A bell rings in his head,
a clanging of pipes that are slowly
filling with water, muting as he listens.
He checks his vitals,
heartbeats, air flow,
everything in ordered rows.
But there is a fault.
One he will discover only later,
when the aching starts.
Something has come in with the water,
a doorbell ringing,
a cavity opening.
And it will ache like a cold stone,
alone and wet in his head.