His presence didn't freak me out as much as the lack of the normal yellow-green life-spark. The shadow continued to move, and in an instant, I identified the shape. Near the edge of the pond, I spotted a shadow moving. The lawn muffled the sound of my approach. But, I was too curious and hungry for answers to walk away. What if it wasn't an animal? What if it was someone like me? I could keep walking and whatever the spark was would never know I saw it. As interesting as that would be, the idea of my sight suddenly changing worried me. Perhaps this new color meant I could see something other than humans, maybe animals. There had never been a color variation before. So I monitored the area around me as I walked the path and started thinking of the homework I still needed to do.ĭistracted, I didn't at first notice the pale blue light with a bright green halo lingering near the pond. The void was endless, but my sight did have a maximum distance. Though no sparks decorated the darkness in the area around me, I kept my senses open. Before walking my usual path through the park, I opened my senses to make sure it was as deserted as it seemed. Dusk had already settled, casting shadows.

I stood at the entrance of the park while the bus pulled away with a screech of hydraulics. My spark had a vibrant orange halo, making me unique and alone.

The colors of the lights, always a yellow center and dark-green halo, never varied. Instead of blips on a radar, tiny sparks of light shimmered, matching the location of people in the area immediately around me.

When I focused, a vast darkness opened in my mind. I knew the locations of the people around me as if my head came equipped with a giant fish finder. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without express written permission from the author.

Hope less melissa haag