Faults In The Darkness Tales of the Blinded By: Taiku M Altergrund
Faults In The Darkness
Tales of the Blinded
By: Taiku M Altergrund
Chapter 1: What was lost.
Three years past I drove a semi-truck with red and black paint all across the nation. It was a good job. Paying well, health benefits, and lenient hours made the job ideal for the solo man. It allowed me to own a nice house 3 cars, one Ford Mustang, a Dodge Ram, and a smaller economy car for my round town visits. I frequented clubs and bars making a good old time for my self. One could have gone as far to say I was a bit of a douche-bag. I hit on all the girls, and did not truly care for them. I was living the life. Fun, fast paced, extravagant, and care free; however, that all changed the night of the accident.
The middle of winter is no time to be reckless, and I was no fool. I was driving along the highway going about 15 under the speed limit because I had an unusually long load when I noticed that one of my tires was flat. Slowing down to a halt I, I turn on my flashers and got out to change the tire. And that is when I got hit. Some One in some sort of sports car hit me in the back as I was moving around to get to the spare on the left hand side of my truck. The next thing I knew I was "awake", or at least what felt like it, in a hospital bed.
All I could see was darkness, as well as being unable to feel any of my limbs. A frantic cried out for some one. And I hear a person no more then 20-30 by the sound of her voice enters the room and says, "Sir you were hit by a car, and have been paralyzed. You need to calm down we don't know how severely you were injured."
Responding to her statement, "What do you mean paralyzed? I can't be paralyzed, I have to drive my truck to Mildewy to drop off the load."
He said, "I'm sorry but the truth is that you are not leaving here till we are certain that your vitals are stable and your woulds are fully healed. Until then we brought in a radio for you to listen to."
So I lay there know knowing the time only by when the brought in my meals and fed me. I was discontented, thinking only of how I wanted to drive my car, how I would not get to see the new club in town. It was supposed to have neon lights like no other, best dj, and so many different kinds of vodka you could not count them. All of this lined up along the walls. But that was just a distant dream. All I knew was the rough nature of the wool blankets, the synthetic sounds of the regulator machines, and worst of all the ever changing sounds of the people in the room.
Chapter 2: Revelations begin.
After what felt like about 2-3 weeks in that bed, drained and agonized by the surgeries, I regained use of my right arm. So I felt around. The cold metal of the bars. The radio...that's right there was a radio for me to listen to. No sooner then I knew it was there I turned it on, but the only station I got was a inspirational talk show. I figured it was better then nothing. So I listened. And as I did I recounted my life.
The next few days were filled with new sensations as the doctors took me out of the bed and put me in a wheel chair. It has a nice fur lining, soft armrests, and it did not wobble or shake. As we went throught the halls I felt someone touch me. The hand was smoother then silk, nails long and thin, but an oddly warm feeling.
The person spoke up, "Glad to see you out of that old bed. We are taking you to the sun room. You are Pale as a ghost."
Speaking depressingly, "What good will that do? I can not seethe decor I can not see the sky."
"You will feel the sun on your skin, hear the sounds of happy folks around you, and get to smell the flowers we have in there." she replied.
No sooner then we were in the room my nose filled with the sweet but dry scent of roses, the crisp moist smell of lilacs, and the robust but soothing smell of lavender. The sun was indeed warm, and for the first time I truly enjoyed something more then just as a "single serving friend." All I wanted to do was sit there and feel how good it was to be warm again. And so I asked, "How long can I stay here?"
The nurse said that "You can stay here till lunch then I have to take you to the cafeteria." And so we stayed talking about our lives and what we did. And I learned that she was not always a nurse, and that her name was Lynda. After a few more hours it was time for lunch.
Approaching the cafeteria, I smelled spaghetti, steak, eggs, bacon, fruits vegetables, and many other wonderful foods. "What do you want for lunch?" Lynda asked.
"Anything with some spice to it!" I eagerly replied. Having eaten nutritional paste for 3 weeks I wanted something to wake my tongue up. Lynda only chuckled, and retrieved the lunches. So we ate and I enjoyed the meal greatly, and I Started to feel content inside. Something I had not felt in years. I did not want this to go away.
Chapter 3: Learning from the past.
The time of my release date had arrived, and I was still unable to see or walk. And so I went home. To my cars, "friends", and other duties. The people who employed me matched my pay due to the injuries I sustained on the job. But I was not happy; I knew that this live in the big city had eroaded me. And it was then that I realized what I wanted to do with all my time now. I wanted to be a "nurse" like Lynda, and I wanted to be with her. So I packed up my stuff and hired some help to move my cars. And set out to see Lynda once more and learn to become an "nurse".
The next few months were hard, my paralysis and blindness made things hard to work with. But as I grew more accustomed to working blind, I began to construct crude maps in my mind about what things were and how they "appeared". And with that I learned do many things that were impossible before. On the day of my graduation, I spoke to those in attendance saying, "I was a lost man, drunk with the fast life in the big city. Then I got hit. Though the person who hit me was never caught a learned a lot about myself. And to day I roll before you, a man capable or working once more. A man of medicine, and though I am not a doctor I know that we play a critical role in the lives of patients, And I must tank one special person today for teaching me that. Her name is Lynda M. K. Thank you Lynda, thank you for teaching me about and saving me from myself."
After the assembly she approached me. Speaking with tears in her eyes she said, "Did you mean what you said. Did I really help you that much."
All I could say is reply was that "you made me whole when I was broken, and I can never repay you enough. But one thing I can do is be with you work on that debt. So I ask you now...Will You Lynda M. K. Be My Wife?"
She simply said yes and hugged me. We married the following month at the local church and remained working at the same hospital I was treated at to this day.