You are blind, and always have been. One day, while riding the bus to the store, you see a girl sitting across from you.

I heard people talking about me when I approached the bus stop. They weren’t very subtle about it, but that doesn’t bother me much anymore. I’ve learned that people really aren’t subtle about anything. To me, they’re always talking loudly, even when they think they aren’t.

I heard the bus arrive, the hissing of its brakes and the clatter of its door as it opened. I picked up my stick and started walking forward.

When I stepped with my left foot, I tapped right. When I stepped with my right, I tapped left. Some people slide the stick across the ground, yet I liked tapping better.

My stick hit something in front of me, as usual. I lifted the stick a little, and it hit something again: the steps of the bus. I switch my stick from my right hand to my left. I reached to my right and grabbed the cold metal of the handrail, pulling myself up each step.

“Hey, Xavier,” a voice said ahead of me. I recognized the various bus drivers for this route a while ago. “Havin’ a good day so far?”

“Yeah, not too bad,” I replied. “How about you, Scott?”

“Oh yeah, can’t complain,” he laughed.

When I got up the steps, I shoved my stick into my right armpit and held it there. I dug around in my pocket for my bus pass, pulled it out, and felt around for the scanner. My hands found it, and I scanned my pass. The scanner chimed back at me.

“Thanks, man,” Scott said.

“Of course,” I said.

I put my bus pass away and took up my stick again. I made my way down the aisle, listening to everyone’s different conversations. I turned to my right and felt the back of a seat. No one was there, so I sat down slowly. I barely moved a muscle and felt the rest of the seat next to me, making sure not to be too weird if I touched a random stranger. Yet I had gotten the seat all to myself.

Niiiice, I thought.

I heard the bus door close and the announcements come on as Scott began to drive us away. I propped my stick up between my knees and leaned back a little, running my list of groceries through my head. I had ingredients for a recipe in mind, some other basic items, and maybe I’d get a soda just to treat myself.

Scott made another stop. By this point, I was humming a song and tapping my foot. I pushed my stick back and forth with my hands just for fun.

Then, I felt the seat move next to me. I heard a small sigh, and something warm brushed against my upper arm.

“Oh, excuse me,” a woman said.

Wow, she had a bright voice. It threw me off for a second.

“Oh no, don’t worry about it,” I told her, still facing ahead.

“Oh…” she trailed off.

I gripped my stick. She must’ve just noticed. I tried to play it off.

“Something wrong?” I asked, turning toward her a bit.

And yes, something was very wrong. Or absolutely right. Or… what the fuck?

I could see her.

At least, I could see her spirit, her ghost, whatever it was! I was at a loss.

I was completely blind and born that way, both of which are pretty rare. So I had never known what anything looked like: people, places, colors… I had never seen anything glow before. I had convinced myself that blind people had to have the wildest imaginations on the planet to picture everything in their minds, and even then, they had to wing it.

Was this real, or was this my imagination?

It sure felt real.

She sat there shyly, her hands in her lap. But her energy radiated. It surprised me, a lot like her voice had.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly.

It was almost as though she sang the words. I clamped my mouth shut, only just realizing that it had been hanging open. I probably looked ridiculous. I shook my head.

“You… do you know what’s going on?” I whispered.

“I do,” she said, keeping her voice down. “It doesn’t happen often, but I know it when I see it.”

I was so distracted, so confused. She was beautiful. Everything about her was light. For being the first thing I had ever seen… she basically ruined all else for me.

I didn’t want to, yet I brought myself back to the subject at hand.

“Uh, so… what’s happening?” I asked.

“What you’re seeing right now is my aura,” she explained.

“Uh huh.”

I sat up straight, moving my head left and right, and I couldn’t see any of the other passengers, parts of the bus, nothing. Business as usual. I settled back down into the seat. She was still sitting next to me, still glowing.

She was smiling.

I think I was in love. I smiled back.

I could see her, see someone, and in that moment, that was all that mattered in the world, whether it was real or not.

“I take it there’s a lot more to that then just being your aura,” I said.

She nodded. “Is your stop coming up?” she asked.

I laughed. I hadn’t kept track of anything since she joined me.

“That’s not important,” I responded. “Let’s get off at the next one.”

“Where would we go?”

Anywhere, I thought.

“Um, how about to a coffee place?” I suggested instead.

“Sure,” she said. “And we can stay there for a while. There’s… a lot I have to tell you.”

“Well, there’s a lot I want to know. Easy.”

She giggled.

“I like you,” she told me. “You’re taking this surprisingly well, much better than the others have.”

“Just how many people has this happened to, exactly?” I asked.

“It’s a really long story. Let’s get to where we’re going first.”

I reached up with my left hand and found the wire hanging above every seat. I pulled down on it, and a bell rang from the front of the bus. The announcement blared, “Stop requested.” While I put my left hand on my thigh, I moved my right hand toward her. I touched her hand, and she gasped.

“Would you mind helping me?” I asked.

She looked at me, and I looked back. She smiled again.

“That’s what I’m here for,” she said.

The bus slowed to a stop, and we both stood up. She linked our fingers together and led the way. I picked up my stick with my free hand, and I followed her off the bus without even saying goodbye to Scott.

I’d follow her wherever she took me.