Vision

chapter one

The sunlight filtered through the window, permeating the dark room and waking Oliver immediately. Groaning, he rolled over in his bed, throwing his blankets onto the ground. A loud grunt and he was sitting up. He rubbed his eyes and slowly led the the lids slide open to look around the semi-dark room. 

The room was rather messy even though he cleaned it just a couple days before. Dirty clothes littered the floor, desk, and wardrobe. Random pieces of homework floated around the room. His football helmet sat on the chair the desk. The door was open, letting the gentle morning light come into his room. 

"Oliver! Breakfast's ready and your dad is heading out. Hurry up so you can say good bye!" The voice of his mother brought him into full consciousness. Fighting back a yawn, he combed through his hair as he ran down the sun-lit hallway into the kitchen where his mother and father sat. Dad, as usual, reading the newspaper and pointing out things he thought were ridiculous every once in a while. Mom, standing at the counter cutting fruit into a large bowl while flipping the bacon at the same time. Oliver's plate sat on the table with a couple slices of honeydew and cantaloupe, a slice of toast with butter, and three slices of bacon. 

Oliver sat down and reached for the toast, shoveling it into his mouth. "Hey Mom, some friends and I would like to hangout tonight. I know it's dangerous but I would really like to because I haven't been able to go out for a while." Everything came out kind of fast. The bacon stopped flipping and the fruit stopped cutting. His mom slowly turned around.

"Oliver, you understand the risk you're taking every single time you go out there at night. You know you can't see well at night. What if you were to forget your glasses, or worse, lose them? How would you get home? How we know you were safe?" This happened any time he asked to leave the house alone. 

"I understand, Mom. I don't like having night blindness either. I'm really careful about it. My glasses won't get broken, or lost, or whatever else you want to think will happen to them. I promise it won't happen. It won't be too long."

Suddenly, his dad piped up, "Oliver, please don't fight with your mother. We have your best interest in heart."

Sighing, Oliver tried to stand up for himself. "I know what happens if I don't wear the glasses. I wouldn't want that to happen. Please let me go. I'll be home by eleven, and I'll even try to stay in the places that are really well lit."

His mom and dad looked at each other, both not very happy. Finally, his dad turned to look at him. "Look, it doesn't make me happy, letting you wander like that, but someday you're going to have to go into the real world. That means that you need to learn how to operate on your own. We'll let you go IF you get home at 11."

Oliver nodded and quietly muttered his thanks as he shoved some fruit into his mouth. His dad folded up his newspaper, stood up, and took his plate to the sink. Quickly, he pecked his wife on the mouth and patted Oliver on the back. "You be safe tonight." With the sound of the closing door, he was off to work.

The heat on the griddle was turned down and the knife cutting the fruit put into the sink. His mom turned around to face Oliver again. He hurried from the table before she could say anything. 

"I'm going to the store in a little bit, any requests?" she shouted down the hall.

"Nope," he shouted back as his closed the front door. 

The knock at the door made Oliver jump. Before he could even open the door, his mom was leaning against the wall, looking at him. "Glasses?" Oliver nodded, pointing to his pocket, where the case was sticking out.