Amid the sounds of cars honking and jackhammers rattling came an uncharacteristic moment of silence that rang through an unnamed city for a few seconds. These episodes of silence continued to occur in random moments, triggering confusion, alarm, and, surprisingly, hope; a woman came out of a coma during a five-second silence. Drunkards in the bars became friendly. After a certain amount of time, residents grew accustomed to the silence, so much so that they wished it would last forever. A movement was birthed from the silence, one that would lead to the eradication of all sources of sound in the city. Noise-alleviation devices were installed in subways; electric generators were sealed behind thick walls of concrete; and church bells were wrapped in cloth. People spent this prolonged silence envisioning career changes and new activities to begin, like chess or poker. As winter took over, the enrapturing silence was suddenly broken by episodes of sound, wherein the walls of every building were seemingly transparent to every noise. People began looking forward to these episodes; there was a shared longing for sound in the city. A noise club opened in an abandoned recording studio where people gathered to hear an ambulance siren and football fans cheering in a stadium. A consensus was reached about the importance of sound, and the city agreed to scrap the silence initiative. Although the year of silence eventually became a faint memory, people held on to the sense of purpose they gained during the silence amid the invigorating sounds of the city.