Silent Broadcasting

We were at a breakfast restaurant with family yesterday morning. A man walked in, either on shift or just finishing (not sure of his job title, to be honest). He had a radio of some sort that would blip with static and muffled voices from time to time, but were no match for the rumblings of animated, coffee-fueled, early morning chatter. At one point, though, a low consistent hum was emitted that completely cut all other noise.

And all eyes darted to the man who apologized and lowered the volume.

I recognized it was weird and realized in the moments that settled awkwardly afterward…

That noise sounded vaguely like an emergency broadcast signal.

I remember a time when we would assume it was a test.

We are all waiting for that sound now.

There was truth in that silence.

There’s no more test.

It’s already begun.

In silence.