New Eyes

Part 1: Curiosity & Misadventure

 The ancient prisoner had sat in darkness, and silence for hundreds of years. He had been imprisoned for so long that his memory had faded from knowledge except for the few whose duties were to be his jailors. So it was much to his surprise when he heard the sound of footsteps slowly approaching the heavy chained iron doors. The steps were slow, and hesitant. He could sense the fear in their cadence. One, two, three more steps, and the mystery visitor was immediately outside the doors.

A soft tapping sounded through the door followed by a quiet young female voice "H-hello? Are you still alive in there?"

The prisoners dry tongue lulled about in his mouth as he tried to remember how to speak "Better than ever," he replied.

A startled meep made its way through the door, "I- uh, you um-," she stammered.

"How am I alive?" came the sonorous interruption.

"Y-yes," she answered.

"That's quite a long story to tell you the truth. What do you say I'll tell you, but you must come back here to hear the rest?" proposed the prisoner.

The curiosity that only a child could muster changed the little girl's life forever. Even if what the grown ups said was true there was still that set of heavy iron doors between them, and she truly loved stories.

The little girl pulled over an old wooden stool, and sat in front of the rusting doors "Ok, I'll come back, but you've gotta promise me that you'll tell me the whole story!" she said.

The prisoner smiled from the darkness of his cell, "Well, well then," he began "You're a brave little one. I Suppose then that I ought to start from the very beginning".