Short Story Swivel

Dark and Light

I heard Sharon climbing the rocks to my perch before she was close enough to say anything. Even though I could see quite well in the dark, my hearing was even more exceptional. Almost everyone's was after the first few years of the darkness.

She was having problems with Ron again. Whenever they argued she noticed me and actually took the time to acknowledge my existence. I was her safety net when their relationship was on the rocks, a little ironic for a group of cave livers.

"You see something?" She asked. It was a legitimate question and that alone told me that she was struggling with her emotions. Sharon wasn't the type to ask legitimate questions.

"I always see something." I said. It was my usual candid answer. If you asked me how I felt I would tell you; with my hands.

"Anything special?" She asked. I turned and looked at her. She had been crying. In the dark I could see the streaks from where she wiped away the tears. She shook her head to allow a patch of her blonde hair to cover one eye. I guess she thought she looked less miserable that way.

"Break up?" I asked, already knowing the answer. She prattled on about what a jerk Ron was and how he was trying to get the attention of the new girl. I couldn't blame him. Clara was new to the cave and anyone new was interesting. I was probably the only one that could really see what she looked like from any kind of distance. She was attractive and she had a sparkle in her eye despite being cast out by her own group.

"He'll come back to you." I said and turned my attention back to the portal that overlooked the watering hole. There weren't very many livestock out there today. It wasn't unusual this time of year so a diligent and watchful eye was needed all the more.

"You think so?" She asked. I nodded. I didn't know if she could see me or not. Even after nine years without the sun most people still had a hard time seeing in the darkness. I was one of the first to adjust to the darkness and led a small crew to the caves. Within a year, Ron was taking all the credit. I didn't mind. His bolstering let me keep an eye on the watering hole for the best time to hunt.

Something caught my eye. A glint in the darkness. I leaned forward.

"You do see something." She said. I felt her hand on my back as she tried to lean in to see what I saw.

The glint was on the other side of the bowl. It wasn't firelight. I'd recognize the flicker. Without a word, I left my usual perch and made my way through the maze of caves to the opening that led to the bowl. My stride took me across the watering hole, the water shallow this time of year, to the other side. Behind me I could hear Sharon and a few others following. I never spoke when the hunt began and they had learned to follow. The only voice was from way in the back. Ron was bragging to Clara. He told her that he likes to let me lead the hunt because it makes me feel better. I didn't care. He's the only one that ever spoke during the hunt and he was always in the back.

I started the climb out of the bowl to the place where the glint was. I noticed that the sky wasn't as dark as it had been for the past nine years.

"What is he doing?" Ron asked as though I was defying some unspoken direct order. He pushed himself through the group. I heard him climbing behind me. Everyone else had stopped at the bottom. We had never gone beyond the bowl.

I reached the top and stood. I looked across the plain and basked in the shimmer of light that was steadily growing.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ron demanded. He finished his climb and stood next to me, staring. "I'm talking to you, mute." He chided, grabbing my arm.

I turned and stared at him for a moment before looking at the sky. It was a pale gray now but Ron couldn't tell the difference.

"You're nucking futs." He said and made his way down the hill. "It's nothing. No food here. Man's lost his mind." He hollered, trying to usher the others back to the cave.

I stood on the precipice until the growing light became too much for my eyes to handle. I turned around and saw the awed faces of the group staring up at me. For now, they were still in darkness but soon they would be swimming in the new light.