The storm had ebbed to nothingness, now the silence was as pure as the wintry blanket outside.
Every creature was sheltering, the birds had either flown south or had better things to do than sing, and there wasn't another human for miles.
When his ears became more accustomed to the lack of sound he thought he could hear the tinkle of the brook that was partially iced over, but other than that only his rhythmic breathing brokered the air.
" I missed you," Gaven said, trying to break the silence in William's small studio.
As Gaven scanned William's face for a reaction the silence hung in the air like the suspended moment before a falling glass shatters on the ground.
" William?" Gaven whispered and looked at William's shaking form.
He expected him to crumple, wail or dissolve int
