The Three Voices

The clock strikes midnight.
The entire neighbourhood 
in a deep slumber.

Overlapped voices from afar —
an infant’s inconsolable cry with 
a mother’s melancholic,
yet alluring wail:
“Huuuuuuuuuuh”
approach and break
the silence of the night.

Stray dogs, awoken, 
bark incessantly, and
follow the mother
holding the infant.

A sleeping child
wakes up in fright,
clutching his blanket tight,
hoping for the voices
to recede.

The voices alarm
a mother in her bed —
relates to the anguish of the
wailing mother.

The three voices
gradually fade away
into silence, and
towards the river
below the neighbourhood.

The event recurred 
many times —
the exact pattern of
three voices 
fading away into silence.

No mortal dared to
peek out of their windows, 
nor openly discussed the event 
they all heard, and
remained hypnotised 
in their beds,
listening to the 
three voices 
fading away into silence.