"No," Elias whispered, standing up. "It is the slow, methodical erosion of another person's sanity. It is a whistle that doesn't know its own tune. It is gum that sounds like a wet boot in a swamp. It is the destruction of a three-thousand-dollar hairspring."
In the following story, the theme of "annoy" is explored through the friction between two contrasting characters in a quiet, high-stakes environment. The Audition "No," Elias whispered, standing up
"Toby," Elias called out, his voice a low vibration of restrained irritation. "The solvent. Is it applied?" It is gum that sounds like a wet boot in a swamp
"Toby," Elias said, turning slowly in his swivel chair. "Do you know what 'annoy' means?" "The solvent
Elias lived for silence. As a professional watchmaker, his world was measured in microns and the nearly imperceptible snick-snick of escapement wheels. He was currently in the final hour of restoring a 19th-century Breguet, a piece of mechanical poetry so delicate that a heavy sneeze could ruin a week's work. Then came the whistling.
Toby looked at the floor, then back at Elias, his eyes wide. "I... I can help find it? I have a magnet!"