The Hum

The hum, that annoying whine—low, deep, unnatural, constant—that assaulted my eardrums, rumbled around my head, and refused to leave me, despite my efforts to shove it off, came from somewhere. Then, just as now, I couldn’t put my finger on it. The point of origin eluded me—and does to this day. I’ve never been good with directions, so for me to isolate where the sound came from beyond left, right, front or back, then there’s nothing I can do. In retrospect, the noise, the whine that set me off, seemed to attack me from every direction. There was no distance from me. It seemed to be next to me. It seemed to surround me.

I was in my back yard when I first heard it. I couldn’t get away from the sound. I couldn’t get rid of it. I shook my head several times, but it persisted. It seemed like it came from somewhere nearby, close and at the same time, at a slight distance…but again, I couldn’t uncover the source of the pesky sound. In seconds, it surrounded me. It enveloped me. I covered my ears in an attempt to push it out of my head; I was unsuccessful. I crouched down and held my hands as tightly to my head as I possibly could—but also with no success.