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Writer's pictureReed

The Sounds of Childhood

This is the first of the sets that I attempted to focus on just one sense at a time, and is focused on hearing.


Sepia: My Grandparent's House

Click-clack-ding of a typewriter

A small child's giggle

Old wood stairs creaking in the stairwell

Crackling and crinkling-huff of logs falling, a soft whoof of bellows

Stuttering, rhythmic creak of metal and rope of a hammock swinging between trees

Mourning doves coo-coo-coooing from the rooftop

The muted thump of a billiard ball bouncing off felt-covered wood

Old leather creaking as my grandfather sits down for his afternoon nap

Life was quiet, but love was loud


Sky Blue: Camping

Bang! of a backfire, and an engine coming to life

Puff the Magic Dragon settling down for a meal at Alice's Restaurant

Honks and hissing and squealing of brakes on a busy highway

Old canvas crackling as it slowly unfolds

Vinyl squeaking as it's lowered

Click and pop of an old bulldog catch as a cabinet opens

Birds chirping in the trees

Dry leaves rustling in a breeze trailing lazily over the forest floor

A nearby creek bubbling as my father builds a fire

Life was quiet, but love was loud.


Brick Red: My Grandmother's House

The hum of traffic from the main road

A crow and a mockingbird caw, creak, and rasp out a battle in the yard

The rotary phone whirr-click-click-click-whirrs as I dial for the time

Old copper pipes rattle in the walls while the bath fills

Classical music filtering through a dark living room from an old radio

The squeal and hiss of brakes and a bus door opening

The rising pitch of a train leaving the station

The echoing din of a busy airport

The rushing roar of planes taking off

The crackle-hiss of my grandmother's cigarette as we watch the planes together

Life was quiet, but love was loud.


Golden: Friends

Whispers of secret plans being made

Steady clicks of coasting on a bicycle, the occasional thump of wheels on stairs

Shouts and laughter of a race well-lost

Branches creaking and twigs snapping as we climb into the treetops

The rush and roar of the river flowing over submerged rocks

Sodium lights humming a warning to go inside

Cicadas drowning out our words in the hot summer afternoon

Bickering and taunting over the sound of Mario falling into a hole in the landscape

A CRT hum-clicks as we turn it off to go build a fort in the woods

"Can Nick come out to play?"

Life was quiet, but love was loud.

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