Silence in the Wind

My name is Harry. Harry Styles.

& This is my story.

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When I was younger, I recall my mother telling me that throughout my life I would experience hearing different sounds from different people for different situations. She told me her personal favorite was the sound of a newborn baby crying for the first time, or in her opinion.. the baby was stretching the vocal cords to mark it's place here on earth. My mother also explained to me that sometimes the most heartfelt sounds are the sounds that aren't heard, but speak the loudest. It made no sense to me how a sound could remain unheard, but still hold powerful meaning.

As I grew up, I would notice things that most kids my age would just walk by without taking a second glance. I noticed the worried tone of voice that concerned mothers used when they lost their child in a supermarket, the man who explained his love to his long time girlfriend with nothing but sincerity in his voice, or even the elderly man inside his burning house begging for help.

There wasn't a day that went by without noticing the sounds throughout this world.

No matter where I went, whether inside or outside, the sounds were all around. I'd like to think I only noticed these sounds because my mother told me about them in the first place and my priority in life is to never let her down.

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It was a normal Tuesday morning in London when I was at age of 16. Being 16 and obsessed with fitness; I went outside for a jog through the park. I would go out early in the morning so I didn't have to worry about hearing or running into anyone. For me running was a way to clear out my head and not have to worry about anything. As I was jogging through the park and looking around, I noticed a beautiful boy around the age of 18. He had beautiful brown hair and a tiny posture that made him almost appear fairy like. From a distance I could tell his facial features were just as beautiful. Being the curious fellow I was, I decided to nonchalantly jog over his way to get a closer look. As I was jogging over there, my phone vibrated and as I was reaching in my pocket to see who was calling me, the next thing I knew I was falling backwards after colliding into someone.

"Oops!" said a concerned, yet beautiful voice.

Without even looking up, I knew this voice was the voice that belonged to the boy and that this voice.. this voice was what my mother told me about a long time ago.

Looking up to make eye contact with the boy, I giggled.

"Hi" I said as I slowly picked myself off the ground to reach the same eye level.

He reached out his hand to held me up.

"I am so sorry about that, mate! I didn't watch where I was going.. and from the looks of it you weren't either!" he laughed.

Boy oh boy was his laugh the type of laugh that you could close your eyes and listen to forever.

"Well, to be honest. I was jogging over towards you hoping to run into you for a chat.. and looks like it happened. Literally" I replied.

"Is that really?! Well, consider me honored. It is quite rare that a cute boy makes his way over to talk to me.." he replied while still staring into my eyes, or really my soul.

"Oh! My name is Louis by the way"

Louis. Such a beautiful name for a beautiful boy. There's no name more suitable for an angel like him. Everything about him was enchanting.

"Am Harry"

He grinned and making the first move, he put his arm around my shoulder.

I had barely known him 5 minutes, but just the sound of his voice made everything feel so right. The way my name rolled off the tip of his tongue, the way he would laugh.. there was just something about the sound his voice made that made me know I would spend the rest of my life with him.

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Years went by and with every year that passed, Louis remained by my side.

We were more than just a couple, we were soul mates.

I remember the night after running into Louis, I went home to tell my mother that I heard the most beautiful sound in my life. I fully expected her to embrace me in her arms with tears in her eyes and tell me that I heard the sound of my true love. I was completely right, except she threw me off at the end when she told me that with every beautiful sound there is eventually a silence.

I had spent 16 years trying to find the beautiful sound and thankfully I found it when I did, but she was still telling me about a silence. To me there was no silence. Everywhere I went there was sound.

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Louis and I experienced everything together.

From our I do to our first fight.. we made it through anything.

Throughout our relationship, we got tattoos along the way.

Many of them had meanings, which spoke words we never had a problem saying.

45 years of our marriage went by without no silence.

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It was an average Tuesday night in London as I was setting the dinner table for Louis and I to share a romantic evening. He was sleeping as usual while I did all the cooking. Our 50th year anniversary was just around the corner and I was determined to make every day until our anniversary date, one to remember. To me there was no such thing as diminishing love. My love for him has only increased.

"Louis!" I called for him as I added the finishing touches to our dinner.

There was no answer.

I thought nothing of it, because he was upstairs and I was downstairs in the kitchen, so chances are he didn't hear me. Plus our old age didn't exactly help the hearing situation.

I walked towards the staircase hoping he would hear me this time and wake up.

"Louis!"

No answer.

Sighing, I made my way upstairs to our room. I sat on the edge of our bed and lightly shook his shoulders.

"Baby, wake up. Dinner is ready"

No answer.

No movement.

Nothing.

"Louis.. baby..?"

I placed my hand over his heart to assure myself that I was automatically jumping to the worst and he was just being Louis.

No heartbeat.

Just... silence.

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A week later, it was our anniversary. Our 50th year anniversary. It was also the day of his funeral.

I walked up to the casket to get one last look at his beautiful face.

I had always been one to notice the sounds around me, but ever since I found him upstairs.. my life has been silent.

Placing a single rose in his pocket, the tears were falling down my face.

We had spent our life together. It would have been 50 years.

I gently placed one more kiss on his forehead and walked away from the casket, for once in my life, not looking back. As I was walking away from the casket that was slowly being placed eternally in the ground, the wind suddenly picked up speed. I immediately thought of his compass tattoo and hoped that Louis was guiding me in the right direction to help me through this. After all, I was the ship to his compass and our tattoos spoke for us. They spoke for us when half of us was silent. He was no longer able to speak. His presence was no longer here. Louis was the silence.

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My mother was right.

I remember my mother telling me that sometimes the most heartfelt sounds are the unheard ones.

Even though Louis is gone he lingers around me. He is the silence. At one point in my life he was the most beautiful sound, and now he is the silence.

It took many years and a tragedy to realize that the most beautiful sound is the same thing as the silence.