Powerless

This morning I awoke to silence.  Silence is something I have not experienced for quite some time. True silence, the kind that makes your eyes open wider and your skin crawl.  What is so unnerving about the absence of noise? Maybe it is the amplification of our own noises that frightens us. The thought of being heard, with nothing to distract from the sound we make.  
I awoke to darkness. Flipping the switch produced no light. The break in my routine bothered me, not like an annoying tick of a clock can for a moment.  Being alone in the dark silence bothers me like nothing else can. What is more frightening than being in the dark, wishing to see but not seeing, believing you are alone but not knowing, wanting to scream but praying not to be heard.