I find it impossible to believe that Amahle, who has been blind from birth, can somehow see the color orange. Maybe she even sees a shape but doesn’t recognize what a shape is. But that is absurd.
No one else believes it, either. Except for Joy.
Amahle sits down on the deck and Joy sits cross-legged beside her. Amahle practices ‘looking’ at the orange sun, with Joy holding her hand.
When it becomes clear that this is going to be Amahle’s and Joy’s day, and that Justin is going to remain with Joy, Colin and Yumio each go to their own dreams. Madelyn goes elsewhere in Justin’s dream to dream about whatever she wants to.
Suzy, Master Mind and I remain on the deck.
Justin joins us in looking at them from the opposite railing, as we watch the two try out different things.
The setting sun Amahle has summoned moves right and left. Amahle shakes her head.
“She didn’t see movement,” I tell Justin and Suzy.
“Nope,” Justin says.
A few minutes later, the setting sun grows bigger and smaller. Amahle shakes her head.
Justin begins to bite his fingernails.
“What is it, dear?” Suzy asks him.
He rolls his eyes and waves her off.
An hour passes. Now they are experimenting with different orange shapes. Amahle always shakes her head.
Amahle sighs.
“It looks like she can only see the color, if at all,” I say.
Justin is still biting his fingers.
“Justin. What is it?” Suzy asks again.
“If I know Joy, she’s thinking about how different she is from all the other people she knows. She is so different. She can make things stay. She lives in the Dream. And now she can make a blind woman see the color orange. It hurts her so much to be different. Oh, there you go,” he points at her. “Tears. She’s crying, but silently so Amahle won’t hear. She wants to help her.”
Justin goes to Joy and sits behind her. He hugs her from behind.
She clings to him, while not making a bit of noise and not letting go of Amahle.
“It’s a great gift to be able to make someone see,” Justin says.
Tears fall down Joy’s cheeks.
(To be continued…)
—Told by Grampa Walt