirt. He checks his robot alarm clock: 9:30 P.M. It’s past the little boy’s bed time, but there’s something that bothers the child. He can’t sleep with his hearing aid on, it’s the side where he leans on and who knows, maybe silence will actually help him go into his dormant state. If he presses his head against the pillow, then the ringing might not happen.
Alex reaches up to his small ear and pulls the aid out. A faint ringing starts. Flustered, he sets it on the table next to his Ipod and headphones. Music. Will music ever be the same? Curiosity swamps the little boy and he reaches for the devices. He places the large headphones on his ears and to his surprise, they muffle the deadly sound.
Eliza’s eyes open swiftly. The ringing is back, and it’s stronger. The last glowing ember finally disappears in the fireplace. She shakes Vince awake.
“What, what, what, I’m up,” he yawns groggily.
“The ringing is back,” Eliza says, her voice trembling.
“Maybe you need the hearing aid too,” Vince jokes. He gets up and turns the lights on, “Ugh, so many dishes, I’m sorry. I should’ve done them before we fell asleep.”
“No it’s okay, I’ll stay with you,” Vince smiles at his wife and she rests on the arm of the couch. Where is it coming from?
Alex lies on his bed, music playing, and for the first time in a long time, there’s no ringing. No continuous shriek to overtake his senses, only the beauty of different melodies. Alex grins, dimples and all.
The ringing is all Eliza hears. She tries to get up from the sofa, but stumbles on the ground. She slams her head against the rough floor.
“Make it stop! Make it stop!” She continues to involuntarily crush her skull.
“Eliza! Stop,” Vince stops his chore and grapples his wife. She throws him off and continues to pound her face. Blood splats and drips on the wooden planks.
Alex picks another song on his Ipod... but then air brushes against his cheek. Fear swarms his joy. He lifts the headphones slightly off his ear. Another cold breeze goes down his neck. The hairs on his body stand as the aroma of rotten flesh sneaks under his nostrils. Alex thinks about moving, but his body doesn't follow. He's petrified.
“Keep your things… if you can.” Alex turns his head slowly and sees the vicious and hungry face of the dead popcorn seller. A dark, thick goo drips from his teeth. It tilts its head, slowly and opens its sockets. Two repugnant green lines replace the pupils. They gleam, illuminating the boys face so it can see his fright.
Alex opens his mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. The world is deaf. The creature laughs and plunges his sharp teeth into the boys neck. He pulls and tugs at the vendor's peeled skin, frantically trying to break it's grip...
Crack.
Eliza stops moving. She sits back, panting harder than ever. She looks at the blood: the scarlet red liquid, cascading from her temple. Vince grabs her and cradles back and forth. She pulls the collar of his shirt and starts to cry hysterically.
Epilogue
The door to Alex’s room convulses in a wayward manner, rumbling, but it’s silent. Then, it stops.
A slip of paper slides underneath the crevice.
Alexander Destrinski: Missing. He couldn’t hear it coming.
