Amahle puts her right hand to her temple. “I will try.”
The last sunset disappears and all around us, on top of the permanent ocean, the streets of Johannesburg appear.
“Can you see it, Joy?”
We all look around. “We see Johannesburg, Amahle,” Madelyn says. “But there is no sun.”
Joy reaches out to hold Amahle’s left hand, but Amahle raises it to her temple as well. “Sun,” she says. “Sun.”
And a sun appears right above the horizon. An orange sun about to set. Unlike all other sunrises, this time the sun’s light does not influence the sky. The blue sky doesn’t change color. Just there, at the bottom, there is powerful, setting orange sun.
“I see it!” Madelyn exclaims.
“I see it!” Yumio says.
Justin laughs. “I can’t believe it, Amahle! You dreamed about a sunset!”
I am shocked as well. Yes, it’s not as realistic as the other suns. But Amahle has never seen the sun, has never seen color, has never seen the sky. She is blind from birth, and yet she created a sunset in Justin’s dream with her imagination. How is that possible?
“Fabulous,” says Colin and taps Amahle’s shoulder.
“You did it, Amahle!” Joy grabs Amahle’s hand excitedly.
Amahle gasps in shock and takes a step back.
“What is that?!” she points forward. “What is that?!”
We all look around. Rockets come out of Master Mind’s exoskeleton. One of Yumio’s huge robotic mechas appears outside the ship. We are all ready for action.
“What are you hearing?” Justin says, a laser pistol in his hand. “Where’s the danger?”
“There! There!” Amahle points forward. “What is that?”
We all look around. None of us can see anything.
“There! There! I cannot describe it! What is it?”
Joy takes her hand away from Amahle, putting one hand on the hilt of her sword, the other ready to unholster her laser pistol.
“It’s gone!” Amahle says, relieved.
“It’s Joy,” my mind sees at least a possible causality. “It’s when she touches Amahle.”
“What?” Amahle says.
“Hold on,” I raise my hand. “Let’s do a little scientific experiment. Can Charlie hold your hand instead?”
“Yes, yes,” Amahle says, clearly distraught.
“Charlie, is that okay?”
Charlie nods and gives Amahle his hand. She shakes her head. “Nothing.”
“Now you, Joy.”
Charlie steps back and Joy takes Amahle’s hand. Amahle gasps. “What is that!” she says. “What is that?”
Amahle falls to her knees.
“Amahle!” Joy shouts and takes away her hand.
“No! No!” Amahle flails her hands to try and find Joy’s. “Give me your hand!”
Joy gives Amahle her hand. Amahle, on her knees, says. “No. Nothing now.”
She straightens her back and suddenly gasps again. “What is it? What is it?”
And, on her knees, grabbing on to Joy’s hands, she begins to sob. Music fills the dream, the music that Amahle hears in her mind. It is not sad music, but beautiful music. It is so beautiful, it makes Madelyn, Suzy, and Justin gasp.
“What is it?” Amahle says through her sobs as the beautiful music continues. “What is it?”
And with that, she disappears.
It is not yet morning for her. The experience of the dream was too intense and she woke up from it.
(To be continued…)
—Told by Grampa Walt