As I stepped into the shower, the light above the sink flickered. I thought to myself, that
could be a ghost. The water turned on, and I slipped away into the thoughts that often float by
when in the shower. What if it really was a ghost? What would I do if it was? I would tell it a
story. What would that story be?
Minutes later, the water turned off, the curtain opened, and I stepped out. Sure enough,
there was the ghost. A woman, tall, with black hair and soft features. Not quite young, but not
quite old enough to seem as a ghost just yet. I smiled, not the slightest bit surprised, and
began to tell the story.
A man stumbled through a thick forest. It was night. He had just been overthrown by his
enemy and blinded. Dry tears from a hollow face mixed with blood as he walked. He stumbled
against one of the trees and felt something in the bark. They were soft and moved about at his
touch. He pulled the two objects out of the tree and suddenly realized what they were. Eyes!
Amazed and filled with joy, he put the newfound eyes into his own head and saw the sky once
again. That was not all he saw, for the trees around him stared back with eyes of their own. The
moment of euphoria at his returned sight did not last long, however, as the young man realized
he was lost.
After walking a short while, he came to an old man sitting in the bend of a tree branch.
He had an object in his hand, and seemed to be intent on detailing it with some sort of tool.
The younger man called out, and when the old man turned, he saw that the old man was blind.
To his surprise, the old man gave a sorrowful smile and said to the younger man, “why
have you taken the tree's eyes?”
The young man told his story, and the old man nodded his head. “I make the eyes for
these trees,” he said, “They have no arms or hands or legs, but they still wish to see the world.
You may keep them, but you must return them once you have completed your task.”
The young man was grateful at this, but asked one question to the older man. “If you are
blind, how could you tell that I stole the eyes from the tree?” The old man replied, “I don't need
eyes to see. Soon you will learn to see as well.”
The younger man left the forest and, with his vision returned, fought back against his
enemy and retook his place. The people hailed him, baffled by the miracle of his returned sight.
When nearly a year had passed, the younger man returned to the forest, now able to find his
way to the old man without being called. He gratefully returned the eyes to the old man, saying,
“I no longer need them. Now I can see.” The old man smiled, as this had been his purpose.
The ghost smiled back as I finished and passed through the bathroom door. I turned
and opened it to follow. As I stepped through the frame, my eyes were gone. But I could see.