Colorblind

by Siera Maley

I saw what I’d missed when I’d first taken in her appearance at my front door: a thin handmade bracelet encircled her wrist, repeatedly bearing, in order, the six colors of the rainbow.

“But it feels like… everything’s grey to you.”

You need a little color in your world, you know? Even most of your movies are in black and white.”

“So doesn’t he spend his spare time smoking weed and contemplating the meaning of life while staring up at the stars? And then the next day he’ll spend the whole work shift mumbling about how we’re all ants or cogs in the machine and in the long run we’re not going to make any difference in the world?”

Chloe’d started a new era where I could see more than just a few different shades. I considered giving up old movies. I considered kissing her the next time I saw her.

“God, you’re beautiful,” she sighed out. “If I wasn’t so busy wanting you, I’d so want to be you.”

I saw her father’s hands before I could look away, and knew instinctively that this was the moment I’d see over and over again, every night when I closed my eyes. His hands were stained with dried blood.

“It might look impossible to survive, but you aren’t meant to die tonight, so you won’t.