Walk with Me: Part Three

15 steps to the shop on the corner, then turn left. 63 and a half steps, curve left, then turn right. 24 steps up the sidewalk, turn right, 6 steps and turn left. Walk three steps, then up two stairs, two more steps and open the front door.

      "I'm home!" Tom called as he stepped inside. Tom took two steps forward, turned left, 7 more steps and was in the Kitchen.

      Simple, he thought. Tom pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. He reached out toward the center of the table; feeling for the basket of fruit he knew would be there.

      "Tom? Is that you?" A voice echoed from up the stairs. "In the kitchen!" he called back. Tom pulled a Tchea Fruit from the basket and bit into it. Tara's not going to be happy with me, he thought as he munched on another bite. Generally, his older sister Bonita would walk home with him. But I can walk home by myself now, Tom irritably thought. I'm not helpless!

      Tom heard Tara's familiar footsteps on the stairs. "Hi Tom, where's Bonita?" Tara walked into the kitchen and gave him a pat on the head.

      Tom struggled for words. "Yeah... um, well... uh... Bonitaisn'thomeyet," he blurted.

      "Not home...?" Tara gasped. "What do you mean not home? You... did you walk home by yourself again?!"

      Tom imagined that Tara was standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at his form. He lifted his chin slightly and clearly stated, "Yes."

      Tara gave an exasperated sigh. "Tom, how many times have I told you? It's not safe for you to walk home by yourself, you could've gotten lost or..."

      "Lost?" Tom interrupted. He furiously stood up, knocking his chair so that it almost fell over. "Lost? I've never gotten lost in Altador! I know this place better than anyone else. I know every nook and cranny, every hole, every cliff, and every tree. How could I even possibly get lost?"

      Tom pulled off his sunglasses, suddenly wishing he could stare Tara in the eye. But then, if he could stare Tara in the eye, they wouldn't be having this argument. Tara looked at the pale, grey-colored eyes, remembering when they used to be a dark brown. Just a few months ago, Tom was like any other Peophin. And in just those few, short months, Tom lost his eyesight and whatever life he had known beforehand.

      Tom sighed and sat down again. "I'm sorry, Tara," he said. "I didn't mean to get so angry at you."

      Tom felt Tara's arms wrap around him. "I'm sorry too," she said quietly.

      Tom heard her give a small sigh and he ached to be able to see her face again, to watch the emotions pass and change. "I know you worry about me, Tara." Tom leaned his head on her shoulder. "And you have every right to worry about me. But I'm not entirely helpless anymore. I can walk to places on my own, I can even run errands! I may not be able to do everything I once could, but Silver has been teaching me how to function on my own and Bonita and Guinevere are helping me too. And it's working."

      "I know," Tara said. Tom thought she might have been nodding. "You're right. I've been watching as Silver worked with you. And I am so proud of all the progress you've made! But it's like you said." Tara bit her lip. "I still worry about you and that something awful will happen while you're out on your own. Please just be careful, okay?"

      "No worries, I will." Tom smiled into the darkness.

      "I'm smiling back," Tara said.

      "I can hear it in your voice," came Tom's reassurance. Tara released him from her hug and stood up straight. "Well, I need to finish the laundry. There's some snacks in the fridge if you're still hungry." Tara's voice and footsteps faded away to the back of the house.

      Tom picked up his momentarily abandoned Tchea fruit. Biting into it again, he remembered when he was terrified that Tara was going to drop him off at the pound. Who wanted a defective, non-seeing pet hanging around? Later when he confided his fears to Silver Streak. Silver had almost cuffed Tom across the face with his great Lupe paw. "Don't ever think like that again," Silver told him sternly. "Tara would never be so cruel." This was true, Tom realized. If Tara could help it, she wouldn't let anyone lay a scratch on him. For his owner's love, Tom was extremely grateful.

      "I'M HOOOOOMME!!" Bonita's extravagant shout jerked Tom out of his thoughts. Poor Tchea fruit keeps getting forgotten, Tom thought as he gobbled down the rest of it. "Hiya Tom!" Bonita stepped into the kitchen. "How did Tara take to you walking home again?"

      "Mmmm, not good," said Tom, shaking his head. "She kinda threw a fit, but we talked about it and I think she's getting used to the idea."

      "I see." Bonita said thoughtfully. She bent down and gave Tom a hug, much in the same manner Tara had not long beforehand. "Just give her time."

      As Bonita pulled away, Tom was struck with a sudden thought. "Hey, wait!" he said. "Let me feel your face."

      "Feel my what-now?" Bonita sounded a bit disturbed and Tom envisioned her head tipped to the side.

      "Your face. Let me feel it."

      "Um, okaaaay." Bonita bent down lower and Tom gently ran his hooves across her nose and up her head-plate. Bonita wondered what he was doing, because, really, it was weird, but she did have to admit that his touch was soothing.

      "I thought so." A smile appeared on Tom's face.

      "Thought what? Thought what??" Bonita's curiosity was practically exploding.

      Tom lowered his hooves before he responded. "You've grown," he finally said. "I can tell because your face is longer than before."

      "And you can tell just by touch?" Bonita was in awe. "That's amazing! You've finally learned to rely on your other senses." Bonita was so excited that she ran off to tell Tara of Tom's skill.

      ~*~*~*~

      At the end of the day, Bonita was sitting on a chair in Silver Streak's room. Guinevere and Silver were listening as she told them about Tom's "discovery". "Isn't it great?" Bonita sighed contentedly. "He's using the skills you've been teaching him, Silver! It's just like we hoped."

      "That is pretty amazing," Guinevere agreed. Bonita smiled and they both nodded together.

      "Well... it's a start." Silver flicked a speck of dust off his bed.

      Bonita gave him a pointed look. "What do you mean 'a start'?" she said, suddenly noticing Silver's furrowed brow. "Aren't you happy about Tom's progress?" Her voice took on an accusing tone.

      "Oh don't get me wrong!" said Silver. "I'm very happy with it. But we haven't succeeded with the most important step. We've got to get Tom doing something."

      Bonita was silent a moment. "I'm confused," she said flatly.

      "When you say doing something, do you mean like a hobby?" Guinevere asked.

      "No, not that." Silver scratched the back of his neck. "I mean like..." He paused a moment. "I mean like a dream. Tom used to want to be an artist," he explained.

      "But now that he's blind, Tom has no purpose, no drive. He has no dream." Silver Streak shifted on his bed and crossed his paws. "Our next step, and possibly the most important one, is helping Tom find his new dream. Otherwise," he said. "He won't thrive."

      Bonita nodded in understanding. "But what should he do?" she wondered.

      "That's just it." Silver shrugged. "I have no idea." All the pets were quiet as they sat together in thought. None of them had still said anything when Tara poked her head in and told them it was time for bed. They all went to their separate rooms in silence, each one of the pets trying their best to come up with an idea.

      ~*~*~*~

      "Guinevere?"

      ...

      "Guinevere!"

      "Huh?!" Guinevere yanked herself back to reality. She looked to see her art teacher standing over her. "Sorry, Mr. Koffer. I was just lost in thought." Guinevere's glasses didn't cover enough of her face to hide its red shade of embarrassment.

      "Are you having trouble with your project?" the tall, yellow Shoyru asked.

      Guinevere sighed. "Yes," she admitted. "I can't sculpt. This clay just doesn't want to work with me!" I wish I could do art like Tom could, she thought.

      Mr. Koffer laughed, which slightly annoyed Guinevere. "That's because you're not working with it," he said. "Put your hands over it. That's right. Now stop listening to what your brain is telling you."

      "I'm trying!" Guinevere wrinkled her brow in concentration, moving the globs of clay in various directions.

      "You're getting there..." Mr. Koffer tried encouraging her. "Feel the clay, don't see it. Keep..."

      "What?" Guinevere interrupted him, suddenly alert. She almost jumped up in her excitement. "What did you just say, just now?!"

      Mr. Koffer looked a little surprised. "I said feel the..."

      "THAT'S IT!!" Guinevere screamed in delight. The entire classroom grew quiet, shocked that shy Gwen could make such a noise.

      "Sorry," Guinevere apologized to her class and Mr. Koffer. But she wasn't the lease bit embarrassed. Wait till I tell Silver and Bonnie, she thought. I've found Tom's new dream.

      ~*~*~*~

      "You're joking, right? I mean, you're seriously kidding." School was out for the day, but Tom sat in the art room staring, more or less, at a pile of clay sitting before him. "You're asking for the impossible," he scoffed.

      "No, we aren't." Silver's voice came from behind.

      "No jokes!" Bonita added. Guinevere just sat beside Tom, silently smiling.

      "You want me to sculpt Bonnie's face?" Tom was still in disbelief. "In other words, you want me to do art, and in more other words, you want me to complete the impossible." Tom shook his head. "You are all insane!" he finished.

      "Probably." Silver laughed. "But it's generally the seemingly insane ideas that are the best ones."

      Tom, however, wasn't convinced. "But we can't stay here long, the school closes soon."

      Guinevere said, "I already got my teacher's permission and the janitor said he's willing to lock up whenever we want to leave."

      Tom grunted. "And Tara? She'll worry and.."

      "I already called her and she's fine with it," Bonita said.

      Well, snap, Tom thought. "You mean I'm..."

      "Trapped until you finish it? Yep!" Gwen finished his sentence. She had never sounded so cheerful or confident before, that Tom began to feel hopeful himself.

      After a few moments contemplation, Tom said, "You really think I can do it? You really think that I can be an artist like before?" Tom only dared to let himself hope a little.

      "Yes. I do," Silver Streak's strong voice answered. "Please at least try."

      Without another word, Tom reached forward and grabbed onto the clay. It was soft, yet firm and cool to his touch. He began shaping it. In his mind, he could see it as it currently was. Just a ball of clay, nothing more. But as he worked, he began to feel it taking shape. He sculpted Bonita's ears, they were long and elegant, beautiful by a Peophin's standards. He knew when something was off, when it didn't have the same shape as Bonita's actual face, so he would work it until put right.

      After what seemed like hours, Tom sat back and said, "I'm finished." He held his breath while his siblings examined his work. "It's terrible, isn't it?" Tom hung his head downward.

      "Ooh, Tom..." Guinevere let out a small gasp. Silver stared, completely at a loss for words.

      Bonita said, "Am I looking at a mirror?"

      There, sitting on the table before young Tom, was a perfect sculpture of Bonita. Her eyes stared forward in her usual intense look, ears pricked and the head-plate smooth. "It's beautiful," Silver finally said. "It has to be one of the best sculptures I have ever seen. And I'm not saying that just because your my brother."

      Tom leaned forward and felt his own work. "Bonnie, come here," he said. Bonita leaned down close to him and Tom felt her face once more. Suddenly, with a sense of pure joy, Tom smiled. "I did it," he said. "I made it look just like you. I can do it! I can be a sculptor! I can be an artist!" With the help of his family, Tom had again found his dream.

      ~*~*~*~

      "Bonita!" Tara called from downstairs.

      Bonita awoke from her daydreaming. "Yes, Tara?" she answered back.

      "Hurry up and finish. I need your help with dinner and you have to send that letter tonight!"

      "M'kay," Bonita said as she quickly resumed her letter. '...We both know he'll do well, even if he is blind. He makes up for it in so many ways. Anyway, I hope you and Aunt Cassie are having a marvelous time in the Lost Desert and are enjoying yourselves thoroughly. Don't forget to bring me back a souvenir! In addition, Tara sends a hug and wishes you to write soon. I love you, Silver.

      Your sister, Bonita'

      Bonita folded up the letter and slipped it into an envelope. Brighty the Bika sat up from his Blue Moon bed and watched Bonita put on her coat and scarf. Bonita went over and patted his head before leaving her room. She went downstairs and found Tom sitting in front of the old roaring fireplace. "Hey Tom," she said. "I'm going to neomail this letter to Silver Streak. Walk with me?"

      Tom smiled as he got up, grabbed his coat from the closet and slipped on his sunglasses. "Every step," he promised.

The End

Author's Note: Firstly, while Blurred Vision is a real sickness that your neopet can acquire, there have been no such recordings of pets becoming blind from it. I have just taken Blurred Vision and added blindness for the story.

Secondly, in most real cases of blindness, the eye color does not change or become pale. In the cases that the eye color does change, it is caused by Cataracts, severe corneal infections, or a few other rare cases. Again, for the story, I have changed Tom's eye color.