When Mr. Donahue left, he did not stop the story box from working. Considering that I had no idea how he had started it in the first place, how to get it to quiet was an art beyond my understanding. I simply hoped it would go silent if I let it be for long enough. However, even by the time I was preparing to go to bed the thing continued to make its racket. I took a look at what was on the box, but everything was so foreign to me that I didn't dare touch it. For all I knew, the thing could explode if I did something wrong. My attention focused on the rectangle device Mr. Donahue had been previously holding instead. There was a name embossed on it that matched the name on the box. Few of the buttons were labeled, but I decided the large red one might be a good choice. I was right. The box went quiet.
Although I wanted the thing to stop making its noise, the absolute silence that swept over the house was disconcerting. In the elven lands all of the buildings, for the most part, do not have doors, but open archways. There are drapes for when one needs privacy, yet the majority of the time there is very little to separate us from the outside world. I am used to the gentle breeze of wind and sounds of little creatures wafting throughout the halls. The large window in my bed chamber here could not be opened, so I retreated to my bed trying to ignore the engulfing silence. The fear from earlier in the day returned. Though I was more cut off from the world outside here than I was at home, I felt horribly exposed. I don't know why I attempted to rest, for I found little sleep that night. The suffocating silence and unease was part of the problem. It was the terribly uncomfortable bed that was the other issue though. I might have endured less pain if I had slept on the floor instead. It was a true blessing when the sun rose. The warm sunlight was a welcome change from the moonless, cold night sky.
I sighed as I began going about my day. I took a look at the oven machine, but was even more confident I would cause it to explode if I even looked at it the wrong way. Human machines terrify me. I knew I needed to learn how to operate it soon though. I had some cold bread for breakfast, and that and salads for dinner would not be nearly enough to sustain me.
