No birds twittering.
No cats meowing.
No sounds of far-off freeway traffic.
No cars passing by.

Not the middle of the night,
Autumn clouds, heavy and low.
Early day.

It's so quiet I can hear my own heart, steadily beating. The breath moving in and out of my lungs. Swallowed coffee, the cup clinks against a tooth. And the tap, tap, tap of the keyboard and mouse.