Day Five…
I woke at 4:50 am. No idea why.
I was just suddenly wide-awake. I could hear nothing but the sounds in my head. A mild tinnitus which is imperceptible with any external input. Perhaps there was a gust of wind or a mosquito come to feed. Both is likely as I then heard the clatter of tin on roof and I could feel some new raised irritations on my ankles.
I think sleeping on this mountain was where I first realised that silence could be deafening. My brain dialled out both the waterfalls and the trickling standpipe that feeds the carved-log trough.
Up in the loft bed there is nothing to hear outside of those sporadic moments. The buildings are now so solidly constructed from huge timbers and heavy stone that if there is no wind outside, the place is void of sound. Even the heavy foam mattress was silent.
And as soon as I’d contemplated the lack of noise I heard what sounded like the door being knocked and felt a spike in adrenaline. Perhaps that was what woke me before.
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