- My heart beat in sync with the large cuckoo clock that hung on a wall that was otherwise barren. Each incessant tick felt like a crushing blow against my skull. A distant, high pitched whining was the only other noise that could be heard in the vacuum. Both were increasing in volume. Both were impossible to ignore. Just when I thought I might go mad from it all, they reached a deafening crescendo as the clock struck midnight.
Out came the small...