Sight: Part One

     How do I know this? Because I've experienced it firsthand. I know what it's like to see things. I've seen friendship. I've seen love. I've seen happiness.

     But now? Darkness consumes my every thought. I can hear things, and feel things, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot see things. I am blind. I don't even know how it happened, either. One morning I woke up, opened my eyes, and still saw darkness. I closed and opened my eyes again, and still there was darkness. I began to panic. I blinked my eyes a few more times. And that's when I screamed.

     I shrieked as loud as I could, for as long as I could. I was terrified. A few seconds later, my sister, Aylie, burst into the room.

     "What is it?" she said frantically. The words seemed magnified a thousand times.

     "My eyes, Aylie, my eyes!" I said. Even my own words seemed to be louder.

     "What about your eyes?" she replied. She had moved; she was now closer to me.

     "They don't work! All I see is darkness!" I said quickly.

     Nothing. Heard nothing, felt nothing, saw nothing.

     "Aylie?" I said after she was quiet for a moment.

     "Yo…you're blind?" she asked incredulously. "When did this happen?"

     "I don't know! I just woke up and I couldn't see anything!"

     "But how?" she asked again. I could tell she didn't believe me.

     "I don't know!" I said angrily. I was starting to get frustrated. I sat there, looking everywhere I could for a bit of light, a shining star in the endless night. To be honest, I was scared out of my wits. I never was comfortable in the dark at night, and now I had an everlasting supply of it. It was frightening to think that I may never be able to see again.

     I wondered what Aylie looked like right now. Was she scared, like me? Or was she confused? Whatever it was, I'm sure she was thinking of what to do next. So I asked her.

     "I don't know, Lage. I don't know. Should we try to figure out how it happened?"

     I nodded my head. It seemed like the only way to go right now. I pulled the sheets off my body and stepped onto the ground. I took a step forward and promptly fell to the ground. Instantly, I felt Aylie leaning over and pulling me up.

     "Are you ok?" she asked quickly.

     Tears were welling up in my useless eyes. I turned away. I couldn't let my sister see me cry. Nodding, I wiped away the tears.

     I felt Aylie's arm linked with mine and she guided me towards the door. My feet felt the warmth of the carpet instantly change into a cool, hard texture. So we were in the kitchen now. My mind began to draw out a map of our home. Somehow, I knew it took seventeen steps to get to our kitchen from my bedroom door. I could faintly remember the layout of our house, but I knew I'd need to get accustomed to it again now that I was… well, you know.

     Aylie led me to a chair and gently pushed me into it.

     "Now," I heard her say in that magnified voice, "what should we do? How should we go about solving this?" There she goes again. My sister is a very logical thinker. She has to think of everything as though it were science. "There's an explanation for everything," she'd always say. I could sense the scientist kicking in now.

     "Aylie, don't you think a doctor would know what to do?" I asked, not wanting to become her science experiment. I'd been her test subject way too many times before. I trusted my sister with almost everything, but I wasn't about to trust her this time.

     "Well, yes…I guess they would," she said. I could sense the disappointment in her voice, something I'd never done before. "Alright, let's go see him."

     The doctor wasn't anymore helpful than Aylie.

     "You say you woke up and you were in the dark?" he asked for the fourth time. The doctor's voice had a hint of confusion.

     "Yes, doctor," I was frustrated by now. This doctor was useless!

     "Are you sure the light wasn't off?" he asked.

     I snapped. "Of course the light wasn't off!" I shouted. "Are you telling me you've never treated a blind patient?!"

     The doctor shifted his weight slightly, but I heard it. "Well," he said uncomfortably, "to be honest, no, I haven't. I've only read about it."

     "So you can't help?" I asked, frustrated.

     "Well, Mr. Lage, I'm afraid I can't."

     I had had enough of this "doctor." I stood up and walked out of the room with my hands out in front of me, tripping over a total of nine things before I made it out the door. I felt the warmth of the sun on my blue wings. Tears were welling up in my eyes again.

     "Lage!" Aylie shouted from what sounded like twenty-one steps behind me. "What were you thinking, walking out like that!" When she reached me, she grabbed me and turned me around.

     "That was not OK! I had to--" She stopped when she realized I was crying.

     "Is this how it's going to be?" I asked my Grundo sister. "I mean, you being on my side everywhere we go and people treating me different? I don't want it that way!" I said quietly.

     "Of course not, Lage. It'll get better. It always does. People will always treat you different, yes, but I assure you, it will not be bad. We will get through this, like we get through everything else that life throws at us. Don't worry." She leaned over and gave me a hug. And I hugged her back. Somehow, I knew she was right.

     ***

     And eventually, I accepted it. It took a lot of work, but now I can function as a normal Lenny trying to survive Neopian life. I have a job now, and I can get around without Aylie attached to my arm. However, there was one thing I was missing: I can't fly anymore. Flying is way too dangerous now, and I sorely miss it. Flying was a great release.

     I should've said I accepted most of the burden. I still loathe the darkness. No matter what I do, I cannot get past the fact that I'm going to have this problem for the rest of my life. It terrifies me, but I cannot tell anyone, not even Aylie. I must take on this monster alone.

     "Lage! Get up! You're going to be late for work!" Aylie woke me from unsettled dreams of monsters that terrorize me every night. I opened my eyes to the now normal black, and felt for my cane. Soon after I found out that the doctor was a complete buffoon, Aylie fashioned a cane for me to use. She calls it my own personal Aylie. It is my lifeline, my guide. I never go anywhere without it.

     I stood out of bed and swung the cane back and forth in a wide sweeping motion to sense for anything that may be a hazard. Of course, there wasn't anything, as Aylie made it a point to pick up everything on my floor every night. Yet I still did it every day, for security.

     I left my room and took the routine seventeen steps to the kitchen where I heard Aylie cooking something with a sugary smell. I smiled. She must be making her-

     "Famous Faerie Pancakes!" she said when she saw me enter. "Eat up and get going or you'll be late!"

     She handed me a plate and I wolfed them down. "Alright, Lage, get going. The Neopian Times isn't going to deliver itself." I stood up, walked over to Aylie, kissed her on the cheek, and walked to the door in a swift thirty-four steps.

     "See you later!" I said as the door closed. My job as Neopian Times paperboy paid well, but it became tedious after a while. After all, I did the same thing every week. At least my customers knew me well and didn't judge me like almost everyone else.

     After I had gathered the newspapers I had to deliver, I set off on my routine. First stop was Harry the Grarrl's Neohome. I could tell he was smiling when I arrived at his door.

     "Afternoon, sir."

     "Ah, Lage, how are you?" he asked pleasantly.

     "Fine, sir. Here's your paper." I handed over the rolled bundle of papers.

     "Thank you, Lage. See you next week."

     I left with one less paper and a nice tip. Next was Chet Flash, a very secretive customer. I just left the paper on the doorstep and took the payment from under the welcome mat.

     The day progressed on, making my newspaper load less, and my pocket full of more and more change.

     I was delivering the last newspaper when it happened. My last customer was a creepy old Aisha named Terlizzia. She lived alone in a dilapidated old manor in a very rundown neighborhood. The area didn't comfort me at all, and whenever I delivered to her, it seemed to make my darkness worse.

     As I walked up the shabby steps leading to her front door, a chill wind went through me and I shuddered. This was turning into the beginning of a horror story. I knocked on the door, and almost immediately, Terlizzia opened the door.

     "Give me my paper, boy, and get out of here," she said gruffly.

     "Yes, ma'am," I said quickly, handing over her newspaper and turning to go.

     "Oh, I almost forgot. Wait here, boy," she said and walked farther into her house. Her footsteps disappeared.

     As I stood there waiting, I began to wonder what she went to do. She couldn't have anything for me; she never gave me a tip before. It couldn't have been that.

     Suddenly, I was up against the wall. Someone had shoved me to the side. I dropped my cane and I heard it clatter down the steps behind me. I felt around for anything to grab hold to. I felt a wing and pulled on it. It ripped out of whatever it was attached to.

     Something screeched and I clapped my wings to my ears. It was a bone-chilling, horrifying scream. Whatever I grabbed onto flew into the house with a quick swish, and I heard the door slam shut. I was left on the doorstep, puzzled. I stood up and gained my balance. I felt for the stairs with my feet, and slowly descended them, bending down to look for my cane. I found it and began to quickly climb the stairs again.

     When I reached the door, I tried to open it. It swung open with a creak. I stepped inside and heard something going on upstairs; I could hear muffled steps. I quickly looked for a staircase. I had to get upstairs.

     Then, I heard a woman scream. I became more frantic and searched everywhere for a way to get to the second floor. Finally, I found a staircase and quickly ascended them. I listened for anything to tell me where to go, but there was silence. Complete silence. It scared me even more than the scream.

     All of a sudden, I heard the swish that I heard before when whatever I grabbed took flight. It was right above me. I looked up even though it did no good. I was in a predicament. I couldn't fly, but how was I to know what was going on if this thing had no sound?

     Then, my problem was solved. Whatever was flying above me came down right on top of me, knocking me unconscious.

To be continued...