Amoona and Solsun

     Before life as we know it was as it was, humanity lived in perpetual darkness. There was no night or day, people would sleep when they tired and awoke whenever they awoke. Everyone was blind, for what was the point in opening your eyes when there was nothing to see? They all assumed the world must be a dreadful place for it to have nothing to show them in return for their prosperity and care of its environment. It got so common, that babies born stopped opening their eyes at all.

     Having their eyes shut at all times, no one knew what each other looked like. They would ask each other what they could, like what gender they were, how long their hair was, if they were short or tall. There were no such things as marriage or even courtship. No one cared about outward appearances, for there were none. They would simply agree to have a baby, do their thing, and leave, most certainly never meeting the other person again. That was how it was.

     And that was exactly how Solsun was born. He entered the world just like any other human had, but he did something no one else did. He opened his eyes.

    What beauty there was in the two spots on his person! They shone with a radiance no one could see, but could sense in the red tint their eyelids adopted. Solsun could watch anything there was to watch. He saw his mother, alone in her house, eyes gently closed, but turned upwards in a big grin. She whispered to him and stroked him, told him he was her love, but never attempting to gaze at her son's undiscovered magnificence.

   As Solsun grew, he accepted his odd way of life. He saw color in everything, from the dusty gray of the gravel roads leading people from their home to the work houses, to the shimmering orange and reds of the koi fish in a fishing pond. He also saw all the people, and wondered how they could go day to day with eyes closed so tight. He never asked aloud, for his mother had taught him early on that there was nothing to see, and that he would realize that soon enough. Giving up on trying to convince people of the beautiful reality they lived in, Solsun privately relished in his gift, with the thought of showing the world someday what they were missing resting comfortably in the back of his mind.

    After waking up one day, Solsun was walking around the nearby woods at the foot of the mountain adjacent to his village. There were hunters carefully cutting tree limbs for lumber all around, just as they normally would be. Taking in the sights, he almost didn't see her. It wasn't hard to. The only thing that made the girl stand out was that she, too, was gazing at the majestic surroundings.

     Solsun could not help but stare at this girl. He had never seen her before, but then again, most people kept to themselves. She was fairly pretty, with a round face and short silver hair cut close to her head. Her eyes were kind and shone brightly too, casting a dulled shine wherever her gaze rested. When it came to rest on him, she had to squint, the light coming from his own eyes much more powerful than her own. Solsun motioned for this girl to follow him away from judgemental ears.

   When she met him, he demanded that she tell her name. "I am Amoona," she responded, "and I assume that you, too can see what others refuse to see?"

     "I can," said Solsun, and introduced himself. He inquired as to why she wasn't as radiant as he was, as far as the intensity of her eyes. She said she didn't know, but that the world around her, though different than how Solsun saw it, was a different kind of beauty. "It is dark, I can see it in the corners of my eyes. But everything I look upon shines silver, and water sparkles like spiderwebs in the early morning. Different creatures appear, too, like winged mice and frogs with bubble necks that make strange but comforting sounds. It is extraordinary, but I am the only one who can see it, and it makes me so sad."

      Solsun liked this girl, and having similar ambitions, they tried to figure out a way to show their people how the world really was. Amoona thought for a while, then came up with a plan that she could see herself, Solsun, and the rest of humanity being very happy with. They started immediately.