Visuals | ✓

02 | being normal (?)

VISUALS © 2015

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[ii]

BEING NORMAL (?)

Normalcy was overrated.

This was a mantra. And the words had been repeated in his head again and again and again until even beyond a point of noticeable sanity.

But, in honest truth, it was mostly his parents' fault. They were so exceptionally adamant on convincing him of his fantastic originality that he barely even had the time to think otherwise. His life was filled to the brim with positivity, drenched in optimism, stacked on top of cheer in a vast sea of happiness and it was great. Truly great.

So he sat alone, a poor soul in the middle of a blank space, contemplating on life as he always did while waiting. The seemingly soft sofa underneath him had conveniently sucked in his lower body, providing a stable position and successfully terminating his potential thoughts of movement.

But the front door opened [he could just about hear the familiar click of the lock and worn out creak from the rusty hinges]. And his mother poised a cheery voice she only ever exposed whenever encountering someone noticeably more accomplished.

"Cameron, my love? Dr Struber is here! Can you make it to the reception without hurting yourself, darling?"

He could, and he did, slightly trotting nonetheless and the sound of his bare feet slabbing against the cold wood of the floor brought him comfort.

"Just a minute, mum," he said once reaching the exit of the living room, "I need to get my shoes."

"And Vincent-?"

"If it's alright with you, Mrs Winchester," Dr Strüber, [Martin to Cameron], interrupted, the low frequency of his voice booming in his ears. "Cameron's going to walk without a guide dog today."

There was a gasp, "But he relies on him so much!"

There was a short pause as the corners of Cameron's mouth tugged upwards and his feet dug into his shoes from below, his mother was a compulsive worrier- hard to convince or persuade at first. But Dr Martin Strüber was not only a great psychiatrist, but a genius in the works.

"That's exactly my point, Mrs Winchester. Dogs are fantastic guides, brilliant even; but a dog is a dog- an animal, and if something happens Cameron could potentially be left alone. If he has put all his trust in an animal, he wouldn't be able to do anything for himself. Do you understand where I'm getting at now, Mrs Winchester?"

"Yes... yes, I do."

"That's why Cameron has to build trust in himself first. We'll start slowly. I won't push him any further than necessary, okay?"

There was silence, Cameron, predicted a shaky nod from his mother as the sound of sliding footsteps approached closer to his frame.

Cold hands pressed down on either side of his face, two thumbs gently stroked his cheeks as the warm sensation of his mother's presence embraced him with a slightly overdone hug. There was a small sob that soon faded as she let go, gently patting him on the side in encouragement.

"Don't worry mum." he said, trying his best to face her, as best as a blind person could possibly do, "I'll be fine."

"Of course you will." Dr Strüber added, the sense of the last word in his tone, "You're Cameron after all- the 'wonder boy '."

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rewritten