The Sounds Of Sickness
Silence Challenge #1
Sounds of crying, muttering, moaning, and 🅰🅶🅾🅽🆈.
I had never before wished so hard for dₑₐₜₕ to be swift.
Lσυԃ are the cries of agony from the sick and withered.
Evenings 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓰 on and on when the sound never stops.
ℕ𝕆 comfort, ℕ𝕆 bliss, ℕ𝕆 inertia.
Can you imagine the sudden wₑᵢgₕₜ ₒf ₜₕₑ ₛᵢₗₑₙcₑ when it all stops?
░E░M░P░T░Y░ house, ░E░M░P░T░Y░ room, ░E░M░P░T░Y░ heart.
The Inspiration
****After caretaking for my Grandfather who had lung cancer, I lost my love of music and sound. In the last few weeks of his life, Grandfather did NOT sleep. A tumor had developed in his brain. So he hallucinated often. I would peek out and he'd be talking to someone, using a water bottle as a screwdriver, working on an invisible car.
As the time drew closer to his passing, it got worse. In the last days of his life, he hallucinated he was being tortured, reliving a memory of the time ....well that's a whole article to talk about.... it was a memory and it was bad. He screamed and cried for 3 days before I had to call for medical professionals to come and hospitalize him.
He screamed, moaned, wailed, and begged me to let him go to stop hurting him (I was NOT hurting him, just so that's clear) and it didn't stop. I prayed for silence. I prayed to God to make the pain and the sound of pain stop, to release my grandfather from his worst memories. And when I got it... it was a lot.
So when he passed away, and the silence filled the house... I withdrew into it. I didn't listen to music or watch TV for months. Sound gave me anxiety because all I could hear was my grandfather screaming and crying. Silence and I ...we have a strange relationship.
[Weird spiritual juju: Grandfather spoke to his father, his mother, all of his deceased siblings, and my grandmother. He did NOT hallucinate having a conversation with any of our LIVING relatives. EH! Creepy! What if it WASN'T hallucinations and he was talking to their ghosts?!]
Time is precious, thank you so much for taking some to read my article. I hope you enjoyed it and it proved useful in some way!
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About the Creator
Hope Martin
Find my fantasy book "Memoirs of the In-Between" on Amazon in paperback, eBook, and hardback, in the Apple Store, or on the Campfire Reading app.
Follow the Memoirs Facebook age here!
I am a mother, a homesteader, and an abuse survivor.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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Epilogue
I sat in my office, twisting the wooden ring that Leon had carved for me on my finger. I was uncomfortable, hot, and cranky. And I was bored. Leon was making me a cup of tea in the adjoined kitchen. Estrakulius was resting peacefully next to me against the desk. I had taken up residence in CiCi’s old office as it was easier than moving everything into mine. It had been interesting to find things about CiCi after she was gone. It made me feel like she was still here and comforted me. And she was right, all of the millions and millions of reports were very helpful, no matter how much I hated them.
By Hope MartinExclusive • 2 months ago
How to Succeed at the Benson Directory®
Congratulations and welcome to the Benson Directory® employee #22391! As our newest call handler, you will have the privilege of speaking with dozens of unique and interesting people on a daily basis as well as the opportunity to earn bonuses for high performance. Contained within this handbook you will find a set of ease to follow instructions designed to help you settle in to your new role and begin paving the way to success.
By S. A. Crawfordabout 15 hours ago in Fiction
Comments (22)
I am subscribing to you.
This was more than sad, however, unfortunately a reality for many of us. Well deserving of a top story. Excellent job of a reality, we have to face sometimes, I hope I will not have to face it with my wife.
wow amazing
Hope, this is a deeply felt writing and sharing. Your retelling took me right to those moments in such a visceral way. I will never forget this and you Dear One, are amazing!
Well written. So hard!
He was talking to the spirits of the deceased as they were hovering around him to help him crossover. Congrats on the TS! 🥳🥳🥳 Sorry for the pain you had and for your loss.
Congrats on the Top Story! This was a deeply moving piece, emphasized wonderfully with how you formatted it. Emotionally evocative too! I'm sorry about the loss of your grandfather especially like that. Silence can be such a mixed bag at times like that.
I am sorry that you lost your grandfather. This piece was heartfelt and well written.
My friend, I know your story. The character and the root causes are different, but all your grandfather experienced, so did my mom - caused by Lewy Body Dementia. The weight of silence came to me in January - well written and echoes on.
Unearthly. Powerful. Painful. Thank you for sharing your experience. Your grandfather went through so much! You cared for him well and offer a moving tribute.
Brilliantly captured! Sorry for the loss of your grandfather...
That was so sad I am sorry 💔 for your loss. What a beautiful piece
Hi Hope Martin Sorry for your lose it was a emotional story and worth of winning in aug. As you are a winner I would like you to read my first poem and give me some insights to make it more good and engaging My poem is - The Spirit of Victory: A Poem Honoring the Olympics and Para-Olympics
Emotional and heartbreaking!!! Intriging and thought provoking!! I would prefer to think that your grandfather was speaking to those who had preceeded him. Congratulations on Top Story!!❤️❤️💕
This was so vividly personal and the grief so poignant. I'm so sorry you had to endure that difficult time. Still, I am sure your grandfather knew you were there for him and longed to comfort you despite his absence of mind and eventually, of body. Congratulations on the Top Story - I know it's bittersweet for such a heart wrenching piece.
Beautiful poem. Sorry that happened.
I held my mom's hand as she took and exhaled her final breath. This poem brings all those emotions to life. brilliantly done. congratulations on TS.
That must have been so traumatic for both of you, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for the loss of your grandfather. Beautiful poem.
Sorry about the loss of your grandfather. Beautiful poem.
So sorry about your grandfather! It seems unfair that some pass away so tumultously while others can go in peace. I think that the mess of fonts is a brilliant way to reflect the pain and the mess that accompany death.
Loved the acrostic but the memory behind it? So sad. He's at peace and I get why you eased into the silence.