Ears Blocked After Flight [better] <Browser>

Elena was in the bathroom, the water running. He heard it as a distant, liquid rustle. He turned on the television. The news anchor’s mouth moved, grave and serious, but the sound was a low, featureless hum. He pressed the volume button until the number 42 blinked on the screen, but the hum only grew louder, more aggressive, like a trapped hornet.

Frustration bloomed into a low-grade panic. The world was a pantomime. He saw people laugh, but couldn't hear the joke. He heard the roar of the street through the window as a whisper. He felt utterly, profoundly alone, separated from the world by a pane of his own flesh and bone. ears blocked after flight

“You can hear again,” she said.