Eyeless by Valeria Lob

He hears the patter moving away from him.

Noah is blind from birth. He isn't able to see things, but he can hear and touch them. His disability makes it impossible for him to attend school and make friends. He has a personal tutor in order to get knowledge and in an attempt to be like a normal child. He tries hard not to be weak and depend on other people. Nonetheless, he understands that he will never see the light. 

There is no difference between day and night for him. Lying on the bed, he hears birds chirping, not the noise of cars or conversations of people. So, he can assume that it is the early morning. He gets out of the bed and counts the number of steps from the bed to the door. That is exactly eleven steps. Memorizing such things helps him to avoid being bruised. Going past his father's room, Noah hears the rustle of paper. He is likely preparing for today's lecture at the university. Straightening the back, he turns his head to where he hears the sound:

 - Good morning, dad!

The sound of rustling is stopped. 

 - Morning! What are you doing up so early? 

 - I`m about to get some breakfast and go for a walk. 

The creak of the chair indicates that his father gets out of it. 

 - What a nice idea! By the way, I have only one lecture today, so we can go together. 

Noah sighs. There is tension in the way he speaks. His father thinks that he is not even able to go for a walk by himself. 

 - I`m blind, but I still can move with my feet on my own. So, thanks, but not. 

Noah goes away trying not to get lost in the step count. 

The local park is situated nearby his house. He doesn't even have to cross the road to get to this place. He likes to sit on a bench and listen to the sounds that surround him. The hustle and bustle are far away for him. He hears that birds sing and tree leaves rustle. Street musicians are playing somewhere nearby. A charming melody penetrates into his mind. He can imagine a person strumming a guitar, another one is sitting behind the drum kit and hitting at snare drum, which produces a ringing, slightly rattling sound.  All these sounds are mixed in his head. Thanks to them he can not see the image but hear. 

Suddenly he hears an unfamiliar female voice addressing him: 

 - The darkness declares the glory of light. Do you hear this quote? 

Noah puts his hand forward to understand exactly where she is:

 - Who are you? Where did you come from?

 - I was sitting here before you came. 

 - So why were you silent?

 - I was trying to understand what is it like to be blind. 

He grimaces, expecting further taunts:

 - And how are your progress? You must be thinking how lucky you are not like me! 

He doesn't hear the answer, only a heavy sigh indicating that she is still here.

 - What's happened? Nothing to answer? 

Her shrill voice gets into his mind:

 - You don't have to be rude to everyone! You expect pity or ridicule from everyone you met. I just wanted to be friends with you, because I thought you were as lonely as me. Don`t worry, you're the same ordinary insufferable guy as everyone else! 

He hears the patter of feet moving away from him. He doesn't know why, but he has a stupid smile on his face. He is called normal for the first time in his life. Besides, he hopes to hear her shrill voice again and maybe even become friends.