The Day I Can Finally See
I woke up to the feeling of Miss Kitty’s whiskers as she rubbed her face across mine. I grinned. Today’s the day!
I gently pushed the cat out of the way and stepped out of my sleeping pod. I wanted to take off the bandages over my eyes right there and then, but no! I’d rather take them off in front of something truly beautiful and worth the view. My mom said that she planted the most beautiful azalea bushes in the garden in honor of this day; maybe that’s a great place to start!
(I know my mom said I should wait until she came home before I take them off, but come on, mom! This is the day I can finally SEE! This is MY day!)
I happily took my walking stick and ran toward the direction of the back door. It slid open and I was immediately greeted by the chirp of birds. I stood at the entrance for a while, excited at the possibilities. I will finally be able to see them for myself!
I took a deep breath and reached for the stair rail. I took the usual one-two-three steps… there! Solid ground.
Shaking, I reached for the bandages. I undid the knot from behind my head and unwrapped the cloth, once, twice, thrice. I kept my eyes shut for the entire process – no peeking!
Once I felt the bandages off completely, I opened my eyes. It hurt! It hurt so much. The light was too bright for me. I closed them at once and wiped the tears that fell.
I sat down and took a deep breath. I wanted to try again, but I was also afraid. What if I damaged my eyes and could never see again?
As I thought about what I should do, I felt something soft and feathery drop into my palm. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a ball of yellow in my hands. In a bit, I could see a small bird in my hand, gently pecking at the very center.
I smiled. So this is what they felt like! I cooed and stroked its feathers gently. It seemed to enjoy it. Oh, to see such joy before my eyes! How lovely!
Just then, a shadow leapt on my lap and took the little ball of fluff in my hands. I followed it to see that it was Miss Kitty, who grabbed my feathered friend with her jaws. The cat walked away from me, but not too far that I couldn’t see what she was doing.
I froze.
In horror, I watched Miss Kitty bite deeper into her prey, who was struggling and crying in agony to be free. In a few minutes, the chirping stopped and the bird stopped moving. Eyeing me, Miss Kitty slowly and deliberately chewed at the corpse, starting with the wing, then to the head, and down to its little feet. A few feathers were scattered about, but surprisingly, not a drop of blood was spilled.
I don’t remember much of what happened next. I only remember my mom finding me at that spot, where I was still staring at the place the cat devoured the poor little bird who didn’t know any better. She sounded mad about me removing the bandages too early, but I wasn’t sure. All I was thinking about was the lively little ball that was murdered before me.
This is the day I can finally see. Maybe… maybe it’s better if I could never see again.
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Image source: deviantart.com/zoranphoto/art/In-the-flowers-499237128
First written September 28, 2017.
#45