Senses

There are many things that I hate, and waking up is one of them. Birds too, no matter what kind. Computers, hate them, never understood the point. Babies, yes, babies, little annoying noise makers. Cacti, rather specific, I know, but if they could talk, they’d be pointy a******s. Speaking of which, toilets, no, bathrooms, hate them, too disgusting and wet to be a good thing. I haven’t even made a dent in the list.

“Brandon, baby, it’s time to get up.”

“I’m already up.”

“Great, I’ll be there in a minute. I’ve got a special surprise for you.”

“I can’t wait.”

I. Hate. Surprises. I hate zoos, clowns, and theme parks. Shopping too, especially for clothing. I hate driving, street signs, and parking lots. Windows suck too. Hell, doors suck just as well. Lights, the sun, f**k the sun, I hate that s**t. What else?

“I can’t wait to see the look on your face, dear.”

“Me too.”

“It’ll be waiting for you down on the kitchen table. Oh, watch your step.”

I hate steps. Each and every single one of them. I hope they burn. If only I didn’t hate fire, and timber, too. I hate the outdoors in general. On second thought, I don’t care for the indoors either. Well, at least the outdoors has fewer steps. Oh how I f*****g hate steps.

“There we go. Not much further now. Just straight for a little and then a quick right.”

“I know the drill.”

“Brandon, I love this picture, the one from our honeymoon. You look so different now.”

“You haven’t changed a bit.”

F*****g pictures. They don’t even do anything. Most people hate having their picture taken until they finally get one that doesn’t look like total a*s. And when they finally get that picture they only use it to take up some empty spot in their hallway. F*****g waste of space.

“And we made it. Okay, now I want you to close your eyes.”

“Sarah…”

“Just close them. Trust me.”

“Okay.”

“Here, cover them with your hands too. I’ll be right back, and I don’t want any peeking, mister.”

“Sarah, this is too much.”

“Just wait and… Okay. Ready to open them?”

“Sar-”

“Three, two, one. Open your eyes!”

“Sarah I can’t see! I can’t see our bedroom, the stairs, our pictures, your surprise, and I can’t see you. I can’t live like this. I hate it. I hate stupid things like the stove, sink, microwave, and the toaster. I hate the table, chairs, placemats, and the silverware. I hate everything that we own. I hate everything that we encounter. I hate everything. I didn’t deserve to lose my life. I have everything I need to be happy but I can’t be. I’m ready to die.

“I wanted to do this for your birthday. Maybe make you feel normal. Let me help you.”

“You can’t.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Sarah.”

“Shut up and do it. Give me a second. Okay? Keep those eyes closed and take a deep breath through your nose. Describe what you smell.”

“It’s sweet. Like an open meadow. Reminds me of springtime. Like when we went on that picnic and I gave you-”

“A rose. Now listen to my voice and only my voice. Describe it.”

“Soothing. A whisper, it reminds me of many times together. Like where we met.

“In the library. Yes. What else?

“Our first time together. We whispered because we were up late and…”

“We didn’t want the neighbors to hear. Okay. Now give me your hands. What do you feel?”

“Your soft skin. Your hands. The lines in them feel like scars almost.”

“What about now.”

“Your neck and your hair. Like silk. I always enjoyed the feeling of my hands running through your hair.”

“Good. Now, open your eyes. What do you see?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Author's Note

This is one of the pieces of flash fiction that I wrote. What do you think about Brandon's problem? Did you find out what is wrong with him at the end? What does it need more/less of? Etc...

Reviews

[Stan Lee]

I figured out Brandon is blind... but from what I gather he hasn't always been... I'm wondering what happened...?
Great story once I got past the initial stage of "Geez this guy has an attitude problem!" :P
Thanks for sharing. :)