Transformation

Will I be the same woman when I return? As soon as I left, I heard a sound of laughter. The sound was metallic and resounding; in the end, it did not seem like a laugh, a whistle, or a rustling sound. It was not human, but its long, unnatural duration gave her time to understand that someone was laughing. Despite all that, and while the sound continued with the same resonance and timing without diminishing, she had the impression that it was not really laughter, but more like the scream of an animal being tortured with a sharp instrument. This wailing awakened inside her a momentary desire to run, to help that distressed person in such a mysterious way, as if someone was being tortured and suffering unbearably. But the continuity of the laughter, and its timing which could reach mathematical miracle levels, made her sure once again of how much that laugher enjoyed this way, unconcerned about the provocation it caused others, perhaps to amuse himself by testing others’ nerves.