Her name is Dawn

 As she open the door, from the cold and still room I stepped out first, glide my a few steps then she followed. She shut the door slowly and leans on it. She took off her blue-framed eyeglasses and wipes her eyes with her hands. I look at her face, there is no written emotion on it, no, I am pretty sure there is, there is too much of it that I can hardly decipher. I know deep down she’s hurting now. I can’t clearly explain but I feel the same way too. She is staring back at me now, again blankly. I want to take a few deep breaths to ease the tense outside and within. We are at the middle of the long pathway lined with doors. White and still, it fills my emptiness. I want to comfort her at least, hug her and tell her that I am here to listen to those things that frightening her, to those things that she walled inside her, I want to tell her that this time she could cry. But I can’t move forward to cross the distance. All I can do is to watch her while her emotions devour her soul little by little. She is sobbing now. My eyes meet hers, not that big but through it you could see her world, a world full of hopes and dreams. She ascended slowly, leaving me behind. Though all I can see now is her back, her face remains in my eyes. Not so lovely as dove but everyone loves her. She is the girl with the brightest smile and the most mesmerizing pair of eyes; connotatively and literally. Yes, I love those pair of dark, round and twinkling eye as she smile. Her eyes. . .

The weak sound footsteps stopped abruptly as if she heard my mind. Then she ascends again. I followed her through her endless path.

Her name is Dawn, and it suits her well, for me she is a sun that is going to break from the nights’ nest, a light that is bright but it does not hurt your eyes rather it could touch your heart. I hope everyone could see that ray of love.

A girl who is curious with the mission she has here in this world. She wants to inspire but she can’t, and everyone seems blind of the dawn.

Her family, she always want to feel the word “family”, to internalize the word “home” but she always goes back to the huge, full of material things but for her is hollow, a house but not a home. After that accident few years ago, this is now her home.

Her friends, there are many of them, looking for her comforting words, for her hopeful deeds and for her light heart. But for her she is stranger to them; an intruder. The other side of her doesn’t exist in their world. There is no room for her another self; for the Dawn they used to be with is the one who is always optimistic, light-hearted and too high spirited to be fragile and weary. She is the adviser, mentor and a shoulder.

Of the entire person who knew her, I want to tell you, you are looking at the calm sea water in the shade of the blue heavens. Inside her, deep within, a raging emotion that needs to be understands. She needs you, to give back those things she gave, she also needs someone to do those things she done for you.

Dawn never stops hoping that someday, they could see her worth, beyond her laugh.

Behind those eyes.

I was consumed with the thoughts about myself, my own question of identity when I heard something fell beside me, followed by the crush of glass. I look down, the blue-framed eyeglasses fall on the tiled floor, and the whole classroom fills with curiosity, mumbling and whispering. Some approach the corner where I and . . .

Dawn passed out!

She is lying on the cold floor unconsciously; I didn’t move to give way to those hurrying guys that will give her a lift; for they could be able to persist easily. I just watch her upside-down face lifted along with her senseless weight. A drop of tiny, glittering liquid rolls down and fell into a piece of shattered eyeglasses.

The other day, news broke all over the college or maybe around the campus, a girl named Dawn was blind by now. For me it is no surprise at all, from the beginning I knew what’s going on and this scene will happen sooner or later. I can’t speak to anybody how I have witness how Dawn battled with her vision for at least a month now. Blurry at first, so she have to wear glasses, but her condition got worst each day, from blurred to gray, and to white and to gray again until on her world, just apiece of light remains.

“Your daughter was referred to me by Mr. Rocho; her optalmologists, I am a neurologists who checks her condition a month ago.” I am in the same room again, looking at Natalia; Dawn’s mom. She is very tired of the fact that her only daughter that she deserted intentionally was on the other room, waiting for the dim light in her eyes to disappear. She has many things want to ask, but she doesn’t know what is the question that she is going to ask first, was it how? Or was it why? She doesn’t have any idea. And I hate her for that. How a mother does not know what her daughter is going through.

“Your daughter mentioned a car accident that she was involved few years ago.” The doctor continued.

Natalia’s pain doubled because of the memories that make her a stiff and insensible mother to Dawn. It is a car accident where she lost her husband, Dawn’s dad.

“A fragment of her skull that was clung in its’ stem for a long time enough to be left unnoticed by the former medical examination after the accident. And few months ago it was detached and started to moved, causing an abrasion to the optic nerve that makes her suffer a great headache and vision impairment” I have heard of it before, though medical terms is not that easy to understand, the idea of it makes me so worried and sad for Dawn while the fact that I can’t do anything makes me feel worsen.

“You don’t have to cry, see your mom is back, your friends are here for you, many of them sympathize…” Dawn is talking to herself, she smiled and continue, “ Remember how beautiful the eclipse is.”

Eclipse? I don’t get it. How could she say that eclipse is beautiful? It is dark.

Dawn’s condition went worse and worse. From the later medical exams, they found out that they are not simply dealing with the loss of vision, Dawn is facing death! The fragment needs to be out of her head but too risky. It breaks my heart; perhaps, the empathy grew from me blooms to its breadth. Pity that dying little soul.

I sit quietly, I am thinking what will I am going to do, I reflected for the times that I am here. . . Watching Dawn.

“Before I die want to see the world with colors, the world in light,” She once told herself “Eclipse is just temporary darkness.” And I sigh.

I don’t know how long will I stay, I just witnessed and going to witness how Dawn’s story change live, perspective and vision of those people around her.

The silence broke when Dawn screamed. Was she hurt? No. She is . . . Smiling, her eyes is glittering before the white wall of the room.

“Mom! I can see! Mom!” tears rolled down.

The doctors rush into her, was they’re going to witness a miracle?

I am just standing, watching them, the doctors, Natalia, and Dawn. I felt something odd, as if my whole world is twisting. The scene in front of me gets blurrier and blurrier, it is seems too far to comprehend now, then I was absorbed by the seemingly infinite portal.

I found myself standing in an empty place, wearing a white ankle length dress. Then I saw a girl standing opposite to me. She is also in a dress similar with mine.

Her name is Dawn. I came forward; I offered my hand, and our fingers met. It is nothing but a cold glass that seems divided us… Dawn is standing at the other side of the dividing glass wall.

A glass? No. It is a… It is my own reflection; it is not a glass but a mirror!

Eclipse, a beautiful eclipse, I understand now.

Her name is Dawn.

And. . .

I am Dawn.