Veil | Gojo Satoru

Chapter 1

Lavender and Chamomile

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

Quietly and delicately, you held the flower's stem firmly in between your fingers, being extra careful not to drop it into the abyss that was the floor. What was it? You wondered. An aster? A daisy ? Their petals felt awfully similar to each other.., small, fragile, soft- your fingers tracing over their surfaces like an opening curtain. Moving upwards you felt its head that barely took up any space on your palm, being held up by a skinny and fragile stem that would bend to the smallest gust of wind. This was a small flower. But still, you couldn't tell which exactly it was. Without any second to spare, you gently brought it towards your nose. And for what felt like the millionth time, breathed in its sweet and fresh scent. You realised at that moment that it was neither an aster, nor a daisy, but instead a chamomile.

'Mum must have moved them here..." You thought, now standing over what you could only assume was the bed of chamomile flowers that were ordered for today. You had realised that they were there due to you nearly tripping on them earlier that morning, only managing to catch yourself right before you landed on the cobblestone by latching onto one of the wooden tables nearby. You now stood wondering what you should do with it. After all, Leaving it there would be a tripping hazard... You tapped the bottom of your chin thoughtfully.

In what would normally be a non-obstructed pathway stretching from the front entrance of the store to the back, connecting your house and the flower shop together, there was now a large flower bed in the way. Judging from its length and width, it would be far too heavy for you to carry alone. You thought about just remembering where it was so you wouldn't trip and proceed with your morning duties, but then a better idea entered your mind. You hummed, a small smile forming on your lips.

—

"Ah, good morning, mom!" You greeted, stirring the two chamomile teas you had prepared. The tea cups were perfectly warm, your usually cold fingertips eagerly meeting the ceramic that clinked against the metal of the teaspoons. You were sitting inside the greenhouse, aka the flower shop, tucked away in your usual cozy spot in the corner that housed a small glass round table with two metal chairs.

Her familiar voice echoed from across the room, "Good morning sweetheart." It was groggy and still tired. "How did you know that I was awake?"

Hearing her footsteps that padded softly against the wooden tiles grow louder, you gestured towards the tea, "I could hear you. Here, freshly made," you smiled, "Happy Mother's Day."

"I appreciate the gesture," she began, pulling the chair open in front of you and sitting down "but, darling, what have I told you about making tea?" You could hear the frown in her voice. "You know how I feel about you handling hot water."

You sighed, "Mum, it's fine. I know this house like the back of my hand!'

'Yes I know but-'

'I know where everything is. I've practiced enough to know when to stop pouring so it doesn't overflow." You put the spoon down and picked up her tea, giving her a reassuring smile."I'm fine!'

Smoothly passing it over the table, you paused for a moment, eagerly waiting for your mother to take the cup from your hovering hands. "I'm not 14 anymore... I'm 21. At this point, I can practically make tea with my eyes closed.'

She chuckled lowly at that joke. Sometimes with how effortlessly you move, it does seem easy to forget that you are indeed completely blind. Ever since middle school, you haven't been able to see a single thing. Just an eternal, black empty void that stares back at you as you attempt to see far beyond its non-existent horizon. The doctors said that the condition you had was quite rare. While most blind folks retained the ability to sense light, or even see light in the form of abstract colours or shapes, you only saw darkness as if you were inside of a black box, with nothing to see except the flickers of your own imagination. That's why you developed a habit of keeping your eyelids shut. At least in that sense, you could delude yourself into thinking that the reason why you couldn't see was because you kept your eyes closed. But in reality, you were fearful of seeing that same unchanging nothingness when you opened them.