Sentiment of a Witness

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚢

"How??"

The question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it, and I could feel my face heat up as soon as it did.

Jupiter gave me a puzzled look, "..how am I a Witness?"

I nodded, still feeling flustered.

The bearded man chuckled.

"By the fate of the universe? Just like you."

I shook my head, "no, how are you... uhm, never mind..."

I trailed off and looked back down at my tea before grabbing the cup for another sip. What was I even going to say? How are you a Witness? Everyone likes you! You're so popular! How, just how??

"Like I said, everything your parents told you is a lie."

I frowned.

"Witnesses aren't bad people, Jack; we just have a gift that others can find confronting. And yes, quite a few people do find it confronting, but a lot don't."

Those blue eyes shone with truth, and a request to believe said truth. And I believed him... yet I was still sceptical.

I looked back down at my hands, nodding softly.

"O-okay."

I could feel Jupiter's smile.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

I shook my head before pausing and nodding.

"What can we do about this Wit-... th-this W-witness stuff? Like seeing the Gossamer... it's becoming a tad bit unbearable."

Jupiter's smile widened into a mischievous grin.

"There is a rather common solution, if you're willing to try it?"

I nodded – anything to not see the Gossamer, or not pass out from it.

~

When Jupiter had said there was a common way to deal with the Gossamer, I can tell you that this was not what I had been expecting at all.

And when I had said, 'how would you go about stopping a Witness from seeing the Gossamer? Sunglasses? A blindfold?' I suppose you could say I was close.

So there I was, standing in front of a full-length mirror in Jupiter's bedroom with an unreadable expression.

"Ah, I'd rather say it suits you!"

"...I look like a pirate."

An eyepatch. That was the 'common solution.' A fucking eyepatch.

I supposed it made sense – it blocked your eye from seeing anything. But I did look like a stupid, wannabe pirate.

Well, at least I had a Hallowmas costume sorted for the next ten years of my life sorted?

Yeah, we did that once...okay, maybe twice, but I refuse to do it ever again.

"If it makes you feel any better, I wore one for about... nine to ten years? Maybe more."

I looked up at Jupiter, who smiled, apparently remembering those earlier years.

"How long do you think I'll have to wear one?"

Jupiter placed a hand under his chin, looking down at me.

"Well, that depends – I started wearing one when I was around your age, perhaps a bit older, and I stopped around twenty, once I had a firm grasp on my abilities and could filter through the Gossamer like it was nothing. Don't get me wrong – there's still quite a bit I can't do yet; I'm still learning. So, for you, my dear Jack, it simply depends on when you feel in control of your knack, and when you feel comfortable."

When you feel in control.

I frowned, looking from the tall man behind me to the small boy in the mirror in front of me.

Being in control undoubtedly meant learning more about the knack of a Witness, which inevitably meant using the knack. Practising.

I can't say I was looking forward to that.

Maybe I could get used to the eyepatch after all.

"I... I don't... I don't know," my voice shook as I tried to speak.

Jupiter kneeled down beside me, turning me to face him.

"I know you're not particularly fond of your knack yet. And I know it seems complicated and strange, but I know you'll master it. The journey will be long and frustrating at times, but you'll appreciate it later. Learning how to wage your knack is one of the best feelings one can experience. It feels like you're doing what you were born to do."

I bit my lip, still unsure about this whole thing.

"We'll take it one step at a time, Jack," Jupiter squeezed my hands, "we won't do any more than you feel comfortable doing at a time. It'll all be at your pace. Does that sound okay to you?"

Taking a shaky breath, I nodded and tried to return the smile the blue-eyed man was giving me.

"Great! Now let's get you to bed – sleep will do you good; this must have been exhausting for you. I'll come wake you for dinner."

I nodded again, allowing Jupiter to gently pull me out the door and through the Deucalion until we reached my room, where he gave me a reassuring hug and promised that everything would be alright.

And once more, I believed him.

Written: 23 + 25 September, 2021

Published: 27 September, 2021