The Story of Silence (Book 3)

Chapter 10

March 11th, it's still the same year. Nothing has changed, it can't be bothered:

It rained on Saturday and it didn't stop. Silence was awoken by the sound of it pouring down and splattering against his closed window. He rolled over with his eyes still closed and tried to return to sleep.

It was still early in the morning, about six o'clock, and he didn't need to wake, it was Saturday, he never woke on Saturday. It was the start of the weekend for him and he needed sleep. Sleep was important. There was nothing better than to go to sleep after a long hard day of work and to wake up late feeling refreshed.

Actually, Silence could think of other things that were better than that, but at the moment, lying in bed listening to the rain and knowing that he didn't have to get up yet, was the best feeling.

He woke later and found the time to be nine o'clock, he'd only managed a couple of hours sleep in. Though he liked sleeping he knew that if he went back to bed again he would end up with a headache, and so he crawled out of bed to the shower.

Thomas was still asleep when Silence passed his room. He didn't know what time Thomas had arrived home, but Thomas usually liked to sleep until late. Sometimes Silence wouldn't bother being quiet, but this morning he was, there was no reason for him not to be quiet.

He finished in the shower and made himself a quick breakfast of toast and eggs, taking his time to enjoy them before clearing away the dishes and grabbing his bag before heading downstairs to the Lobby. He collected his newspaper that he had delivered along with his mail to the lobby and headed outside.

Stopping under the hanging marquee that was set up over the front door of the building he gave the newspaper a quick skim through. One article caught his eye:

Joseph Amerigo (57) died early this morning after a fall on the sidewalk close to his home. The fall fractured his skull and Joseph Amerigo died fast.

The doctor that viewed him, Hans La-bree (44), told Newest News: "I do not think that Mr Amerigo would have suffered. The fall was fast and death followed quickly, and even if someone had been around at the time to witness his fall and called for an ambulance he still would not have made it."

Joseph Amerigo was found at six this morning after jogger, Ann Burns (25), discovered the body on her morning run.

Neighbor, Frank Miller (55), says that though he (Amerigo) was a quiet man and they barely talked, his presence will be missed.

Amerigo's funeral will be held at the Westlink Cemetery on Tuesday the 14th of March. Friends and family are welcome to attend.

Silence didn't know the man, but he recognised the last name as it was an Italian name. He had known someone at the orphanage with that same last name, and Silence wondered just for a moment if they were any relation.

He folded the newspaper up and tucked it away inside his coat to read later, opened his umbrella and headed out into the rain, forgetting about the news as he headed off.

George Oldwood stood looking out of his window on the tenth floor of his high-rise apartment and watched the rain drip slowly down the window. Lying open on the coffee table in the middle of the lounge room was the same newspaper that Silence had just looked through.

It was open on the page about Joseph Amerigo's death. Oldwood contemplated going to the funeral, but then he thought, if such things in time were discovered, showing up at the funeral might not be a good idea. Leave it to all those other poor sods that show up to be questioned later. That was if it came to that. It didn't have to...