“But in the last chill hour before light, the valley seemed to hang suspended in an unearthly stillness, almost as unnerving in its way as everything else that had happened. And it was then, for the first time, that people began to realize that all those harsh, incessant noises which had been such a part of their lives—mill whistles screeching, wagons clattering over cobblestones, coal trains rumbling past day and night—had stopped, absolutely, every one of them.”
-The Johnstown Flood, David McCullough
Comments (7)
Chilling! I had to open the window and listen to the cars go by to calm myself. The absence of background noise is so creepy. No doubt a fear of silence has been shared by surviving mammals long before we humans started squeezing out shit rocks.
That was gorgeous. It reminded me (in a very less scary way) of NYC when I first moved there. Daily, the noise! and then Sunday morning…such a quiet morning (comparitively) and it shocked me the first time I woke up on a Sunday there. I couldn’t figure out where I was for a bit.
Thanks for sharing. What hit me most was that moment of knowing that things have changed and will never again resume in the same way. I felt that after 9/11 and it is something that breaks from your core and seems to wander restlessly through your system until you accept it and it becomes at rest inside you. Somewhere, that broken piece.
This is a really good book.
I found this book on my mom’s shelf when I was a kid and sat up one night reading it. I should find it a read it all over again; I’m sure it’s more chilling now in the aftermath of Katrina.
PRN: Do not exceed recommended dosage.
Sounds like a great one for my list!
Thank you for another reminder of another great read!