I don’t often think about sound. When I’m out in the tunnels, all I can hear is my life support system. Air is hissing and I am breathing. When my feet latch onto an iron plate, I hear the magnetic snap. When the stone splinters fly, when the dust explodes, everything is quiet. I take care not to stand in that deadly hail of rock. Vacc-suit life-expectancy management is important.
Back inside, I hear the hum of the ventilation, or the kids bumping into things. They love to bump into things. It makes me smile as I remember how much I loved jumping around on my bed and how my mum hated it because she wanted me to take an afternoon nap. Well, the kids now jump around on every surface. I guess it’s good for their bones.
And then, suddenly, I remember the birds. Do you remember the birds? In spring, blackbird song would fill the early morning hours. If you went outside just before dawn, it would bring tears to your eyes.