shanmonster | Do You Hear What I Hear?

I was awoken around 4:15 am by the sounds of a man screaming somewhere in the distance. In my cloud of sleep, I dismissed it, but the screams continued, wrenching me from my bed and to the window. The man sounded like he was in great pain. I couldn't see anyone, so I ran out to the balcony and looked off toward downtown, listening carefully. The screams had broken off, and the harder I listened, the more frustrated I grew by the background city noises which grew and filled my hearing: air conditioners, generators, and occasional traffic. The only time the city is truly silent is during a power outage. I could still see no one, and though I listened as hard as I could, I didn't hear the screams again.

Five minutes or so passed, and I thought I could hear the distant murmur of voices. At one point, I thought I heard "...hold his legs," but I'm not sure if I was piecing together words being said or not. Although my actual hearing is very, very good, my comprehension of what is actually being said is faulty indeed.

About ten or fifteen minutes later, I thought I heard the voice again, but this time it sounded like he was cheering, and then I heard nothing again.

Drunken tomfoolery or a beating? I don't know. Calling the police would have been useless since I couldn't even put a bead on where the sounds came from.

Well, I'm awake now, so I guess I'll get some writing done.