Glass Sight

~In the middle of an era that history had forgotten, a little girl was born.

During her birth, there had been no auspicious signs nor songbirds welcoming her into the world. There had only been the cries of her mother and the roaring thunder pounding mercilessly.

The moment her mother pushed for the final time, silence followed. The physician and midwives had assumed the baby was dead—no. The baby had refused to cry for the infant's eyes were as glassy as jade. The baby was overwhelmed by a looming darkness surrounding it. All around it, the color black followed.

The physician could only dejectedly tell the mother, "Your daughter is blind, I'm afraid."

The mother could only hold onto her newborn with a feeling of guilt. She or her husband had any medical problems, yet why was she born without the ability to see? She gently stroked her child's head, ignoring the tears streaming down her face.

Her daughter will suffer much hardships in the future, she knew. In fact, she might suffer just as many hardships for not giving her disabled child away. Yet when the glassy eyes turned in her direction, sensing her discomfort and hesitation, she sighed and hugged her daughter closer. "No matter if mother will have trouble, as long as you're okay, it's fine."

The moment the midwives and physician left the room, the father of the child immediately noticed their looks of melancholy, worry punching his jut, expecting the worst news.

"Your daughter is born, " the physician started out monotonously.

"Why do you sound so forlorn?" The father asked anxiously.

"Unfortunately, " the physician paused. "She is born blind."

The father staggered, clenching his heart. His newborn daughter was suffering and he had no way of easing the pain. Ignoring the physician and midwives, he rushed inside the room and saw his wife's bloodshot eyes full of tears.

"Husband, " she called out softly, her voice cracking. "our daughter."

She held out the baby and the man picked up extremely careful as though he held porcelain. He immediately noticed her glassy, colorless eyes and stifled a sob.

"What about our daughter's future?" The woman cried, "Society is not polite to those who carry disabilities! Society will mock my precious angel!" The woman voice rose by an octave and she suddenly spat out blood.

The man immediately yelled out for the physician to examine his wife.

The physician felt her weak pulse and gave the man a hopeless look, "She does not have much time, I'm afraid."

"Why!?" The man placed the newborn on the bed and slammed his clenched wrist on the table.

"Delivering the baby has taken a toll on her, " the physician said calmly, ignoring the man's outburst.

"Is there anything you could do? For either of them?" The man pleaded, throwing out whatever's left of his pride.

The physician sighed, "I can prescribe a tonic to make your wife better, but this will only extend her lifespan for a few weeks, one month at the most. As for your newborn daughter, " his eyes filled with pity, "Not even the most talented physician in the Song Continent will be able to help with her condition..."

The physician left a recipe for a tonic and left, leaving behind the trio.

"Husband, " the woman called out softly.

"Hmm? Don't worry about what that physician's saying, I'm sure it's nonsense." The man said, mostly trying to convince himself.

"Husband..."

"I'm sure you'll never leave me, "

"Husband..."

The man grasped her hands and cried, "My love... What sins have we committed in our past lives for the heavens to punish us so?"

"Husband, " the woman called out gently, "I want you to take care of our daughter."

"Su Mi! Don't leave me!" The man yelled out in agony when he noticed the woman was slowly starting to close her eyes. "I'll go make the tonic for you, right now!"

The woman's eyes flickered until they closed her good. Before she breathed her last breath, she whispered, "Yingyun, sorry mother isn't able to take care of you in this lifetime..."

The man held his beloved wife's body in his arms and cried. His agonizing sobs haunted the neighbors around them for the echoed on this ominous, stormy night.