Eyes of Clouded Blue

Her Eyes

20 Years ago

The woman's screams resonated throughout the small house. She had been laboring since the early hours of the morning and it was now well into the afternoon. As another contraction hit, she yelled out again. Her blonde hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. She was alone; except for the kind midwife assisting her. No one wanted to help a woman who was pregnant out of wedlock, it was distasteful. The midwife soothed the woman the best she could,

"Almost there my love, the wee one is almost here. Give me a big push when the next one comes."

When the next contraction hit, the woman bore down as she screamed. After a feeling of unimaginable fire, it all stopped. Soon a small cry broke the air. The midwife hurried to wipe down the child, before looking back up.

"It's a girl!"

The two women stared at the baby, admiring its features. The girl had inherited her mother's white blonde hair. Her facial features seemed to come from her father. While the woman had a small nose and a full face, the child had a straight, narrow nose and angular features. Suddenly the midwife gasped. The woman looked quickly down at her baby and her eyes widened. The baby had opened her eyes. She stared off into space with blue eyes, clouded over with white.

"She's blind."

Present Day 

Everyone whispered as I confidently walked through town. I'd heard them whisper many names over the years; demons spawn, a mistake, cursed, and many more. All because it had always been obvious that I was blind. It frightened them that I stared unseeing at everyone, looking through them instead of at them. I didn't care though. I might be blind to this world, but I could see one that no one else could. Visions of the future danced in front of my eyes and the monster's parents told their children about to scare them into behaving were a regular sight to me. 

They also didn't like how I maneuvered through the market like I wasn't blind at all. The idiots didn't realize that sound can guide you almost as well as sight. Even when trying to be quiet, if you listen closely enough, you can hear someone breathing or the rustle of fabric. It wasn't as effective in noisy places such as this but I had memorized the setup of the place long ago. It was a necessity for a young girl who was on her own. After nabbing an apple from one of the vendors, I made my way towards the tavern. Many people bumped into me on purpose, jostling me but that was nothing new. I just carried on my way.

Soon, I made it to my destination. I could clearly hear the patrons inside, all drunkenly shouting at one another. I opened the door and was greeted by the shouts of men. It sounded as if some of them were playing a card game, while others were just socializing. I accidentally ran into a table causing me to hiss. I carefully walked around and made my way to the bar. I plopped down in one to the chairs and yelled to the barmaid Rose,

"Rose you cunt! Quit moving the tables every other week. It's a headache to try and memorize."

Her shoes clicked against the floor as she made her way over. I heard her chuckles as she placed a cup of rum in front of me.

"Hard to keep the layout consistent when there are bar fights knocking over the tables every other night Etta." she replied with a teasing tone.

I just grumbled, knowing she had a point. I sipped on my rum as I thought. I had come to the tavern for a reason. He would be coming soon, I knew it. The town had been plagued by a couple of Drowners over the past month. It had taken two young women and three merchants who had tried to cross the bridge into town at night. I of course was the only one who knew that since I had seen visions of them crawling through the river, leaving their green slime behind. I sighed. It had taken a while to identify all the creatures I saw in my mind. It seemed like almost fate had intervened.