Trapped in Darkness

9foxgrl

Alfred's Story

One hundred ninety eight.

That's nearly two hundred years.

For a normal human, that is a long time.

For a Nation, it's only a few years.

But for me…it was an eternity.

Those first years after losing my sight was a doozy. Thankfully I had the support of my boss Madison and his wife Dolly.

It took me awhile to learn how to do things for myself again. Madison went as far as too seek out an instructor for the blind from France (in secret of course). She taught me to memorize my surroundings by touch. It became a little easier in 1825 when Louis Braille came up with the way for the blind to be able to read. Those bumps on paper allowed me some sight from my trapped world.

As the years progressed I became more confident. I was finally allowed to live alone again, but I still had a military guard, especially in other countries. My first guard helped me build my confidence so much. I was lucky they were soldiers who I was friends with before the accident. Before they were assigned to me I was so terrified as too what would happen if some foreign Nation discovered I was blind. About the things I couldn't do anymore.

They changed that. They helped me learn to ride a horse again, to hunt, to fight.

My glasses 'Texas' are a joke. So if I were to 'lose' them my fumbling around blind would be more likely accepted. It's my back up plan.

During the wars and minor skirmishes I would not be allowed at the frontlines, just in the battle planning. No contact with any outside Nations except for the first treaty meeting. I always had a guard with me.

Not once did I dare allow my disability to hinder me. I listened, I felt, I smelled. I learned who these Nations were so I could tell who they were just by their voice or scent.

World War I and II were different.

That first meeting I was terrified when I heard England's voice for the first time in years.

A part of me fluttered with excitement to be around him, but my other half was sickened with dread as I had to sit by the man who indirectly stole my sight. Being reunited with my brother Canada didn't help any. It only made me feel worse.

Because of the closed meetings with the Allies I could not have my guards with me nor could I openly use my notes in Braille. I memorized all my speeches and took random papers covered in illegible hand writing with me. England and France often commented to me how it looked like a blind man wrote them. No one could ever make out what I had written on them.

Writing those fake notes was fun, especially when Germany got ahold of one of them. All he learned that day was my recipe for mock apple pie.

The days we were stranded on the island of Seychelles were the worse. There I was; trapped on an unfamiliar island with several Nations who would take advantage of my disability in order to destroy me. Some of them were my Allies, but I would not have put it pass them.

I found it rather amusing they never realized we were on a populated island. According to Seychelles I was the only one who ever found her house. Apparently after eighty years or so my hearing became very sensitive and I could hear from far away. I was lucky to hear her singing and asked if I could borrow her radio. In exchange I kept the Allies and Axis away from her people.

Another reason I hated having to join the U.N. The noise. True, I am rather loud at times, but that's only so I can be heard over them. And the crazy ideas? Well that was Truman's idea so no one would think much about my intelligence or get close enough to find out about my eyes.

My life, my personality to the other Nations is all an act. One of my many walls.

But like the Berlin Wall, it fell.

Karma must have really hated me for my secret to be found out at a World Meeting.

My economy had taken a sudden dive during a meeting, causing me to collapse during my presentation from a high fever. Italy's scream sent my guards running into the room.

Without even asking what happened the Marines grabbed me from England's arms and called the paramedics that were on standby.

I was malnourished and dehydrated having spent so many sleepless nights working on a way to try and solve this deficit problem so they took me to Bethesda.

Just my damn luck that there were so many Nations nearby when the paramedic asked if there was anything medical issues they needed to know about.

Even when that Marine leaned in close, even at a low whisper they heard it.

"He's blind miss."