The Blind and The Imperfect

Not an Imperfection

The cardboard creaked under my weight as I huddled in the corner of my makeshift shelter of cardboard and other materials others threw out.I felt the hard, scratched up case of my violin, my only precious possession. I trembled slightly, afraid of what might lurk in the dark of night. I knew it was night by the quiet of the streets, the faint laughter from the nearby pub and the cold night air.  I sighed. The alley I lived in was quiet and peaceful, no one ever came back here, only the stray cats kept me company.  I had leaned back against the brick wall of the next building when I suddenly heard them, footsteps.  My fingers felt around and curled around the handle of a dagger, my only protection against the world.I trembled as the footsteps got closer.

"H-hello?....W-who's there?"

The footsteps stopped and I held my breath. Then they came closer, and closer till they were right in front of me. I trembled and took a deep breath. "Who are you? What do you want?" I felt the cardboards shifted as the stranger seems to crouch down. I held up the dagger to defend myself. "B-back off! I-I'm armed!" A hand easily pushed down my trembling hand, making me drop my dagger. Another hand grabbed my other hand and lifted it up.

"Hey, it's only me, little lady."

My hand was lifted up and my fingertips brushed past the soft skin of someone's cheek. Smooth strands of thread-like hair ran through my fingers. "Who are you?"

"Eric."

"Well Eric, what do you want with me?"

It was quiet for a moment, the only the sound of the wind filled up that silence. "What's your name?"

I was stunned by this question. Why should I answer to this stranger? Everything told me that this man should not be trusted, but there was something about the gentleness in his voice that willed me to answer. "Juliet."

"Where is your family?"

This question hit me hard. "....They abandoned me... They thought I was...imperfect..."

"You're blind, that's not an imperfection." he said.

"They thought it was.....everyone else thinks so...if everyone thinks it, doesn't that make it true?"

"No." The cardboard shifted again, signaling that Eric had stood up. "We should get out of here, it will rain in the morning."

I pondered this for a moment. "...you want me to come with you?"

I heard a slightly chuckle then Eric's smooth hands take mine. He pulled me, helping me stand up. "Of course I want you to come, the streets are no place for a lady."

Why was he being so nice to me....no one has ever treated me like this...

"Do you want to come?" Eric said kindly. And for the first in  a long time, I smiled.

I took his hand and held it tightly. "Yes."

"Then let's go."