CHAPTER 8 - THE BLIND AND THE GENIUS
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Inevitably, they were all led towards the tents. From that day forward, it was likely to be a day of rest, but as everyone felt in their minds, it was nothing more than a brief, anxious calm before the storm. Each of them could only think about the grueling trials that awaited them the next day.
Natirra was escorted by guards who led her to a specific area in the tent. The tents were large, very large, stretching exponentially horizontally. Inside, they were divided by curtains, each one representing what was supposed to be interpreted as a “room.”
Though Natirra wasn’t entirely convinced by this arrangement, at least she had a decent place to sleep.
Entering the tent, each group was separated into different sections, and fortunately (a rarity for her, as she didn’t have much luck), Natirra ended up in a small room with five people, including herself, Monomia, and Riaca.
She realized this as soon as she reached the area, surrounded by curtains that acted as "walls" (though they could easily be removed or torn). She moved inside under the soldiers’ orders.
Her brain couldn’t quite register it as a home, because she could still feel the grass beneath her; after all, it was still a tent. However, the sight of her two friends, one an old companion and the other a new acquaintance, lifted her spirits.
The guards left, and the curtains were closed, but Natirra noticed something. The beds in the room were more than three, which meant there were others besides her.
Natirra glanced around the room before anyone spoke and saw who the newcomers were. One of them, ironically enough, was that childish girl, Eneas, who had made that bizarre scene in front of the general.
The other person stayed in the corner of the room, minding his own business.
"Could’ve been worse," Natirra thought, and in a way, she was right. She was happy to be reunited with her friends.
The two narwhals, Riaca and Monomia, weren’t exactly on friendly terms, which Natirra understood; after all, they had just met. But at the sight of Natirra, both of them perked up.
«"It’s a stroke of luck, really,"» Monomia said, standing up from the bed he was sitting on. The way they were positioned gave a sense of haste. They were packed together like pieces of a puzzle, but it made sense; the room was indeed quite small.
This time, Monomia’s usual loud voice came through normally. Since the walls were essentially non-existent, you could clearly hear the voices of everyone outside, so there was a need to speak a little louder.
«"Yeah, truly. I was afraid I’d have to spend my days with this idiot,"» Riaca said, with Monomia quickly turning to respond.
«"Hey! You shouldn’t say things like that."»
«"Well..."» Natirra glanced once more at the two other individuals. Eneas had curled up in a corner of the room, her hands over her face, trembling in a ball. The other guy didn’t dare look at anyone and stared at the tent wall.
«"...We’re not alone, you know."»
«"True,"» Monomia agreed. «"We tried talking to them, but they don’t seem in the mood..."»
«"They keep ignoring us,"» Riaca added, explaining further. «"The girl just trembles, and that guy... Well, he stares at the tent, and frankly, it’s creepy."»
«"Mmh..."» Natirra scratched her head, thinking. Meanwhile, Monomia sat back down on his bed, and Riaca remained standing, hands in her pockets.
«"But!"» Monomia exclaimed. «"I’ve got to say, these beds are pretty comfy."»
«"Only someone like you would say that. I’d pay to sleep at home,"» Riaca replied.
Natirra did something unusual. She approached the corner of the room, where Eneas sat trembling. Riaca and Monomia watched from a distance, not questioning her, letting her act.
Eneas quickly noticed Natirra’s shadow looming over her and looked up.
«"You know, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you really need to stop crying."»
Natirra and Eneas stared at each other for a considerable amount of time, almost like they were challenging each other to see who would blink first.
«"Otherwise, you’re just going to get yourself into more trou—"»
«"Waaa!"» Eneas burst into tears, startling Natirra momentarily and catching the attention of Riaca and Monomia. Even the stoic boy turned his head. Eneas then entered a state of wild, desperate frenzy, rolling frantically on her bed like a child who didn’t get the candy they wanted.
«"Waa! I don’t want this! I want to go home! I’m scared! I want to go home! Waaaa!"»
Everyone in the tent, clueless about what to do, stood around like parents watching a baby cry non-stop.
«"Plan B,"» Monomia announced, before lunging forward to reach Eneas. Suddenly, he grabbed her by the horn, and as Eneas struggled with all her might, now even more terrified by the frightening grip, Monomia shouted into her ear.
«"Listen to me! Stop crying, or the generals will tear you apart!"»
«"Nooo! I don’t want that! Nooo!"»
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«"You’re just scaring her more!"» Riaca shouted in Monomia’s face.
Natirra turned. The boy who had been staring at the wall got up from his bed and approached the scene. When he arrived, Monomia let go and stepped back, realizing the boy was about to do something.
Eneas was still thrashing on the ground, and in a bizarre move, the boy punched her square in the face, breaking her glasses.
Before anyone could say anything, Eneas stopped crying and stood up as if nothing had happened.
«"What... What the..."» Natirra couldn’t explain the magic that had just unfolded before her. What on earth had happened? Had he just reset her brain?
The boy turned to the confused trio. «"I had my suspicions before, but this confirms it."»
He waved two fingers in front of the childlike girl’s eyes, who looked around confused. «"Psst, Eneas. How many fingers do you see?"»
«"Uh... Uh..."»
The trio gasped. «"What the hell?! She’s speaking normally! No terrified shouting!"»
«"Exactly."» The boy, with a proud smile, continued his earlier theory. «"If she’s scared of everything she sees... Without her glasses, she won’t see anything!"»
«"You’re a genius!!!"» The trio exclaimed enthusiastically.
«"Of course I am,"» the boy replied, pointing to his own face. «"I’m Igre, the smartest narwhal on the whole island."»
«"Quit bragging!!!"» The trio shouted, a little less enthusiastic.
Eneas, now wandering around without her broken glasses, was completely blind, and with that, also completely oblivious to why she had been scared in the first place. It was as if, by removing her sight and taking away the things that frightened her, she had forgotten entirely why she had been terrified to begin with, returning to an original state of peace. That state would likely persist until her vision returned, which, with her broken glasses, seemed improbable.
Riaca asked about the situation.
«"Wait a minute, but if she can’t see now, isn’t that technically worse?"»
«"Don’t doubt my genius. I’ve solved your problem. Now she won’t freak out when she sees pirates! Because she won’t see them!"»
«"Did someone say... P-pirates?! I hate pirates! No!"»
Everyone glanced around in panic, but Eneas inevitably calmed down again. Natirra, more than anyone, had more questions.
«"So what do we do with her now? I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep her blind forever."»
«"Maybe not for you,"» Igre announced, «"But for me, it sounds pretty ideal."»
Monomia chimed in. «"We’ll figure it out later. For now, let’s just get her to calm down."»
«"Right,"» everyone agreed with a shared look. By that point, each of them had already settled into their beds. Eneas was the only one still standing, not sure what to do without being able to see.
«"Eneas,"» Monomia called out. Eneas turned in a random direction.
«"Wh-who’s calling?"»
«"Are you calmer now?"»
«"I was already calm."»
«"You were crying earlier,"» Riaca said.
«"Yeah, I just hate pirates, and soldiers."»
«"And now?"» Natirra asked.
«"Now I don’t see any, so I’m okay."»
Everyone exchanged a look of astonishment, mixed with the urge to facepalm.
«"Do you see anything?"» Igre asked, though he knew the answer.
«"No, nothing at all, but that punch really hurt."»
"I’m surrounded by lunatics," Natirra thought, trying to make sense of this surreal situation. How could someone so terrified just moments ago completely forget everything after losing their sight?
Yet, deep down, she was slightly grateful that there had finally been a moment of calm. The day hadn't even passed completely, and she had already experienced an enormous amount of oddities. It felt strange to think that, just the day before, none of these things had happened yet, and she had barely walked out of school peacefully.
Everyone, now in a state of calm, and Eneas on the floor, returned to silence. Until Monomia, as usual, opened up the conversation again.
«"Well, now we all know each other..."»
Eneas, motionless in the center of the room, sat down on the grass floor, unaware of a way to reach the bed, as she couldn't see a thing. The action made Natirra feel pity for her, but it was still better than her constant screaming.
Igre lay down on his bed. «"Exactly. We have a whole month ahead of us."»
"A month, huh..." The air became quiet and awkward, and Natirra, flattened by a sense of shame that appeared at the moment the silence hit the group, didn't know what to say. No one dared to start any kind of conversation.
She observed her group, reflecting on everything that had led her there. Finally, she had some time for herself, for her own thoughts.
Eneas interrupted that moment. «"I'm hungry, does anyone have something to eat?"»
Igre chuckled a bit. «"Well, ask the generals."»
«"Generals?! We're in a military camp?! Why didn’t you tell me?"»
«"Hey, Igre... Is that your name?"» Riaca asked. «"Did you make her hit her head? It seems like she totally forgot where she is."»
Eneas exclaimed. «"I can hear you!"»
«"Some people are like that, I guess, a bit odd. It’s not my fault."»
«"For someone who claims to be the smartest on the island, you certainly don’t give good answers."»
«"Well, I keep my wit hidden!"»
«"It won’t help you against the pirates..."»
«"Did someone say pirates?!"» Eneas exclaimed, and everyone rushed to reassure her. Apparently, her eyes were blind, but her hearing was not. And it was now clear that everything she heard gave her the same effect as if she had seen it. If making her blind had solved part of the problem, now they simply had to avoid bringing up topics that could scare her.
Once again, several moments of silence descended upon the group.
They were supposed to stay there for the entire day, in that room, doing nothing but trying to entertain each other. And this routine would be repeated for a long time; it almost sounded like torture.
Natirra thought again. Recently, she had had nothing but her own mind to keep herself entertained. But with other people in the room, it became difficult to think alone. And despite every time silence fell, something always came up in the end.
Igre crossed her arms, fixing her gaze on Monomia. «"You're way too calm. Compared to the others."»
«"This kind of stuff doesn’t scare me."» Monomia responded with a sincere smile. Natirra, watching, understood what Igre meant. Everyone else had expressions that hid some sort of nervousness, and Monomia was the only one who seemed truly calm.
«"No..."» Igre kept a slight smile. «"You’re hiding something. Aren’t you afraid of pirates?"»
Riaca chimed in. «"Oh, now something interesting is coming out. Go ahead, tell us."»
Monomia laughed cheerfully. «"Oh gosh! You caught me. Alright, alright. I do know a little something about pirates, after all."»
«"W-what?!"» Eneas suddenly stood up, trembling. «"Did I hear... Pirates?! Waa-"» Before she could do anything, Riaca grabbed her and covered her ears. As if nothing had happened, Eneas returned to a sort of inner calm. «"Uh, what’s going on? Why are my ears covered?"»
Everyone ignored her, and Monomia began to narrate. «"Of course I’m not afraid of pirates. I’ve met them."»
Natirra was surprised. «"What?... Really?"»
«"Exactly."»