Mister Quilp

There was an awful silence before the primary shock wave came, we sat huddled together, waiting, knowing, fearing, I remember glancing around the room, catching glimpses of vacant staring faces in the flickering candlelight. It was a relief when the blast came, it gave us something concrete to think about, as though the earth was giving birth to some hideous monster of a child, as it strained, and shook, and rumbled, and groaned, and bemoaned the past. I can remember turning to the person next to me, and asking what time it was.