The Voice and The Deaf Girl
It was clear Emilia couldn't read her boss' lips. She was talking too fast, yelling at Emilia for not knowing how to use the copier. It was sad really, how she couldn't hear. I saw a tear roll off Emilia's cheek and hit the ground. The girl screamed once and then ran out the door.
She ran to her car, where she cried for several minutes. Then she popped up the visor mirror and reapplied her ruined mascara.
She was beautiful. She had red hair with golden highlights. In the summer, her hair was strawberry blonde, and in the winter, it matched the red banner she hung over her door every year. Her face was covered with light freckles and her skin was very pale, with a hint of pink.
She was very beautiful indeed.
The deaf girl started her car and took her hearing aid out. It would do her no good and she wanted to be completely alone.
When she got home, she changed out of her work clothes and into sweatpants and a gym shirt. She grabbed her phone to facetime her mom. They talked in sign language for almost an hour, before Emilia curled up into a ball on her bed. She read a book that she had read twice already. Her cat, Cheeky, curled up next to her and purred.
"You're such a motor-mouth," Emilia whispered to her cat.
The beautiful deaf girl owned an old grandfather clock, that she put at the end of the hallway. Of course, she couldn't hear it chime, but she loved the way it looked. Five years ago, Emilia, as a college student, bought the clock. It was useless, but she winded it up everyday. She believed the clock had a right to ring, even if she couldn't hear it.
The clock went off in a lovely song and then banged nine times. However, Emilia was already fast asleep. She didn't sleep well, though. She had a nightmare. You could tell because she tossed and turned all night.
"Help!" She screamed.
I wonder what it was she was dreaming about.
"Help," she screamed, again.
It must have been a really, really terrible dream, for sound rarely escaped Emilia's lips.
For a third time Emilia screamed,"Help."
"It's alright my darling."
Emilia jumped back, startled out of her mind. She clenched the sheets that covered her. Suddenly, she touched her ear to see in her hearing aid was in, but it wasn't. She remembered taking it off in the car hours earlier. The innocent girl shook with fear. She was deaf, she couldn't hear. But then how did she hear a second ago?
"What do you want?" She cried out in fear.
"Nothing really. Just go back to sleep my dear."
By then Emilia had come to the conclusion that she was still dreaming.
"Okay... it was nice talking to you," she said.
However, the voice didn't answer back.
She shrugged and laid back down. Emilia dreamt of pleasant things now. She woke up the next morning with a memory of the dream. The deaf woman couldn't remember any other dreams but this one.
All day she remembered the voice.
It's alright my darling.
Nothing much. Just go back to sleep my dear.
She thought about it when her boss asked her to do paperwork. She thought about it at lunch. She thought about it on her way home from work. The voice was deep and handsome. Like a real gentleman. She became happy when she thought of it. She remembered it very clearly, which was particularly unusual. It was the only voice she had heard her entire life, and she couldn't wait to hear it again.
And she did.
That night, when the clock struck twelve, she called out.
"Hello?"
"Hello."
Emilia sighed with relief.
"I'm glad you came," Emilia told the voice..
"I shouldn't have, my darling."
At this Emilia threw the sheets off her, got out of bed, and stood up.
"Say something," she whispered.
"Lay back down my darling, you need to rest."
Suddenly, Emilia lunged forward to grasp the voice, but she didn't feel anything. Just air.
"No come back, I need to see you," she started to pant.
The voice was gone
"No it's not real, I'm just imagining it," she told herself.
She got back into bed, but she did not sleep. She remembered the voice. So deep. So handsome. So kind. So safe.
The next night she didn't sleep. She stayed up all night...waiting. Waiting to hear the voice again. When the clock struck twelve, she talked to the voice.
"I know you're here," she told the voice.
"I couldn't stay away,"
She popped up out of bed and ran out of the room. The crazy girl, ran past the bathroom, past the couch, and past the clock. I still don't know how she found the energy, for she hadn't slept in days. She searched for the voice, but she didn't find it.
The frightened young woman ran into the bathroom and locked the door. She emptied the bathroom trash can onto the floor and the shoved it against the lock. The lock broke and locked her in forever.
For four days she stayed in there. The voice recited poems, sang songs, and had conversations with her.
She sat in the bath tub, scratching her arms till they bled. Scratching her skin until her fingernails fell off. Occasionally, she got up to bang on the door, pick at the lock, she threw her body against the door.
"Don't hurt yourself my dear," the voice said.
"I love you," she screamed. "I need to see you."
But the voice disappeared.
On the fifth day, when the clock struck twelve, the bathroom door blasted open. However, Emilia was starving. She sat in a pool of blood on the bottom of her own bathtub. She was too weak to get up.
"You must get up, my darling," said the voice.
At that she stood up and walked toward the voice. Aimlessly, she slowly walked around her house. For twenty-four hours, she searched. Searching for her love.
She whispered over and over, "I love you, I need to see you. I love you, I need to see you."
Tears stained her cheeks.
At the twenty fourth hour, Emilia grabbed the rope. She tied it to her closet and made a noose.
She died not hearing the hum of her refrigerator, the meow of her cat looking up, or the bang of the clock.
However, she did hear...
"Don't do it my dear."
"You'll ruin your beauty my darling."
"You don't deserve this my dear."
"I couldn't have loved you."
And I couldn't. I couldn't let her see me. You don't understand, if she saw me, I would be killed. I shouldn't even have talked. I didn't think she could hear me, but she could.
Time passed after that.
Her body hung like a rag doll when a girl holds it up.
Her body was too sad to look at, so I took it down. I dug a hole in her backyard. Then, I put the body in it and covered it with soil.
I sighed, it was done.
"I couldn't have loved her."
