Prompt: You have been completely color blind your entire life and only seen in shades of grey. You come across a stranger that appears totally in color.
He put on his shoes that he knew were black. They were a darker color than the blue shoes. That was how he knew. He didn't bother glancing in the mirror. There was no point. His head was shaved so there was no hair to be combed. He only paid attention as he dressed, knowing the shades of grey and black.
"What am I forgetting?" Vince asked himself. He laughed, spotting his sunglasses. He slipped them on then locked the door on his way out.
Achromotopsia the doctors had called it. His eyes could not see color because of the lack of cones. Rods and cones in your eyes allow you to see colors, but without cones you see greys. You also become sensitive to light, very sensitive. His total color blindness was rare and unexplained. He hadn not gained it from a great grandfather in Micronesia where it was more common. He was born into a world of grays and the doctors were unable to tell his parents why.
People had no idea what achromotopsia meant though. And they were guffawed at even the idea of total color blindness. Ninety percent of people don't even know how their eyes work. They take for granted the whole rainbow completely unaware that eight percent of the world couldn't visualize 'the red carpet treatment' or how brown brown sugar actual was. Now 'shades of grey' he understood clearly.
Stepping out of his apartment building the light was intense as his eyes attempted to adjust. Everything was a little brighter to him. He walked passed the line of cars parked along the curb, ignoring them all for none belonged to him. Instead he unlocked his bike from the rack and mounted.
Vince had decided long ago that driving wasn't for him. Obviously the traffic light colors were a problem, but it's not hard to remember the red is on top and green is on bottom. He chose to avoid cars because sunlight bothered him too much. With a bicycle he could stop without holding anyone up. He could go his own pace and take different routes without majority of the rules of the road to hold him back.
With his backpack carrying his laptop and important portfolios he took the usual route to his office. Being an editor was not a job that required colored vision. He only needed a sharp eye and an attentive mind. He loved reading manuscripts and synopses. Sometimes his eyes would get tired, but he had adjusted the light in his office to optimize his vision. He'd been told that his office looked like a rich baron's study with hooded lamps and heavy leather chairs. That was a compliment as far as he was concerned.
Stopping at a corner, he looked either way and waited. He would go when the cars went to avoid interrupting the morning traffic. The pedestrians were busy rushing in the crosswalk in front of him. Business folk, men and women, in suits and skirts bustled by. So many of them were talking on their phones or staring at them. A mother pushing a stroller, her baby babbling, walked by.
Then Vince saw something strange, the strangest thing he had ever seen. A man, across the street, waiting to cross wearing a red ball cap. His jacket was tan, not some light grey color, but actually tan. And he wore faded blue jeans.
Red, tan, faded blue? What was this? Quickly Vince looked around. The stoplights were still greys. The cars were greys. He scanned, but the red baseball cap stood out like a beacon. The light changed to green, another bright grey to him, and the cars moved. Vince waited, watching the colored man and found himself following the man.
He pedaled smoothly, slowly and stared in disbelief. The man was walking along, looking about a bit nervously. They went on like this for a few blocks. The red hat man turned down a side street. Vince turned, completely ignoring that he was now late for work. His meeting in half an hour would have to wait. Vince needed to talk to this man. He needed to understand why this guy was in color when the world had only ever been shades of grey and light. The man turned at a shop, an old sew and vac repair shop, and entered. Vince nearly jumped off his bike and hastily locked it to a light pole.
Rushing into the shop he barely noticed the old man sitting near the door. The man in the ball cap disappeared into the back of the store. Vince followed him through a door and down a set of stairs. He stopped midway when the man knocked on a door at the bottom of the steps.
A slat slid open at eye level. The person behind the door said something. The red hat man said something in reply. A loud click echoed up the stairs and the door opened. Panic flooded Vince as he realized he was going to lose his bounty. He clamored down the stairs, but the door clicked back into place before he reached the bottom. Vince pounded on the door.
The slat opened. A shadowed face peered through.
"Password?"
"I need to get in," Vince plead.
"What's the password?"
"Please, I need to see him," Vince begged , his hands against the door. It was metal and felt thick. The slat slid shut and the door clicked. Slowly it opened revealing shadows. Vince hesitated, but his desire to talk to the red ball capped man won out.
There was only one hall that went to the right. Vince took off his sunglasses and stepped cautiously door the dim corridor. As he reached the end of the hall a strange light reached his eyes. There was something here, something different and possibly dangerous he felt.
Vince stopped when he saw the hallway turned to he left. He knew something was around the corner besides the man in color. It suddenly occurred to him that he should not be there. He should be in his office reviewing a manuscript, preparing for a conference call. He should not be in a secret, password guarded basement under a sew and vac shop.
But the color, the red he had seen, had drawn him. He was baited like a trout, he couldn't let go.
"Come out from there," a voice called. Vince knew his presence was known. He stepped forward, right foot then left into the room.
"Oh my god," was all Vince could muster. The red capped man was there. Beside him was a woman in a green dress. Seated in a brown suede chair was a large man in a black suit with a bright red tie. The tie was held with a gold tie clip that matched the man's gold cuff links. Vince looked at the carpet, blue with white flecks.
"Color me surprised," Vince laughed nervously.
"What am I forgetting?" Vince asked himself. He laughed, spotting his sunglasses. He slipped them on then locked the door on his way out.
Achromotopsia the doctors had called it. His eyes could not see color because of the lack of cones. Rods and cones in your eyes allow you to see colors, but without cones you see greys. You also become sensitive to light, very sensitive. His total color blindness was rare and unexplained. He hadn not gained it from a great grandfather in Micronesia where it was more common. He was born into a world of grays and the doctors were unable to tell his parents why.
People had no idea what achromotopsia meant though. And they were guffawed at even the idea of total color blindness. Ninety percent of people don't even know how their eyes work. They take for granted the whole rainbow completely unaware that eight percent of the world couldn't visualize 'the red carpet treatment' or how brown brown sugar actual was. Now 'shades of grey' he understood clearly.
Stepping out of his apartment building the light was intense as his eyes attempted to adjust. Everything was a little brighter to him. He walked passed the line of cars parked along the curb, ignoring them all for none belonged to him. Instead he unlocked his bike from the rack and mounted.
Vince had decided long ago that driving wasn't for him. Obviously the traffic light colors were a problem, but it's not hard to remember the red is on top and green is on bottom. He chose to avoid cars because sunlight bothered him too much. With a bicycle he could stop without holding anyone up. He could go his own pace and take different routes without majority of the rules of the road to hold him back.
With his backpack carrying his laptop and important portfolios he took the usual route to his office. Being an editor was not a job that required colored vision. He only needed a sharp eye and an attentive mind. He loved reading manuscripts and synopses. Sometimes his eyes would get tired, but he had adjusted the light in his office to optimize his vision. He'd been told that his office looked like a rich baron's study with hooded lamps and heavy leather chairs. That was a compliment as far as he was concerned.
Stopping at a corner, he looked either way and waited. He would go when the cars went to avoid interrupting the morning traffic. The pedestrians were busy rushing in the crosswalk in front of him. Business folk, men and women, in suits and skirts bustled by. So many of them were talking on their phones or staring at them. A mother pushing a stroller, her baby babbling, walked by.
Then Vince saw something strange, the strangest thing he had ever seen. A man, across the street, waiting to cross wearing a red ball cap. His jacket was tan, not some light grey color, but actually tan. And he wore faded blue jeans.
Red, tan, faded blue? What was this? Quickly Vince looked around. The stoplights were still greys. The cars were greys. He scanned, but the red baseball cap stood out like a beacon. The light changed to green, another bright grey to him, and the cars moved. Vince waited, watching the colored man and found himself following the man.
He pedaled smoothly, slowly and stared in disbelief. The man was walking along, looking about a bit nervously. They went on like this for a few blocks. The red hat man turned down a side street. Vince turned, completely ignoring that he was now late for work. His meeting in half an hour would have to wait. Vince needed to talk to this man. He needed to understand why this guy was in color when the world had only ever been shades of grey and light. The man turned at a shop, an old sew and vac repair shop, and entered. Vince nearly jumped off his bike and hastily locked it to a light pole.
Rushing into the shop he barely noticed the old man sitting near the door. The man in the ball cap disappeared into the back of the store. Vince followed him through a door and down a set of stairs. He stopped midway when the man knocked on a door at the bottom of the steps.
A slat slid open at eye level. The person behind the door said something. The red hat man said something in reply. A loud click echoed up the stairs and the door opened. Panic flooded Vince as he realized he was going to lose his bounty. He clamored down the stairs, but the door clicked back into place before he reached the bottom. Vince pounded on the door.
The slat opened. A shadowed face peered through.
"Password?"
"I need to get in," Vince plead.
"What's the password?"
"Please, I need to see him," Vince begged , his hands against the door. It was metal and felt thick. The slat slid shut and the door clicked. Slowly it opened revealing shadows. Vince hesitated, but his desire to talk to the red ball capped man won out.
There was only one hall that went to the right. Vince took off his sunglasses and stepped cautiously door the dim corridor. As he reached the end of the hall a strange light reached his eyes. There was something here, something different and possibly dangerous he felt.
Vince stopped when he saw the hallway turned to he left. He knew something was around the corner besides the man in color. It suddenly occurred to him that he should not be there. He should be in his office reviewing a manuscript, preparing for a conference call. He should not be in a secret, password guarded basement under a sew and vac shop.
But the color, the red he had seen, had drawn him. He was baited like a trout, he couldn't let go.
"Come out from there," a voice called. Vince knew his presence was known. He stepped forward, right foot then left into the room.
"Oh my god," was all Vince could muster. The red capped man was there. Beside him was a woman in a green dress. Seated in a brown suede chair was a large man in a black suit with a bright red tie. The tie was held with a gold tie clip that matched the man's gold cuff links. Vince looked at the carpet, blue with white flecks.
"Color me surprised," Vince laughed nervously.
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