The sky over ridge slowly turned pink. Silver light spilled across the wooded hills, touching the waters of the river winding through meadows and flowering trees, reflecting in shimmering colors off the golden hair of the human girl who watched.
Blinking her wide blue eyes the girl took in the scene. It was unusual for her to get up so early but she'd been unable to help herself today. And the sky, the sky was so beautiful. So lovely was it that she didn't even notice as the elven man appeared from the woods behind her.
His job had been to escort the small child as swiftly as possible. This left little time for admiring the sky. He'd intended, in fact, to take advantage of her early waking and leave with the sun. Yet something made him pause.
For a long moment he stood and watched as the girl stared on. Her eyes were wide with the wonder of a child.
Kael wondered if she would understand what he saw there. Why it made him sad. He wished for a moment he could see as a human.
Almost before he himself had realized it he was asking her another of the things he'd been wondering. " Do you like the sky?"
Elyador jumped and spun about but her worry disappeared when she saw him. Her long golden hair bounced up and down as she nodded to his question. Kael had never quite gotten used to that, the way she answered questions with such passion. " Yeah cause its big an' colorful an' pretty!" She giggled.
Kael smiled and gave a short laugh, looking sadly at the sky. " Yes but its unfinished."
Elyador turned to him, questions on her face. " What do you mean? Why are you laughing?"
Kael smiled kindly. " I was laughing because I was thinking about telling you something but it's complicated. The thought of you, frustrated, trying to figure it out, made me laugh."
The eight-year-old regarded him with a pout filled with indignation. " I'll understand!" She protested, sulking.
For a moment he looked at her then slowly smiled again. " Okay. Inside the range of vision there is something called a 'blind spot'." He began.
"A 'blind spot'?" Elyador repeated, staring at the sky as if she half-expect to not be able to see it the next second.
" A blind spot is the spot were we can't see anything." Kael explained.
Elyador nodded slowly.
" Do you know where the spot is?" He asked gently.
Elyador lifted her head to peer at the sky, clearly determined to find this fabled spot. However after a moment she looked back down, discouraged and sure her elven friend was joking with her. " I don't see it."
"I told you it was complicated." Kael said. " There's a spot in the sky you cant see but the rest of the sky is so blue your minds does a good job of adjusting, making you think the blind spot is blue too."
" So it's a fake sky?" Elyador looked horrified.
Kael chuckled softly. """ That's not important."
Elyador looked confused again and stared at her friend.
"The fact that even though you cant see it there's a spot there isn't the point. The point is the rest of the sky, which is big and beautiful, seems to stretch out forever. Humans are mysterious creatures."
" Humans?" Elyador asked. " Not elves?"
" No. Not elves. We see it. I suppose it is a price we pay for all the other skills we have that humans lack. We have lost the abilty to deceive ourselves into seeing the spot as full. That is why I called it unfinished before."
" That's not fair!" Elyador said fiercely. " You should getta see it too!"
Kael looked at her angry face and laughed. Realizing she was being serious he let the sound die. He knew he really should comfort her somehow.
Finally he said. " Humans admire the elves. Really it is we who should admire them. Maybe, one day, the time when we can understand clearly even the things we can't see, will come."
Elyador smiled. " I hope it's soon."
Kael smiled. " Yes." And glancing at the girl he found himself thinking that it might be very soon indeed.