“Kyra, got a minute?” asked Em, tapping the floor with her opalescent ceramic cane, a gift from Von, as if she needed an auditory hand, as if her voice was only in her head.
“Sure, come on in Em." Kyra put down her oculators and powered down the holographic report on her desk. Since Emy had lost her sight, she had taken to wearing Venusian silk robes and pulling her rosewood hair into a spiral bun. Kyra wondered if she found some measure of comfort in the simplicity of both, a retreat to the security of routine in the uncertain world of sudden darkness. Somehow it seemed inappropriate to ask. "What’s on your mind?”
“Is it true, what I hear?”
“Depends," said Kyra, marveling at her elocution of the word hear, the word rolling off Em's tongue with the smoothness of the edge of a rainbow, with the clarity of Sunday church bells on a bright and sunny day, but most of all, she enunciated the word as if for her, as a blind person, to say she heard something, somehow gave it a greater truth than when those with sight auscultated. "What have you heard?”
“That you’ve turned the ship around, back to Kulmyk?”
“Yes.”
(hesitation, as silent as shadows at noon before a simoon, endured an ogle of ticks)
“Will there be anything else?” asked Kyra.
“Why?”
“Take a seat.” Kyra sat next to Em and put her hand on her thigh. Surveying her smooth statue-like face, Kyra felt almost guilty in her voyeuristic gaze, as if staring at someone who could not stare back was morally wrong, or at the very least, uncouth. An image of Papa looking down at her flashed behind her eyes and in a voice less authoritative than she would have liked, said, “You are going to see your mother again.”
Em didn’t move; her face remained as unreadable as ancient stone. Kyra wanted a 'do-over,' to give her voice the certainty that leaders gave to men afraid, a courage, without need of liquid benefaction.
“This is good news is it not?”
“Kyra, don’t misunderstand me. I deeply appreciate what you are attempting to do.” Em silently cursed her blindness. She desperately wanted to see Kyra's face, to see her reaction. Fearful she had not communicated her sincere intent, she awkwardly repeated, "I do."
“But?”
“But I can’t let you do it. The risk is too great.”
“You're right.”
“So you will turn the ship around?”
“No.”
“But—“
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but the risk is too great not to pursue our present course.”
“My sight is not that important. And—“
“You sight is secondary in this decision.”
“But the crew—“
“Idiots, the lot of them. Lovable idiots but idiots none the less. They see with their pride, with ego, agenda, and unruly disquisition.”
(an autumn pause)
“I see.”
“No you don’t.”
“Okay, you got me there. Can I ask you a question?”
Kyra nodded before realizing Em couldn’t see her. “Yes, please.”
“Should I be upset?”
“About what?”
“Well, the crew hates my guts because they think you are risking their lives for my sight, and now you tell me my sight is secondary. I can’t quite put my finger on the feeling in my gut, but I’m feeling like I just kissed my cousin.”
Kyra laughed.
“I’m serious.”
“I know you are. The fact of the matter is this. Our mission has a higher purpose.” Kyra stopped.
“Well, would you like to share that higher purpose with me?”
“Remember when we took those little red pills?”
“Yes.”
“Remember what you did?”
“Pissed my pants?”
Kyra laughed again. “Oh, I didn’t know that. Did you?”
“Might as well.”
“Em, what you did in those last moments, I haven’t forgotten. I’m afraid the crew has. So, we are going to get your sight back and we are going to do it because it’s the right thing to do. Are your shoulders stout enough?”
Her spine tingled. “Yes my captain. My shoulders are stout.”
Kyra put her hands on Em's shoulders. "You are stronger than you think."
For the first time since she lost her sight, Em smiled.
19 comments:
Fabulous image!
She must have been waiting for Em, not actively, consciously, perhaps for without doubt there must be things a captain needs to do when their ship has just turned the way it came, but she must have known Em would approach when she heard about this decision. I wonder whether it is the fact that Em's blindness is indeed secondary, that she has spoken to Goldie and the crew since she was with Em last, that she asks those questions, i.e. that contemplations since have occupied her completely. Or whether she deliberately chooses to encourage Em to ask complete questions, starting as she then goes on, to rid Em of the simplified assumptions that this decision had everything to do with her personal situation.
I like how it is the three of them, the three that were together on Bravo, that by the end of this chapter understand what going back means. Like too how the higher purpose of their mission here at least in my mind seems not only to concern their current course towards Kulmyk, but the greater journey that they have been on since leaving Hyneria as an 8-strong crew.
Also, the link back to the previous chapter at the end was very nicely done.
Between kissing cousins and pissing pants, falls another well of affection for Em, who she is showing herself to be, the way she expresses herself and her great strength.
Excellent chapter!
Sunshine, as you will discover when you arise from slumber, this chapter started with the skeleton of dialogue, penned within minutes from start to finished and then, naked of adjectives, those ones I'm so fond of using, was thrust upon the blogging world to the hush of silence, except for that one little patter of small feet and clapping hands, those ones that attend every show with pearls and smiles, and applaud each performance as if this were the greatest show on earth.
And so in a funk of artistic depression I slothed off to dinner and you to bed and upon my return felt ashamed at my naked creation--it almost looked cold, crying out for the warmth of the adverbs and adjectives I was holding back like candy from a baby. Thus, with the work gloves of my keyboard, I sought to put right what looked so wrong--until, well, I just got tired. LMAO!
And so, I present to you, my half naked chapter. I'll let you be the judge of what half. Just don't ogle too much. :-D
:-D!
applaud every performance as if this were the greatest show on earth
It is. :-D Main night was just much better than the dress rehearsal though. ;-)
You put flesh on the skeleton as JB would say. I liked it as it was, but I love it as it is now, more complete, easy to visualize with the added direction. Reading it today is very different from reading it yesterday, though there is very little change in the actual dialogue. Changes made are marvellous, there's so much more. Liked it yesterday, love it today.
I want this to be a movie, Tree ! MAKE IT HAPPEN ! It'll be better than Star Wars, if such a thing is possible... :)
Annie, you warm my soul with the sincere love in your heart. Thank you for such wonderfully inspiring comments. I do love them to pieces. :-)
Have a wonderful weekend my sexy blogger babe of pen and paper and lace and pearls. :-)
"Kyra wondered if she found some measure of comfort in the simplicity of both, a retreat to the security of routine in the uncertain world of sudden darkness."
This is so well said. I can really identify with that...so well!!
This is marvelous. For the first time, reading this, I forgot the presence of the author.If you know what that means... you took me there!
Mona, my friend dulcet, my ethereal heart smiles toward the shine of your reflected blessedness. Hold my hands, look into my eyes and say it again. I dare you. Double dare you. :-D
I like. I particularly like the melding of dark and light to evoke just the right tone. Veeeeeery interesting.
Oh my dear SJ, thank you for those kind words. Were you a good girl or do I have some laundry to clean? :-D
:)I'm never all that good, so if you're in the mood to do laundry...
Drop'em. I've got a load ready. :-D
Oh, be still, my heart -- a man who does laundry. It's all yours.:)
Downy fresh. Second best smell I know. Are you cold or just happy to see me? :-)
Oooo, there's nothing like Downy fresh, even if it is second-best. May one inquire what the #1 choice is? I may be just a trifle cold, but I'm always happy to see a friendly face.:)
The smell of fresh brushed teeth that are happy to see me. :-)
"Kyra wondered if she found some measure of comfort in the simplicity of both, a retreat to the security of routine in the uncertain world of sudden darkness."
This is so well said. I can really identify with that...so well!!
This is marvelous. For the first time, reading this, I forgot the presence of the author.If you know what that means... you took me there!
There.. I said it again!
& I was thinking...That is usually from the light that we turn away to the comfort of a darkness. When you come out of a dark dungeon into light after a long time, the bright light may hurt your eys so much that you want to shrink back in horror into the familiar world of darkness and its security for a amoment.
But then again, once you have seen light, you just cannot go back to darkness...
Mona, you've said it so well. Darkness, the more we know it, the more we carouse and cavort with the delectatious devils of midnight past, the more we shun the light, in part, as you have said so well, we know the truth of light and we know the pain of our return to truth. Ultimately, there is only light. Darkness does not exist in its own right, but only in the absence of light. Light is. Darkness is because.
As always, your insightful observations are a wonder and delight for me to unwrap and whirl around the tree of my mind as a train at xmas. :-)
Darkness exists not only IN the absence of light; darkness IS the absence of light.
Let me tell you a story. Once darkness went to God & complained thus: " that horrible fellow called sun is always following me. I am fed up of him. Please tell him not to chase me thus."
God called Sun and asked him. "Why do you keep on troubling this poor girl called Darkness. Aren't you ashamed of eve teasing and flirting? with such a shy and innocent girl?" The sun replied: "I have never seen this girl called Darkness. I am sorry if I have caused her so much trouble. Please call her here so that I can offer my unconditional apology to her if she feels so teased by me."
But it is said, that even God could not bring Darkness in front of Sun, no matter how much he tried.
So the case is still pending in his files... :D
Wonderful story Mona. Had not heard that one. I think we are saying the same thing about darkness so, with your story, I consider the subject, or case, closed. :-D
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