Billy - Part 5

It was on that fateful trip that Billy’s life changed forever. It was a two day journey to the next town and Billy and his mother had set out early in the morning. Billy was a tall boy of fifteen years and he walked at a slow relaxed pace beside his mother leading their mule behind them. It was a bright sunny day with a crisp breeze blowing and he felt more at ease here in the open space than he had ever felt at his hometown. He whistled a tune softly that was carried by the wind and his mother also seemed to relax as she looked up at the son she loved so much, smiling with pride. He was big and strong with a sharp mind and she loved to see him so happy. They stopped at midday to rest a small way off the main road and had some dried venison and fruit. As Billy munched away contentedly, he began telling his mother stories from all the books he had been reading. He told of fairy tales with magical creatures, battles fought against gruesome dragons, and of wonderful treasures in faraway lands. Billy’s mother had never seen him so happy and so open and she wondered why he was always so subdued in the town. They basked in the sun longer than they should have and the sun hung low in the sky when they started on the main road again.

They walked at their slow pace until sunset and then it was time to set up camp. They built a small fire near a big oak tree at the edge of the forest and Billy went to fetch water from the stream nearby for dinner. Neither of them could hunt so their dinner was made up of some hot stew of carrots and turnips with no meat but they were grateful all the same. A cold wind had started to blow and they huddled closer to the fire for warmth. Together, they watched the moon rise and sat in comfortable silence. As the fire burnt low, Billy threw a few dry twigs and they both set down to sleep huddled up in their cloaks, side by side. Billy’s mother lay awake for a while listening to her son’s steady breathing and wondering where she had gone wrong. Billy was such a wonderful boy and she could not find anything strange about him. She resented the people of the town for blaming Billy for the priest’s death. She knew Billy was unlike the other boys who were more of a nuisance than anything else. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and it became impossible for her to fall asleep. She lay there for a long time brooding and staring at the dying embers.

It was sometime around midnight, when the moon was high in the sky that she felt Billy stir. It was a soft stirring at first but soon his breathing became labored. She sat upright and looked at her son and found that he was shivering uncontrollably. Putting her hand on his head she found his skin scorching hot with fever and he started shaking violently at her touch that she pulled her hand away quickly. His breathing came in short gasps and his eyes popped open staring straight at her. Terrified, she tried to pull his cloak closer around him but he shied away from her and from somewhere behind her she heard the mule braying nervously. His eyes stared at her blankly and she knew he could not see her. His shaking become more and more violent and he began to groan in pain. His mother began to fear the worst and she felt incapable of saving her son. Whenever she tried to touch him, he would move away and he would start to wail. His unseeing eyes terrified her, they seemed to be pleading with her to stop his pain but she could not. A sense of helplessness flooded over her and she began to sob hugging her knees tightly. The mule’s braying mingled with her son’s groaning became louder and louder, exploding in her ears. She covered them with her hands to drown out the sound and shut her eyes tightly but it would not stop. She could feel the world collapsing around her and soon her sobbing turned into wailing. The forest around them was filled with a cacophony of sounds that did not belong there and yet a deadly stillness filled the air. It was almost dawn when suddenly the sounds stopped all at once. Billy was no longer shaking and his groans had disappeared, the mule had gone silent, and Billy’s mother removed her hands from her ears and opened her eyes. She looked over at Billy and in the soft light of the waning moon she saw the silhouette of his body lying on the grass unmoving. Making the symbol of the cross on her chest, she edged closer to him and fearfully touched his face. He didn’t move and his skin was cool. Saying a silent prayer, she put her hand inside his cloak and over his chest. She could feel his heart beating strongly and could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He did not wake at her touch. Feeling relieved she lay down close to her son and closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep.

She awoke in the late morning searching for Billy. He was sitting upright in the spot where he had been sleeping. She prayed silently again grateful that her son was alive and well. She sat up quickly and pulled Billy in her arms with tears streaming down her face. Billy said nothing as he held her close to his chest and stroked her soft hair. When she finally let him go, she looked up at his face smiling. In an instant, her smile turned into a look of complete horror as she looked into her son’s sightless eyes. His dark brown eyes had turned bluish-white and she knew that he could not see her. Billy had become blind.