The Language of Quiet Things
a short story in development from our Cinema Therapy program
Clifford has spent three decades roaming Montana’s Bitterroot Range with a camera slung over his shoulder, capturing award-winning moments in nature that make him feel most alive. The land is his cathedral—its light, its creatures, its silence. But when his wife, Martha, is diagnosed with Parkinson’s, the life they built begins to shift beneath them.
Long frightened by the isolation Clifford loves, Martha now dreams of a place gentler and closer to people. Clifford grapples with a choice no map can guide him through: cling to the wild that defines him, or sacrifice the only world he’s ever spoken fluently in—nature—to honor the woman he loves.
As illness tightens its grip, the couple must navigate fear, aging, and the quiet rebalancing of power in a long marriage. In the stillness, Clifford learns that true commitment isn’t about holding on—it’s about learning a new language together, wherever the journey leads.
Author: Wayne Rich
The Language of Quiet Things is my first fictional story. It’s a short story about a long-married couple, still deeply in love, but with different feelings about their stations in life. The introduction of a progressive disease with no cure requires each of them to face truths about themselves and their marriage that had been previously denied or ignored.
The story has turned out to be a metaphor for decisions required in my own Parkinson's journey. My journey in writing this story is multi-faceted: First, I didn’t know these characters or their story at all when we started. I had no idea I would find so much of me in them as the story developed. The process of engaging in this work and the mirror of fiction helped me see myself more clearly.
It wouldn’t have happened without the support of YAX (Yes and eXercise). This nonprofit is devoted to helping people with Parkinson's disease and their caretaking partners meet their inner self through improvisation and Success Stories™. YAX has added vibrant colors, community and purpose to my journey with Parkinson’s.
– Wayne Rich
