You might know that in the UK, 'crickets' is a way of saying not hearing anything back from people you are expecting to hear from. So for UK readers this reads like a double entendre.
We say the same in the States. My dad, my younger brother, and I used to say "crickets" whenever one of our jokes fell flat. Alex longs for silence, but knowing he can never have complete silence, he's willing to settle for a sound that represents the absence of a voice. And crickets are so soothing.
The simple word 'almost' is doing a lot of work here! "Footsteps keep almost rushing in from the bedroom and bathroom." Damn, what a state of anxiety he is in.
I love that you picked this out. This was my attempt to get at that feeling of anticipation-turned-sensory experience. You're right, "almost" is the hinge swinging that description.
"But I know they’ve been here, because everything looks as I left it—in a suspicious way, as if all the objects in the room are holding their breath, hoping I won’t notice that something’s amiss." Wow, this is paranoia: the fact that there's nothing amiss is suspicious in itself.
'Crickets. Tonight I’ll fall asleep to crickets.'
You might know that in the UK, 'crickets' is a way of saying not hearing anything back from people you are expecting to hear from. So for UK readers this reads like a double entendre.
We say the same in the States. My dad, my younger brother, and I used to say "crickets" whenever one of our jokes fell flat. Alex longs for silence, but knowing he can never have complete silence, he's willing to settle for a sound that represents the absence of a voice. And crickets are so soothing.
…except for my wife, who's terrified of them.
The simple word 'almost' is doing a lot of work here! "Footsteps keep almost rushing in from the bedroom and bathroom." Damn, what a state of anxiety he is in.
I love that you picked this out. This was my attempt to get at that feeling of anticipation-turned-sensory experience. You're right, "almost" is the hinge swinging that description.
"But I know they’ve been here, because everything looks as I left it—in a suspicious way, as if all the objects in the room are holding their breath, hoping I won’t notice that something’s amiss." Wow, this is paranoia: the fact that there's nothing amiss is suspicious in itself.