36 HOWLING IN THE DISTANCE (2)

While she was eating, Iris kept hearing this howling in the distance. It was weird for her to hear this and she thought it was just in her mind, since it had been so quiet for a long time for her. Ever since she lost her hearing, she heard nothing, but herself in her mind, never a sad, long howling like this.

Iris put down the empty bowl and felt a little bit better now that she was fed and then went on to put on the dress. It felt so soft on her skin, almost like one of her old dresses.

But then, the howling didn't stop and this made her heart ache for some reason. The howling sounded very pitiful, like coming from an injured animal, begging for mercy. She was not sure why she felt this way.

How could she decipher such howling?

Iris looked at herself in the mirror, there were streaks of tears on her cheeks. She went to the bathroom and splashed water on her face and her hair to make her curls not look like a bird's nest.