Imagine this. The world is completely black. You cannot see your own hand an inch away from your face. You cannot see the sun or the moon or the stars. You cannot see your friends or your family or the people in the streets who sometimes stop and stare. But you can hear. You can hear the song of a bird and the howl of a wolf. You can hear the emptiness in a cold, damp room. You can hear people as they whisper secrets to each other, never dreaming that someone might be listening. This is my world. I'm blind, and I have been since I was 4 years old. I can remember colours, and my family's faces. I also remember how it happened.
My family and I were holidaying in Greece. It was late, and I was getting tired of watching movies, when suddenly someone screamed and smoke could be seen in the halls. More screaming. "FIRE! FIRE! RUN! EVERYBODY OUT OF THE BUILDING!" Called panic stricken staff. My mother picked me up and ran for the door, while my father scooped up my brother, Marco, and attempted to save some of our belongings. Mother placed me outside the door and into the hall, telling me to stay put until she came back, and then she dashed back into our room to help Father.
That's when it happened.
I remember a big man jogging up the hall, clearly drunk. He knocked me over as he ran past and kicked my head. I lost consciousness immediately.
When I finally found it, was lying flat on a bed with plastic sheets that were cold against my skin. I could feel a tube on my face and things attached to my wrists. I heard beeping, but I couldn't tell what was making it. I was very tired, I recall.
"We're very sorry, Mrs. Carlson, but it's very likely that Skyler will be blinded for life," said male voice. It was kind and sympathetic, but I couldn't understand why. I was only sleeping, wasn't I?
"So, you're telling me that my baby will never be able to see again, that my 4 year old is blind?" another voice sobbed. A female one. My Mother. She sounded heart broken. Why was she sad? Why was this man telling her that I was blind? I wasn't blind! What does that even mean?!
"It it possible that, given the time to heal, she could regain her sight, but given Skyler's young age it is highly unlikely," the male voice said, and that made Mother cry even more. I fluttered my eyelids weakly, but found that everything was still pitch black.
"Mother? Mother, where are we? Why is it so dark? Can you please turn the lights on?"I asked, very confused as to what was going on. Ignoring my question, Mother grabbed my hand tight, in what I guess she thought was a comforting action.
"Skyler, do you remember what happened before you went to sleep? The fire and everything?" she asked me in a shaking voice. I could hear where her voice was coming from, but I couldn't see her face. My eyes flickered from dark spot to dark spot as they strained to catch a glimpse of light. I figured this must be a game.
"Yeah, Mother I remember. Please turn the lights back on, I don't like this game anymore!" I had said. I was starting to get scared, why wouldn't she turn the lights on?!
"Skyler, the lights are on, sweetie. But when the man kicked you in the head, he hurt your eyes, and now you can't see anymore. You're blind," my Mother said.
And that's how it happened. Such a little thing, it could have happened to anyone. I had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the man had simply kicked my head at the wrong angle. Had he hit just a little to the left, or a little to the right, chances are I would still have my sight. But I don't. Still, I have found that a few good things have come from this. For one, I can actually feel colours. That's right, I can feel colours. For another, I can see the wind. 'Impossible,' you say? Well, its not. Not for me, anyway. The wind is the only thing that I can see, and it talks to me. Did you know that the wind had a voice? Because it does. It whispers things in my ear non-stop when I'm outside, telling me where it has been, where its going, what's around me, and what things look like. And when I talk to the wind, it listens. Sometimes, it will even do what I tell it.
My name is Skyler Carlson. I'm 17 years old and have strawberry blonde hair, pale skin, and ice blue eyes (or so I've been told.) I play piano and guitar, I can sing, I can feel colours, and I talk to the wind. I can do all of this, while still being blind. I do not need a cane or a dog to help me walk. I have managed to perfect the art echolocation, like what the bats use, so I guess I can see, to an extent. I might be blind, but I am far from helpless. This is my world.