[updated] | Ears Feel Clogged Covid

It started on a Tuesday. Not with a cough or a fever, but with a soft, cottony silence.

The ceiling fan’s chain clinked against the glass globe. Outside, a dog barked, sharp and real. Her own breath sounded like a windstorm. She sat up, dizzy with the sudden rush of noise. The refrigerator kicked on with a groan she had forgotten existed. She laughed—a strange, wet sound—and the laugh echoed slightly in the newly opened chambers of her head. ears feel clogged covid

Lena was making coffee when she noticed it. The usual percussive clatter of beans grinding sounded distant, like someone had placed a pillow over the machine. She shook her head, yawned wide, and swallowed. Nothing. Just a dull, pressurized fullness deep inside both ears. It started on a Tuesday

Lena was lying on her side in bed, scrolling through her phone with the volume maxed out, just to hear a whisper of dialogue. She rolled over to switch off the lamp. And then— pop . Outside, a dog barked, sharp and real

Two pink lines.