Darkness

I have a friend that had his right eye partially stabbed out in a rather absurd accident the summer after his eighth grade year. Sticks and sensory organs generally do not mix well, but the doctors put on their Merlin hats and conjured up an artificial lens through which he can now see. Except that he can't. He reads with his right shut and his pupils are unable to dilate or constrict, meaning that he has to close it when he walks into bright sunlight, as well. However, this means he can see very well in the darkness.

For some reason or other, I adjust very slowly to the darkness. Maybe my eyes can't dilate quickly enough, but I stand blinking long after everyone else has started running hurdle races at dusk. For an actor expected to run offstage as soon as the lights black out, this can be a problem. My friend, also an actor, were in a show together last summer and found a solution to this problem. Whenever the lights would go out and everyone rushed into the wings, he'd find me and the one-eyed invalid would lead me offstage. How I love irony.