THE NOISE

The new home was as pristine as the last and the garden was decked out in fairy lights.  The house warming party looked like it was going to be the same as all Henderson gatherings, perfect.  The beer was the right temperature, the champagne had the correct crisp biscuity bubbliness and there was a balance of healthy and decadent at the buffet.  Their friends and colleagues were torn between envy and joy at being present at such a sumptuous event. 

Kelly sighed contentedly and smiled at Clarice Henderson; “This is a great house warming party, such a lovely house.”

“Yes,” Clarice said frowning, “except the Noise.”
“What noise?” Kelly asked.
“Can’t you hear it?” Clarice enquired. “When we viewed it, it was lovely and quiet, but from the minute we moved in there was this noise.”
Kelly frowned as Clarice went away to circulate, usually at a Henderson party the hosts controlled the conversation so well that nothing strange was ever said and the subject matter was never deep or taxing.  There wasn’t usually anything to worry about, but now there was.
“David,” Kelly called her husband to the drinks table.
“What dear?”
“Can you hear a noise?”
He listened; “No.”
"Neither can I.  Clarice thinks she can.”
“So does Roger.”
Kelly looked at Roger Henderson, he wasn’t his usual cheery self, he was rubbing his temples.  When he saw her looking a smile covered his face like a mask.
“What did he say the Noise was?” Kelly asked.
At that moment Oscar joined them at the table; “Is this the Noise?” he asked, “it’s such a puzzle!  I can’t hear it.”
“Neither can we.”
Oscar hummed a spooky tune; “Only they can.  Apparently it’s like a high pitched whining sound.  Roger said it started off in the background, but recently it’s been getting louder and louder.  They’ve had the Council round and everything.”
They watched Clarice cross the lawn to her husband, at one point she stepped clumsily into a flower bed.
“Is she drunk?” Kelly hissed.
“Apparently they’re not sleeping,” Oscar said, “the Noise keeps them awake.”
“It’s not as good a party as usual,” David complained, “shall we make it an early night dear?”
Kelly shook her head, she wanted to stay to the end to gather as much gossip about the strange fate of her successful friends as possible.
Alison topped up her glass and turned to them; “Are you talking about the Noise?”
“Yes!” whispered Kelly.
“Did you hear they had the Council round?  They couldn’t measure anything!  Said there was nothing to hear.  So Clarice went to the doctor.”
“But they both can hear it,” Oscar frowned.
“Yes but Roger wouldn’t go...”
“Oh, is this about the Noise?” William had arrived, “load of nonsense if you ask me.”

The group at the drinks table looked round to see if the Hendersons had heard.  The Hendersons were alone in the middle of their perfectly manicured lawn, Roger was clutching at his head in pain and Clarice was clinging to him crying.

BRING AND SHARE

“I’m going to say something,” Elvina announced.
“Don’t,” her mother replied, looking up from dressing the child, but Elvina was on her way out.
At the meeting hall the women stood around the table.
“He’s late,” Sara observed.
Elvina put her bag on the table, “Fish.”
“Rice,” Sara gestured to a sack.
“Bread,” stated Beth.
“Potatoes,”  Farah added.
“Milk,” said Luella.
The man walked in, smiled in his charming way and rubbed his hands; “What a lot there is here!  I need a bit more than last time, my mother is sick and my cousin is visiting to tend her.”
There was an excuse to take more every time.  Elvina spoke up; “What have you brought?”
“Nothing,” replied the man shrugging, “if you think hunting is easy, try it.”
 

When he had gone the women gathered together; “What is the point of him?” Elvina asked.

The question was greeted by a shocked silence.
“Well too ...” began Farah.
“When was the last time he lay with one of us?” Elvina demanded angrily, “the youngest of our children is two and I don’t see any of you ...”
“Protection,” Beth said firmly.
“If he wasn’t causing wars with neighbouring tribes we wouldn’t need protecting,” Elvina answered.
The women looked at each other.
“He hasn’t brought anything for weeks,” Luella said softly, “he must be struggling ...”
“How long are we going to make excuses for him?” Elvina demanded, “I say banish him.”
Sara’s hand shot up; “Aye!”
The others stared at each other in shock, then slowly put their hands up; “Aye.”
Elvina anticipated their question, “I’ll bring the meat.  How hard can it be?”

 

Killing the deer wasn’t hard, but dragging it back the miles she’d covered tracking it was.  Elvina’s resentfulness kept her going.  She thought of slamming the carcass on the table, her friend’s impressed faces and how they would all live in peace with more food.  No more free loading man.  She found herself late to the table and hurried inside, the deer on her shoulders to be confronted by the man sitting on the great chair with Farah on his knee, kissing his ear and stroking his shoulders, Luella was bringing him a mug of milk, Beth was taking off his shoes for him and Sara was tending to a small flesh wound on his shoulder.  On the table lay two deer carcasses.  Elvina met the man’s bold stare; his hard eyes were full of triumph.  She looked at her friends and they turned their backs on her, but the man put out his hand and smiled.

She felt the weight of the deer, the heaviness in her limbs; but more than that, she remembered the triumph of the kill.  Elvina turned away.

“You should have kept quiet,” her mother told her as she returned.

The child ran to her and Elvina gathered the boy in her arms; “We’re banished,” she said.
“We won’t survive without the community!” the old woman replied.
“They’d like us to think that,” Elvina fetched the deer carcass smiling in pride.
Her mother stared at it resentfully; “You’ve chosen a hard road.”