The vain me kept myself well equipped with fur coats and big umbrellas. I smirked as saw the people run around as the hail pelted them. I knew the hail would strike continuously for a week now. I was gifted with a ear for the meteorological, you see. On the last day of the hail, I heard thunder. "Bloody hell! I fucking hate this pelting", I glanced out of the window, turned to my mute Ma sewing me a bloody sweater - I was so frustrated - the constant horrid weather, the gloominess and silence of our home, the silent and virtually non-existent company of Ma. As the thunder sounded distant, things quietened down. I heard nothing, slept peacefully, even gave Ma a smile during lunch. As she hobbled towards her afternoon nap, a violent blast resonated in my ear. The world went still.

In the evening, I decided to stroll outside. There was no person around. Ruins of concrete lay everywhere. A peculiar strong stench penetrated the air. I screamed but heard nothing. I beat my hands on the ground in despair. I knocked on what remained of doors. I shouted random names - I heard nothing.

I had lived calmly through the apocalypse - an apocalypse with a sound that took my hearing away. I cried, threw fits and eventually collapsed. Everything went black.

My right eye pained with the splinter in it. The eyelid fluttered as Ma reached out and touched my arm. In the maddening moment of a human touch, I hear the thunder roll. The earth lives - yes it lives, my blood in dust and dust in me, I run to the street corner, fanatically dig the debris pull out the deaf madman who once begged there when earth was ripe.

"It'll rain moro", I get him home, I hug Ma, for thunder I have learnt destroys for making room for change.