The Book of Sight Read Free

great to be outside again.”
    Collecting all the gear, he led the way down to the creek. Alex followed, soaking in the beauty all around her. The sun was starting to hurt her eyes, but she still couldn’t get enough of looking at everything. The grass even…was there a name for that shimmering shade of green?
    All morning as she sat on the bank, chatting with her dad and, true to his prediction, not catching any fish, Alex could not stop feeling overwhelmed by the colors and the brightness around her. She stared around so much she could feel a headache coming on and finally lay back against a log and closed her eyes to rest them. Even through her eyelids she could see the sunlight, muted and pastel. It was lovely, but it didn’t help the headache any. She leaned over and dipped her hands in the water and pressed them against her face.
    She must have been making a pained face because her dad looked concerned and asked, “You alright, baby? Getting too hot?”
    “No, I’m fine, Dad. It’s just the sun getting to my eyes a little.”
    “You want to borrow my sunglasses?”
    “Sure. Thanks.”
    She slid the sunglasses on, and the change was so abrupt it was startling. Everything was incredibly dark. It felt like being blind. A strange sense of panic swept over her, and she pulled the glasses off. The sunlight exploded around her again causing her to squint. Still, she didn’t put the glasses back on.
    Instead, she said, “I think I’m going to go sit in the shade for a little bit, Dad.”
    “Hey, we can just pack up and head home, if you’re ready, Magna.”
    “Yeah, that might be good. My head is hurting a little.”
    “No problem. I’ll get the poles. You pack up the rest of the lunch.”
    It was then, when Alex turned to fold up the picnic blanket, that she saw it. Or rather, saw
him
. Right at the edge of the trees, standing among a clump of wildflowers in the grass, was a tiny man, less than a foot tall. Alex froze. She didn’t take her eyes off the little man. He was looking right back at her, not moving. She noticed that he was wearing all green, the same green as the grass, and had on a hat of just the same purple as the flowers. In fact, he blended in so perfectly that she wouldn’t have seen him at all if it hadn’t been for his eyes. They were a light gold and gleamed in the reflected light from the creek.
    “Ready?”
    Alex jumped at her dad’s hand on her shoulder. She looked back toward the little man, but there was nothing. Just a clump of flowers. She shook herself. This headache was obviously worse than she thought. Alex continued folding up the blanket and put it in the basket with the leftover food.
    When she straightened up, there he was again, in another clump of flowers closer to the creek this time.
    “Dad, look at that!” She grabbed his arm and pointed.
    “At what? The flowers?”
    “In the flowers…that little guy!”
    “What little guy?”
    She turned to him in disbelief. It was so close! How could he not see him? He was looking right where she was pointing. She turned back. The little man was gone again. Did she just imagine that? She narrowed her eyes and scanned the bank but couldn’t see anything. Suddenly her head was throbbing.
    “I don’t see anyone, honey,” her dad was watching her closely. “Are you okay? That headache getting worse?”
    “Yeah, I don’t feel very good. I thought I saw… Must have just been my eyes playing tricks on me.”
    “Let’s get you home, baby.”
    At home, Alex lay on the couch in the cool, dark family room. She couldn’t sleep, but it felt good to have her eyes closed. Without meaning to, she found herself thinking about the little man she thought she saw…and the unnatural brightness of the day…and the whispering trees last night…and the dreams about the wonderful story. It all led back to the strange book. She sat up.
    The book was next to her bed upstairs. Alex picked it up and ran her hand over the cover. It was old and