Helen turned her head slowly so that her profile was bathed in the green light, her immense black eyes dancing as they reflected the sun.

“That light … is so beautiful. I never noticed …”

Then Helen took one last breath and closed her eyes for good.

Sioni was sobbing in full force now. Alfred, hearing her distress, moved towards her and pulled her into his arms. As he tilted her face up to meet her lips, Sioni’s tears rained upon his upturned countenance, some falling directly onto his bandage and soaking it.

“Wait. Is that – is that light I see?” Alfred released Sioni and reached up with trembling hands to remove the bandage covering his eyes. At first, he couldn’t see much. Just a blur of images and light. Everything was sparkling in a tantalizing way. Something moved in front of him and Sioni said, “Alfred, can you see me? Alfred, look at me.”

Alfred tried to focus his eyes, blinking as he did so. To his surprise, Sioni’s beauteous, tear-stained face slowly began to materialize out of the dark.