Pocket Stories: Enlightened

Prompt: The dark is all I have ever known.

Julianne heard the doorbell ring and made her way confidently to the front door, her way marked by the rhythmic click of her tongue on the roof of her mouth. She found the door handle and pulled the door open, exposing her home to the sounds of her friends waiting on her doorstep. She recognized most of their voices.

 "Come in, come in," she said with a bob of her head. She wasn't always quite sure when people were so she didn't want to wave her hand and knock into somebody.

 Several someones trooped past her into the open front room. One of these someones stopped and Julianne felt arms wrap around her.

 "Hey Julianne. I hope you don't mind, but I found Mark wandering around like a lost puppy and asked him if he wanted to come over too." Kari's voice was kind and warm. 

 Julianne answered, "Of course I don't mind. Mark, wherever you are, come on in and join us. I'm not sure what seats are open, but my horribly rude friends will make room for both of us." Slow, thick steps came closer to her. She tilted her head to figure out if he was far enough away from the door to close it.

 "Thanks." Mark added quietly, "I wasn't really lost. I overheard Kari talking about this game night and I've always hoped for an excuse to officially meet you." 

 She shut the door and prayed she didn't squish him with it. "Me? Why me?"

 They joined her friends in the next room. Her friends were making enough noise to tell her exactly when to swerve to avoid hitting the door jam with her face.

 "How do you do that?" she heard Mark ask. 

 "Do what?" She asked as Kari helped guide her to an open seat. Clicking only worked in quiet places.

 "How do you avoid stuff like that? You didn't even touch it." Julianne heard Dennis tell him to shush.

 "Naw, he's okay Dennis. Noobs can ask whatever questions they want." She turned to where she remember him standing last. "It's the noise. It bounces off of solid things and leaves an emptiness behind. Um, gosh this is harder to explain than I thought. I guess, well, when no one is here I make clicks to figure out where stuff is."

 "She's a human bat man, so if you move her furniture you better put it back." Kyle piped in.

 "But don't you miss being able to see?" Mark pressed.

 "See? I've never been able to see. The dark is all I've ever known, and it welcomes me with open arms. At least I think it does, it's hard to tell in the dark." 

 Everyone laughed as they got the game set up.



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