12:19 P.M. | |
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Rownon Clannad, who has lived in the Partime Quarter his whole life, chose the wrong day to talk a walk. He was different from the other townsfolk because he was blind and he's always been blind. His only companions were his custom-made walking cane and his dog, a young Collie. Even with this disability, he knew his way around the town. It's not really surprising, since he takes a walk outside with his dog almost every day. He can judge distances and can remember what turns to make at the right times. And just like his dog, his hearing was also keen. The dog even knew how to turn on the TV whenever he'd ask her to. Weird, but it worked. One day they both went out. There was a really bad blizzard the day before so he had to be extra careful. |
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The day after the snowstorm proved to be quite an interesting one. The blind man got up from bed and the dog would bring him his daily clothes. He couldn't see at all to know which clothes he'd be seen in public with, so he just trusted her judgment. His television was on, and the news stated that the Galway Fair was going to held that very night, and that a little girl had been missing since yesterday. The two companions slowly headed downstairs and out the door. Under his shoes, Rownon noticed right away that the blizzard really hit hard, considering the fact he couldn't shovel the sidewalks. The snow was at least half a foot deep. For the time being, he decided to carefully take a stroll and make his way to the town's cathedral, the Creid Cathedral. |
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3:57 P.M. | |
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He took his usual route. The Collie knew where to take him. They both took a left on Rue La Michele and continued downward. After a few minutes, a unsuspecting woman came from behind them. She tapped him on the shoulder and he quickly turned around. "Excuse me," the woman asked, "Have you seen my daughter today or anytime yesterday? This is how she looks like." She put a picture up to his eyes. Rownon felt guilty not having to see how she looked like. "I'm sorry," he told her, "I'm sorry Miss, I won't be able to tell you, I'm blind." The woman reacted surprisingly, "Oh, I didn't know. I apologize about that, young man." She left, and he continued his walk down the street. |
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The dog and his master were on Rue Sant Valse when suddenly someone very small bumped into him. The dog kept quiet and calm though. She didn't even bark a sound. "I'm sorry mister," that person said. Telling by her voice, it was a little girl. "That's alright," the blind man responded. The little girl stared at him for a while. "Can you see?" she asked him. "Oh no, I'm blind, those who are blind-sighted are the ones who cannot see anything at all," he said to her. "Oh, " said the girl, "I like your dog." Rownon responded, "Thank you." Afterwards, they both parted. The little girl waved him bye, while holding on to her backpack and stuffed bear.
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8:16 P.M. | |
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After walking down two streets, he was already exhausted. The dog stopped all of a sudden and barked. It was a sign. They were finally at the Creid Cathedral. With his cane, he carefully walked up the steps and luckily, the door was open. One of the ushers saw him walk in, and by looking at his appearance, knew he was a blind person. He carefully took him by the arm and gave him a seat. He could sense the place was large, because the atmosphere seemed to echo. Suddenly, he heard someone sit next to him. "Is someone there?" the blind man asked. "Yes," a woman replied. She noticed his dog. "Wow, I've never seen a dog before," she said to him. "Never?" Rownon asked. "Nope, only in picture books as a kid," responded the woman. After they spoke, they both left the cathedral together and then went their own ways. |
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As Rownon walked by a house, he heard a familiar tune. A young lady came out and saw him. "Can I help you?" she asked. "I just like that song, the Seoithin Song, correct?" Rownon asked. It was playing on the young lady's record player. "Yes," she said. "I listened to it as a child," Rownon exclaimed. "Me too," said the young lady, "And did you hear? That missing girl finally reunited with her mother." Rownon heard it on her TV. "The missing child has now been found," said a news reporter. The reporter asked the mother what her daughter's name was. "Muireann," the mother replied. "Muireann Quinn," said the daughter. Rownon immediately recognized their voices: they were the voices of the woman and the little girl he had run into earlier that day. He was happy for them. She had finally found her.
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