Blind and lost
Chapter 2 - Hello, I can't see you.
Waking up has always been an unusual thing to me. In the first seconds of returning from slumber, my first reaction is always a panicked rush to identify the sound or sensation that woke me. The alarm clock, a honk of a car horn, or my cat deciding he can no longer wait for his breakfast and sits on my chest.
This time, I cannot say what first woke me. I was aware of an irritation in my eyes; a slight itching and burning that caused me to wrinkle my brow in agitation. This simple expression of my discontent sent a mild shock of pain across my face, and the more I attempted to move the more the abrasive burning continued to increase. I grit my teeth, and tried to open my eyes. The blackness I was in was as all consuming as space itself. However, keeping my eyes open seemed to cause this searing agony to spike, and I hurriedly closed my eyes and groaned.
I reached up to touch my face, and my hand came in contact with something that felt like medical gauze. Exploring it, the events of the last night flooded back to me. The gauze was wrapped around my head, holding a cool gel pack to my face. I bit my lip as I felt my mind slip into a terrible, gnawing worry; had I ruined my eyes?
Its not in my nature to imagine the best possible outcome for myself; in others yes, I often blanket others in compliments, but I save no such kindness for myself. I have only started to really recognize this behavior as unhealthy and I took a breath to steady my hysterical mind.
"Instead of worrying about that, let's figure out where we are." I thought to myself, trying to control the loud thumping of my heart.
From my position I could obviously conclude I was laying down, and inside. I had a warm blanket around me that was a huge improvement over that burlap sack. The solid, soft mass on my left and the drop off to my right told me I was on a couch.
Presumably, I was the farm house I was so desperate to enter before settling for the barn. I could hear the crackle of a fire not far from me, the owners had brought me in and started it again to stave off fears that I was frozen near death. This was speculative of me; if I could see I would know for certain.
I grit my teeth and screamed inside my mind. "Don't focus on that, idiot! What else can we tell about this place?"
I calmed down, or I tried to. I crossed my arms, and winced in disgust as I felt a slimy film covering my forearms. Strange how I hadn't noticed it before. I raised it to my nose and sniffed, and immediately smiled. The smell was one I was well familiar with, my mother swore my aloe plants, and was adamant about keeping them in the house in case someone burned themselves doing something stupid. The farmer must have had a similar idea.
I waited, still feeling a little groggy as I took in the house's noises. The window was trembling and the wind was whistling outside. Being snowed in was a possibility, and again I knew that was speculative thinking... oh, if I could only see!
The sound of wood gently tapping a metal pot caught my attention. It wasn't in the room, but it was nearby. Was someone cooking over the fire, or was someone in the kitchen? My stomach curled tightly, telling me it was wide awake and very empty.
I sniffed the air, but couldn't smell anything that resembled food. Although, maybe that was for the better; if I had, I would likely just feel hungrier. Still, I was left perplexed by what I heard. I'm not very familiar with shoes, but the person in the kitchen must have been wearing clogs, because he or she sounded like a damn horse clopping around. Further I had to further guess it was a child, because of the quick repetition of footsteps. A child in clogs... this just gets weirder and weirder.
Opening my mouth I was about to speak when I heard a door open and the sound of the wind increase, then the door slammed shut. There was more clopping footfalls, and they were approaching me from two directions. Curious, I kept quiet to hear what they said.
"The cows n' pigs 'er just fahn, Granny." Said a young female voice. I mentally remarked that the Texan twang in her voice was thick enough to obstruct traffic. "In fact, they seemed right content. They were all chowin' down on the feed." She chuckled. "Here I thought we weren't going to get back'n tahm to feed them be'fer dark."
"Well, small blessings ah suppose." Came a wizened voice of an elderly woman. The high pitch and twang of her accent called up images of Granny Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies.
"Applebloom, any sign of this critter movin' any?"
"...Applebloom?" I mentally repeated in confusion.
My mind raced, there had been someone else in the room the whole time? So much for my little game of possum...
A much younger voice, like that belonging to a child. "It moved around a little, made a few grumblin' sounds, but then it settled back down before you came in."
Another set of clops, even more rapid the other two came closer to me. Where all of these people really short? Why would they wear clogs in this kind of weather? Then again they could just as easily ask me why I was in my pajamas in their barn.
I suddenly felt someone's breathing on my cheek. The forceful exhale told me one of them was eying me closely, and I knew that if my eyes weren't bandaged my little ploy would be over. Any of my friends could tell you that I have a terrible poker face.
Whoever was giving me a closer look suddenly poked me with something large, round, and hard.
"I know yer awake," Came the child's voice, "Now ya gonna explain why ya were in our barn?"
"Applebloom, leave the poor thing alone." Said the young woman. "The poor thing burned itself real bad back there, it prolly wants to rest."
"Okay, first, please stop with the 'it' and 'thing' descriptors." I snapped, sitting up. The blanket slipped onto my lap. My bare lap. I instantly pulled the blanket around my waist. I feel my cheeks turning red.
"Also, where are my clothes?" I added, my voice little more than a squeak due to embarrassment.
"Well, they were pretty dirty after ya were rolling around on the barn floor like that, so we got them washed n' dryin'." The young woman said in an understanding tone. "Mind explaining what happened to ya?"
I was still a little flustered about being naked in front of three women, one I presume a minor. I hated the idea, but I guess if she saw anything I can't do anything about it yet.
"You're very considerate after finding a stranger on your property," I began, clearing my throat. "I know this will sound insane, but I woke up in the snow near the forest over the hills."
"How'd you git there?" Applebloom asked, "Do you live in the forest?"
I know one of my eyebrows went up at that strange, and frankly stupid, question. "I... no. I don't live anywhere near it."
That question really derailed my thoughts. I reached up to my forehead, the stinging was flaring up again. "Perhaps I should introduce myself first... I'm Jonathan Harlow."
Again the young woman responded. "Hiya Jonathan, I'm Applejack and this here is mah lil sister Applebloom. An' Granny Smith here is the one who patched you up."
"A pleasure." I smiled, nodding a polite bow toward where I thought my benefactors were standing. "I'm sorry to be a burden on you all. I really have no recollection of how I ended up near the forest. I went to bed in my cozy little house, I laid my head down, went to sleep and then suddenly I'm freezing to death in a pair of socks and my pajamas."
Sight might have been impossible with the bandages around my head, but somehow I knew I was getting a few odd looks.
"I saw a little smoke coming over the hill and found my way to your home." I sniffed, feeling a little chilly without anything to wear. "I knocked but no one was home so I ended up in your barn. I don't know how long I was in there, probably not as long as it felt, and the animals were expecting food so I gave them something to tide them over before you could get there."
"That was nice an' all, but ya really shouldn't have." Applejack said, "We gotta keep their food really strictly regulated until spring."
"Oh I know, trust me. I know how that goes, otherwise you have to buy feed in the winter and the prices are going to be sky high." I said, "And if you have to do just that I can pay you for a few shipments of feed. I don't like to owe people and I owe you plenty already. I... would need to use your phone to call for a ride out of here. I should see a doctor about my eyes as soon as possible."
The wind rattled the windows again, as if to remind me of the snowy tempest raging outside.
"Um, what kind of foam did you want to use?" Applebloom sounded confused.
"You don't have a phone?" I frowned. Thinking back I hadn't seen any telephone poles when I had made my beeline for their door. But a child this old not knowing what a phone was? It's only been around for over a century!
There was silence for a moment.
"Applebloom, he can't see you shaking your head." Applejack then addressed me. "Ah'm sorry, but the storm's blowin' in sometin' fierce. I promise, next morning I cin take ya ta town. Ya'll be able ta git word to yer folks or friends there."
"Thanks." I said, "I'd hate to impose anymore than I already have, but... I could really use something to eat."
"Sure!" Applejack said in a cheery tone. "Um, do ya like hay?"
"What kind of question is that?" I thought, not in the mood for jokes.
"Er... Anything's fine." I said.
Again I heard the odd clip-clop of their strange shoes as the room went quiet. I sighed and laid down with the blanket covering me. The door burst open again, and a new, far heavier clip-clop of those shoes came close. I could only assume it was the man of the house. He stood there in front of me, silently, clearly eying the naked man on his couch. I gulped, fearing what this heavy man could do to me. My mind raced for a way to explain my presence in preparation for the inevitable grilling questions.
The wood floor creaked a little, I guess he was looking at me a little closer. Whomever it was, he quickly seemed to lose interest in me and left without a word or complaint. All of this was very, very odd.
I sat up as I heard more of that bizarre trotting across the floor. I shook my head, these people sounded like damned horses. I had a feeling the wood floor looked like a road map of scars from their hard shoes.
I felt something hard touch my hand, and I quickly found it to be a bowl. I thumbed around for the fork, but it could as well have been a spoon for all I could tell. It wasn't soup, or anything of the kind, otherwise the bowl would be warm.
"Um, sorry, mind telling me what it is? I'm... not really in the mood for surprises." I asked, confirming it was indeed a fork by touching it to my lips.
"Hay." Applejack explained.
"Ha ha another joke." I thought. "No one in their right mind would give a blind man... yep that's hay."
I set the bowl down, calmly as I could. "Look." I wasn't trying to hide my frustration. "I'm having a very trying day, so please don't play games with me."
"Beg'ya pardon?" Applejack sounded confused. "I thought you said hay was okay."
"Oh come on." I snorted, "I know how boring it is on a farm, and I'm in no position to refuse your aid, but you have to know I can't eat this!"
"Well sorry Ah didn't know what the heck yer kind eat." Applejack shot back.
"Again with the 'thing' nonsense!" I sputtered, now openly voicing my disgust. "I'm not some inhuman sludge to be picked off your clog-shoes so don't act so high-and-mighty!"
I sat there, smoldering in the darkness of my mine like an angry coal as I waited for some reply. Instead I heard a few more footsteps come closer.
A deep, frightening male voice spoke up. "He givin' you problems AJ?"
"Nah Big Mac..." Applejack again sounded confused, more so than before. Suddenly her tone shifted to one of realization. "Oh, waitaminute! Ya can't see so ya must think we're the same kind. Here. Raise yer uh... hooves."
I knew she meant hands, and I did so. These horse puns were getting ridiculous.
"Ah meant out in front of ya."
I slowly probed the air with my hands, feeling like some kind of blind cave cricket. I wasn't sure what exactly I felt at first. It felt like a fur coat, very short but the thick muscle underneath spoke of some powerful beast. Moving this way and that I soon discovered thick locks of hair about head height to me, and further up the brim of a leather hat. I cupped what appeared to be cheeks and felt a short muzzle.
Applejack must have seen my own state of complete bewilderment, "Starting to get the picture now?"
I felt the creature's mouth move as she talked. At once my hands ceased their movement and my mind coming to a dead stop. The room stood still and quiet as a charnel house as I felt nothing, save a need to reconfirm what I had just witnessed.
"I... I, um..." I stuttered, too dumbfounded to find any words to speak I did something spontaneous and stupid. I pinched the... talking animal's cheek.
"Ow!" Applejack cried out, pulling away from me.
I couldn't rationalize it, but this thing was clearly alive, and clearly talking to me, but was not human.
"I think... I'm going to lay down now..." I said, laying back on the couch. My stomach was long forgotten as I blacked out again.
To be continued.
Author's note: Okay, I've never really tried to do an accent before, and this was... interesting. I can't say if I over did it on AJ and her family or not. XD
beta reader: MyInnerWeirdo
