Lacuna [1] {Completed}

Chapter Twenty One

"Erlebnisse (n.) the experiences, positive or negative, that we feel most deeply, and through which we truly live; not mere experiences, but Experiences."

When Erin went a full minute without being able to see a thing, she started to panic. Everything she knew about the plan flew out of her head as pure terror took over. The walls she couldn't see felt like they were closing in around her. She slid down to the ground and hugged her knees. She shut her eyes tight. She couldn't breathe or think. She was utterly alone.

*****

"Daddy?" Seven-year-old Erin asked her father who was making breakfast for the two of them. Her brother had a soccer game a few hours away and her mother was still at work over seas, so it was just she and her father on a Saturday morning.

            "Why did you pick your job?" She asked sitting on the kitchen counter, the smell of pancake batter and bacon filling her nose.

            Her father smiled as he flipped an egg he was making for himself. "Because I have a gift for what I do."

            "A gift? Like a present?"

He chuckled, "Not exactly. It's like a special talent, something I'm good at."

"Oh..." She said, "Do I have a gift?" She asked innocently.

"Of course you do. Everyone does."

            "What is it?"

            "Well, that's for you to find out." He said stirring the pancake batter.

            "When will I know?"

            Her father looked over at her intently, "Everyone's gift reveals itself in different ways and times."

            "I hope mine is special like yours and grandpa's."

            "Well it does run in the family," Her father smiled at her, his eyes bright.

            "I'm going to be the best!"

"I'm sure you will have your grandfather and I running for our money," Her father laughed. She loved her father's laugh. It was deep and true, making her feel warm inside. After a moment his face turned serious. "But I want you to remember Erin, it's not about how extraordinary your gift is, it's about what you do with it. Will you be selfish with it? Or will you use it to help other people?"

"I wanna help people! Just like you and grandpa!"

Her father smiled kindly at her, "I hope you hold onto that. You have something very special inside of you, a light in here," He pointed his giant finger to the place where Erin's heart was inside of her body. "When the time comes I hope you will use it. No matter what life throws at you, no matter where you find yourself, there's always light. Even if you can't see it, it's there.

"How do I find it if I can't see it?"

            "You look for the light a different way."

*****

Look for the light.

Erin slowly opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the darkness.

Look for the light. Her father's voice echoed in her mind.

Erin focused. She may not have had her sight, but she had other tools to guide her. She expanded her senses and reached for any electric pulse she could find.