Floorboards creaking. TV on, albeit at a low volume. Lack of snoring from the room next door. Subtle differences in the nighttime atmosphere of the workshop, but significant ones nonetheless. The lack of snoring wasn’t anything new; one of the small house’s residents was often away for stretches at a time, so the second bedroom was accustomed to vacancy. Even when he was home, it wasn’t uncommon for him to sleep on the roof if the weather was nice. But the emptiness of the hero’s room accompanied by the sounds of someone awake downstairs were enough to tip the gentle equilibrium of sounds off balance.
Tails