Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, sadly, they belong to Disney. Mac, however, is my own creation. Please read and review!

A/N: Mac is referred to as 'he' in this story because it takes place before the strike and before Mac's secret is revealed. For more details, please read Introducing Mac.

It's pretty obvious why I'm called Kid Blink, and those who don't know can easily work it out by noticing that I wear an eyepatch (and have done since I was about 8 or 9). What isn't so obvious is why I wear an eyepatch. Well, let me tell you why. I have only one eye.

I am the one-eyed man.

Some people think I wear an eyepatch for sympathy, that it's just a gimmick; well, I'd like to see them wear a piece of rough, itchy cloth on their face all day, every day. (It's actually not that bad, but don't tell them!)

The real mystery, though, is how I lost my eye. Not even my friends know the answer to this, and I have no intention of telling them; it's far too much fun listening to their many – and often extremely far-fetched – theories on the matter, all of which are wrong.

I am the one-eyed man.

Mush, my best friend, and Race have agreed that the loss of my eye was the result of an argument with a horse's hoof. Bumlets, who as we all know loves stick fighting, has decided that it occurred during a similar stick fight, except swords were apparently used in place of sticks. And Snitch, who is rather fond of tall tales, maintains that I was attacked by pirates and that's how I lost an eye, despite the fact that I have never lived anywhere near the sea (and there's no way that a pirate ship could get up the Hudson River), nor have I ever met any pirates! But none of these stories are true. Not even Mac, with his medical knowledge, has come anywhere close to the truth.

I am the one-eyed man.

Crutchy's take on the matter is that I was attacked by a knife-wielding robber while out on the street one day, which is rather more feasible, but still incorrect. Itey has decided that I accidentally poked my eye out while shaving. Well, considering that I was under 10 years old when I lost my eye and therefore too young to shave... The only person without a theory is Snipes, who is usually too busy trying to steal my eyepatch to care.

Surprisingly, it is Skittery who has come closest to the truth with his suggestion that my missing eye has something to do with a girl...

I am the one-eyed man.

So how did I lose an eye? Was it a tragic accident, or merely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Was it an angry horse, or a crazed robber, or perhaps something a little more sinister? Well... (drum roll please)...

I'm not telling you! Ha ha! You really thought I would spill my secret just like that?! Sorry! I guess you'll have to wait a little longer, won't you...?

But I will tell you this.

I am, and always will be, the one-eyed man!