Daydreams
A boy who learns about himself with a little help from a new student
Daydreams
A mutt is what I am; a misfit in life who can't do anything right. I'm not strong, I'm not smart, and I can't do anything of interest. I'm just a daydreamer who prefers fantasies than reality. I often dream about being the most popular guy; liked by everybody.
If the others knew that I had thoughts like this I would be ridiculed. They know that I'm at the bottom of the social pyramid. Even I know that. Personality? Apparently I don't have one, or at least not one that keeps people around.
I should feel lucky that I'm only ignored and not bullied. I haven't done anything embarrassing, but neither have I done anything noteworthy. But what can I do? Besides daydreaming I'm rather short on quirks.
Every day is a routine to me. Go to school. Stay awake in class... or at least most of it. Have lunch. Daydream. More classes. Go Home. At the end of the day I look at my notebook. I'm sometimes surprised that I managed to write down any notes. Even when I'm paying attention my mind seems to drift into another world.
One day the routine was interrupted when a new student arrived. She was a distraction for everyone. She was one of those creatures who had no fur except on top of her head. It was long and brown, almost the same shade as my fur. She introduced herself as Emily. She had a peaceful look on her face, but she didn't seem to want to open her eyes.
I had never seen a blind person before, so I didn't realize until I saw her white cane. I saw looks of discomfort on the faces of my classmates. I couldn't tell if they were disgusted or just felt uneasy. I admit I felt a bit uneasy as well too. The teacher told her where she would sit- right next to me. The teacher offered to have someone bring her to the seat, but she refused and started walking down the aisle.
Her cane went back and forth and the ground, sometimes hitting the side of a chair or desk. My desk was at the very back of the classroom. When she approached I looked at the chair next to me and pulled it out for her.
"Thank you" she said with a smile. She placed her bags on the table and I watched as she folded up her cane. "What's your name?"
It took me awhile to answer. "Milo. "
"Nice to meet you Milo." She held out her hand. I cautiously grabbed it and shook it. I probably held her hand longer than I should have. I just couldn't believe that someone was being friendly to me. I let go of her hand. I guess it takes being blind to talk to me...
I managed to stay awake for the entire class. I would occasionally look over to Emily. I watched as she slid her fingers over the bumps in her book. I couldn't imagine how long it would take to learn to read with your fingers.
When the lunch bell rang Emily asked if I could show her the way to the lunch room. I didn't refuse. She stayed close to me as we walked down the hall. For the first time I noticed the eyes of others looking at me. Or maybe it was the blind girl walking next to me. Regardless of whether the gazes were directed towards me or Emily, it made me feel a bit uneasy.
She asked me if she could eat lunch with me. I couldn't help but ask why she wanted to. "Well... you're my only friend right now."
Friend? We had met not two hours ago and she calls me a friend? I thought friends were people you've spent days, weeks, or even months with. Could you really consider someone a friend in such a short amount of time?
Did I consider her a friend? Well... I'd like to. I lead her to the table in the corner where I normally sit. Again I see people staring at us.
"So tell me a bit about yourself, Milo" said Emily, her voice distracting me from everyone else.
"Oh... um." I was having trouble getting words out of my mouth. "There's nothing really to say about me."
"Nonsense!" she said with a smile. "What do you like to do?"
"Dream..." I said reluctantly. She's the first person I've admitted this to.
"Really? What do you dream about?"
I don't know how long it went on, but I ended up telling her some of my more extravagant stories; ones that deal with fantasy in another world. I keep the dreams of me being the most popular kid to myself.
"You have an amazing imagination Milo."
My tail started to wag. It was nice receiving a compliment from someone. Soon the lunch bell rang again. This is where we had to part ways. A member from special needs came along to lead Emily to her next class. She waved goodbye as she walked off. I watched her leave, wishing she could stay.
During my next class my mind started to drift. I began dreaming about being popular again. Everyone in the lunchroom was at or close to my table. They were all laughing at my jokes and having a good time. But then they start to fade away. I watch as one student after another fades into nothing. When they're all gone, only Emily remains. I don't remember her sitting across from me earlier. She smiles and starts to say something, but I can't hear it.
My eyes focus back to the classroom. I look at the clock. I must have been out for twenty minutes. I look down, and sure enough the notes that were written on the board were on my paper.
I continue having that same dream for the rest of the day. When I go to bed I have another dream similar to it. The entire school is empty except for me and Emily. We sit next to each other in an empty class. I guide her down the hallways. Then we eat in the lunchroom. It's then that she starts to talk again, but I just can't make out the words.
The next day at lunch I try to avoid talking about my dreams and instead decide to ask Emily some questions. "What's it like to be blind?" I didn't realize how insensitive that question was until it had left my mouth. I was sure she would be offended, but instead she just kept on smiling.
"I've spent more of my life blind than when I could see. I was five years old when I lost my sight." So she's been blind for over ten years. I couldn't imagine life without being able to see. "But it's not so bad. I'm able to live life the same as anyone else."
"Do... do you ever wish you could see again?" She was silent. "Sorry..."
"Don't be sorry" she said. "It's a nice thought, but I can't think about that..." She stood up, her face showing a bit of sorrow. "I do think it would have been better to have been born blind."
I don't say anything as she makes her way out of the cafeteria. Yesterday she needed someone to guide her, but now she has the path memorized and is following it reflexively.
I felt bad for the rest of the day. Because of Emily. Because of myself. I shouldn't have ever talked about her blindness. What must Emily be going through since I brought up bad memories?
I had a new dream. Emily was trapped in a maze. She wanders aimlessly; using the walls as guides, but always comes to a dead end. I enter and lead her out of the maze to the prize. A potion that cures any ailments. She drinks it. As her eyes start to open I wake up.
When I see her again she's smiling. She doesn't talk about the conversation we had yesterday so I decide not to either.
Over the next few weeks my dreams become similar. Emily is in a trap. I rescue her. She thanks me, and something ends up curing her blindness. But before I can see her eyes I wake up.
Emily notices a change in my behavior. She tells me I've started to talk to her differently. I tell her that it's because of dreams I've been having.
"Go ahead and tell me about the dreams" she said. "I might be able to figure out what's been troubling you."
I think about it for a moment. All my dreams deal with curing her eyesight. Perhaps she'll see this as a nice gesture.
One after another I tell her about my dreams. At first she listens intently but then her excitement fades and then disappears. By the time I reach the middle of my fourth dream she stands up. I look at her face and see tears rolling down her cheeks.
"You're a jerk!" she says bluntly.
"But- but- I was only dreaming about curing your blindness. I didn't think that would upset you."
"That's not what's upsetting me!" she wipes the tears from her eyes with her arm. When she puts her arm down I see her eyes for the first time. They're pale green, a contrast from my brown eyes. The eyes have no focus; they just stare at my general direction. "You see me as a pitiful girl who needs to be rescued. You see me as someone who can't do anything without help." She closes her eyes. "I don't need your help." She storms off.
My hand begins to reach out for her, but I stop myself. There's nothing I can do now. I can tell everyone in the lunch room was looking at me, but I didn't care. I just folded my arms and laid my head on them.
I'm a mutt. A misfit in life who can't do anything right.
A new dream... I'm in a room all by myself. No doors. No windows. Not even a single piece of furniture. I wait and wait, but no one comes. I wait in that room by myself until I wake up.
Emily doesn't say a thing to me in class. Her smile is gone. I dare not say anything to her. I'd only make it worse.
She doesn't eat lunch with me. I'm not even sure if she even came to eat. I just keep my head in my arms.
Over the next few days I have the same dream where I'm in a room all alone. The only difference is that the room becomes slightly darker each time. After two weeks the room in my dreams in completely black. I can't see anything. I walk around the room, but can't seem to find any of the walls. I just continue to walk until I collapse to my knees.
I give up on moving. I just resign myself to standing on my knees. Suddenly I feel a hand grab my own. It lifts me up to my feet. It leads me through the dark for a bit until we stop. I hear the sound of clicking and a door knob turning. Suddenly all the darkness vanishes. I'm blinded momentarily. When I open my eyes I see Emily looking at me with her eyes open. Whether she can see me or not I cannot tell, but I'm happy to see her smile.
I wake up with a smile as well.
After class I decide to follow Emily for a bit. She heads in the opposite direction of the lunch room, so there aren't any other students. As I summon the courage to say something she turns to face me. "I know you've been following me Milo. Please leave me alone."
"I can't do that Emily" I say. "I know it's my dreams that put us into mess, but I want to tell you about a dream I had last night."
"Milo... I don't want to hear another dream about-"
"Please!" I interrupt her. She doesn't say anything for a while. Eventually she gives me the go-ahead.
I tell her about the dreams I've had since we last talked. About how the world got darker and darker until she came and brought the light. I didn't need her to tell me what these dreams mean. She isn't the one who needed to be rescued. I was the one who needed it, and she's the one who helped me.
I closed my eyes when I finished. I waited for her response. No words came, but my eyes shot open when I felt her arms wrap around my neck. I held my breath. This was an entirely new experience for me. No one outside my family had ever done this to me. I look down at Emily and see her smiling again. Why ruin the moment? I gently hug her back.
Things return to normal. We decide to go get something to eat before lunch was over.
A few days later at lunch I found myself dozing off again. It was one of the old dreams I had. Emily and I sitting next to each other in an empty classroom, except now her head is on my shoulder. We walk down the halls, except now holding hands. We sit together in an empty lunchroom and she speaks. This time I can hear clearly as she says three words.
I wake up.
"Doze off again?" asked Emily.
"Yeah" I respond wiping my eyes.
"Have any interesting dreams?"
"Yeah." I smile. "But I think I'll tell you another time."
And here's another story I can only write when I'm tired. Lol
It's been a while since I've written a story about a boy and a girl. (Reminds me of my first series.)
Well I hope you enjoyed reading. Feel free to comment.