One Shot Stories

XVIIII ~ Dark, Light

    Black is the only color I know. I've heard about other colors like red and blue. I always wonder what they look like. For those not catching on, I've been blind since birth. I wonder what everything looks like.

    I want to know what the ocean looks like. I want to see the sky and clouds. Pictures of planets and the green of Earth. But, I've come to face it that I will never see those things. I can only imagine. But, you see, it's hard to do that too. I don't know what water looks like, I can only feel it.

    Someone taps my shoulder. I turn my head to the sound of their rapid breathing. They clear their throat and I think they wave at me. The only reason I see that is because God gave me the gift of seeing the faintest of shadows. How helpful.

"Hello." I greet.
"So, you're not blind?" A feminine voice asks.
"No, no. I am. I just saw your shadow. Can I help you?"

    The girl coughs as I stand.

"You're Oli, right?"
"Yes."
"My boss has sent me to find you."

    At that, I take a small step back.

"No! Don't worry, I'm a nurse. My boss is a doctor. I promise."

    I scoff and cross my arms.

"I don't need help."
"Really?" She says sarcastically.
"Do you know how many doctors I've gone through," I begin. "I've gone through a lot. They've all told me the same answer: 'Your blindness is incurable, Oli. We are so very sorry'. I'm sick of it!"

    The girl is silent for a while.

"She's helped a lot of people like you, Oli. I promise she can help."

    I take a deep breath and allow my useless eyes to flutter open. The nurse gasps. I feel her take several steps towards me. I don't back away. She lets a hand caress my face.

"Your eyes, they're beautiful."
"What color are they?" I ask, curious.
"A bright, piercing green."
"I wish I knew what that looked like." I mutter.
"We can help..." She trails.
"Fine."
"Really?"

    I rub my face.

"Yes."

~

    It's been a year since my operation. I can see everything and anything. Now that I can see color, I see why its hard to explain. When I was blind, I'd ask people to explain what a color looked like. They tried so hard to but, they couldn't.

    Someone knocks on my door. I turn towards it. A girl with dark brown hair steps in quietly. She looks up at me with her hazel eyes. She smiles softly.

"Hey," She begins. "Are you feeling all right?"
"I'm fine, Lind."

    Lind sighs and comes to sit by me on the couch.

"Today was hectic. The boy we were curing wouldn't let us touch him until he was knocked out. It was awful."

    I smile and rub her arm.

"Oli?"
"Yes, Lind?"
"Are you happy that I found you that day?"
"Invariably."

   I lean down and kiss her temple. Lind leans into me and closes her eyes. Everything then was dark. Now, it's light.

•••

Another happy one? Wow, Ava! Kudos! Anyways, I wrote this on the plane so it's crappy. Oh well, I want to know, is it hot where you live? Virginia is hot and rainy. As of now. So, I guess have a nice Memorial Day weekend! Until, what, Monday?