Keturah woke up in a panic. She sat upright in bed and rubbed her face, then stretched her eyes as wide as they would open. The nightmares were happening more often—she woke up in a panic at least four times a week. She was terrified of waking up and finding that she had become one of them…

It started slowly, about five years ago when Keturah was just a freshman in high school. Small groups of people in different parts of the world woke up with just one large eye in the center of their foreheads one morning. The world was in an uproar. No one knew what to do with the people who had The Eye, and after six months it started spreading. There was no scientific explanation for it. There was no way to prevent it and no way of telling if you were next—it just happened. That was one explanation.

Around the time The Eye first appeared, a small group of people started holding rallies and giving speeches about what it meant. They were calling it “The Awakening.” Supposedly, those who woke up with The Eye first were the chosen ones and they were charged with leading the ones who got The Eye in the following months and years.

Word of The Awakening spread quickly. There were followers all over the world. Some people longed to wake up with The Eye so they could become apart of it. Some were strongly against it and discriminated against anyone with The Eye in any way that they could. They didn’t want to work or eat beside them. They didn’t even want to walk be in the same building with them. They treated it like a disease you could catch. Others, like Keturah, were just afraid.

The Awakening rallies and meetings were open to anyone, but Keturah never went to listen to the discussions. She didn’t know if getting The Eye really meant that you’d become enlightened—that you’d somehow risen above stereotypes, racism, sexism, and had a deep spiritual connection with the universe—or if that was just something they were saying to make themselves feel better. She did know that they were different, and she wasn’t ready for that. She could be spiritual and enlightened without having a sign plastered on her forehead to tell the world.

Keturah turned on some music to help her get back to sleep. If she let go of the fear and drifted back off, she might be able to get a few more hours of rest.

“Help!” Keturah screamed when she woke up again. She couldn’t see! Her eyes wouldn’t open. She frantically patted the front of her face. What was happening?

Her parents rushed in from down the hall. “What’s wrong, sweetie? What happened?”

“I can’t see!”

Her mother walked over and gently pulled Keturah’s hands away from her face. “Take a few deep breaths. Try to relax.”

Keturah followed her mother’s directions and eventually calmed down. As her breathing slowed, she tried opening her eyes again and immediately she knew. She felt one eye open. The Eye. She slowly looked around and took everything in from this new point of view. When her eyes landed on her parents, she gasped. “Dad?”

They locked eyes. “Surprise, honey. Happened this morning. We were just talking about the best way to tell you…but hey, we’ll figure this out together,” her dad smiled.

“And hopefully, I won’t be too far behind you guys,” her mom added wistfully.

Keturah looked back at her father and when their eyes met this time, she heard him speaking to her without opening his mouth.

I know you were unsure of this, but it’s something your mother and I have been wanting for years. Try to be optimistic. For her especially. He glanced down at Keturah’s mother as the message ended.

Keturah was amazed. She had no idea this was part of The Awakening. There was so much to discover…this might not be so bad after all.

 Written By: S.M. Grady

© 2020 S.M. Grady

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