reflection to myself.
At first I wasn’t sure to react. The stitching looked similar to
the way my scars did only these were done with more finesse. I
turned slightly to the side and looked at my profile. The shirt
served its purpose in hiding my scars but I felt as if I wore them on the outside now. I wanted to feel defeated in that moment but
Morrison’s words rang through my head again. Wear those scars
proudly, Caelum. They mean you are strong and a survivor.
“We should go for a walk,” she said breaking into my
borrowed thoughts.
“It’s dark out.”
“It’s the best time for a walk, I can show you around town and
we can get out of this place for a while,” she said cheerfully
setting the mirror aside.
“Okay.”
I followed her as she led the way out of the factory and out
into the crisp night. The sky looked beautiful, a dark blue with
light gray clouds floating carelessly by. I could see small lights twinkling in the sky as the clouds passed lazily by them.
“You’ve never seen stars before?” she asked curiously as we
walked.
64
Unwound
I shook my head. There were a great many things I had never
seen from my prison. Sometimes I wonder if that was my own
doing. London had left just enough space for me to see the
sparrow when it had passed by the day I left, but I had never
really cared to look through the small slits until then.
“We can stop for a moment if you’d like,” Morrison said
gently.
I tore my gaze away from the stars and looked at her. “I’m not
finished. I’ll never be able to fully enjoy the beauty of the night sky until then, so let’s continue walking.”
“Can I … can I see?”
I stood there for a moment contemplating her request. She had
already seen my scar ravaged body, but this was going to be
different. The way London left my eye, the hole that wasn’t sewn
up, the small wheels ticking, the empty socket that she placed in
the middle of them; this might be too much for anyone to handle
who wasn’t a small child.
I turned my face away as her hand approached.
“Caelum, I’ve seen a great many horrifying things in my life,
I just want to see if there’s anything we can do to fix it,” she said quietly.
65
Unwound
“You won’t be afraid of me?” I asked.
“Did you hear what I just said? What you have peeking out
from under that patch can’t be worse than anything I’ve seen,”
she said with a chuckle.
I was still hesitant and eyed her for a moment.
She held up a hand, “You don’t have to if you don’t want too,
I was just curious and honestly wondering if I could mend you
somehow.”
I looked down.
How would I be able to have a true friendship if I had no trust
in her? Turning myself back to face her, I met her eyes and gave a nod. For some reason she hesitated at first, her hand hovering just a moment before my face. I took her hand and placed her
fingertips on the eye patch. Her hesitation was no more; gently
she pushed the patch off of my head and gasped slightly.
“Are you a machine?” she asked staring at me.
“No. Not everything inside me is the way you see it here,” I
explained quietly.
Nodding, she replaced the patch securely around my head
again, “Who ever made you must’ve loved you very much at one
point.”
66
Unwound
Love? What does London know of love? I had to keep myself
from screaming these thoughts in her face.
“You don’t think she did?” she asked softly. I could only
assume that my face had given away my thoughts.
I shook my head and looked away.
“Let’s not talk about that now. I’d like to continue with our
walk is that’s okay with you,” she said.
“Fine.”
I didn’t walk next to her anymore as I tried to collect my
thoughts as well as my borrowed thoughts because if I let either
run wild, I don’t know how she’d look at me after I unleashed my
anger in a flood of spiteful words about London.
“So tell me about yourself, Caelum,” she
At first I wasn’t sure to react. The stitching looked similar to
the way my scars did only these were done with more finesse. I
turned slightly to the side and looked at my profile. The shirt
served its purpose in hiding my scars but I felt as if I wore them on the outside now. I wanted to feel defeated in that moment but
Morrison’s words rang through my head again. Wear those scars
proudly, Caelum. They mean you are strong and a survivor.
“We should go for a walk,” she said breaking into my
borrowed thoughts.
“It’s dark out.”
“It’s the best time for a walk, I can show you around town and
we can get out of this place for a while,” she said cheerfully
setting the mirror aside.
“Okay.”
I followed her as she led the way out of the factory and out
into the crisp night. The sky looked beautiful, a dark blue with
light gray clouds floating carelessly by. I could see small lights twinkling in the sky as the clouds passed lazily by them.
“You’ve never seen stars before?” she asked curiously as we
walked.
64
Unwound
I shook my head. There were a great many things I had never
seen from my prison. Sometimes I wonder if that was my own
doing. London had left just enough space for me to see the
sparrow when it had passed by the day I left, but I had never
really cared to look through the small slits until then.
“We can stop for a moment if you’d like,” Morrison said
gently.
I tore my gaze away from the stars and looked at her. “I’m not
finished. I’ll never be able to fully enjoy the beauty of the night sky until then, so let’s continue walking.”
“Can I … can I see?”
I stood there for a moment contemplating her request. She had
already seen my scar ravaged body, but this was going to be
different. The way London left my eye, the hole that wasn’t sewn
up, the small wheels ticking, the empty socket that she placed in
the middle of them; this might be too much for anyone to handle
who wasn’t a small child.
I turned my face away as her hand approached.
“Caelum, I’ve seen a great many horrifying things in my life,
I just want to see if there’s anything we can do to fix it,” she said quietly.
65
Unwound
“You won’t be afraid of me?” I asked.
“Did you hear what I just said? What you have peeking out
from under that patch can’t be worse than anything I’ve seen,”
she said with a chuckle.
I was still hesitant and eyed her for a moment.
She held up a hand, “You don’t have to if you don’t want too,
I was just curious and honestly wondering if I could mend you
somehow.”
I looked down.
How would I be able to have a true friendship if I had no trust
in her? Turning myself back to face her, I met her eyes and gave a nod. For some reason she hesitated at first, her hand hovering just a moment before my face. I took her hand and placed her
fingertips on the eye patch. Her hesitation was no more; gently
she pushed the patch off of my head and gasped slightly.
“Are you a machine?” she asked staring at me.
“No. Not everything inside me is the way you see it here,” I
explained quietly.
Nodding, she replaced the patch securely around my head
again, “Who ever made you must’ve loved you very much at one
point.”
66
Unwound
Love? What does London know of love? I had to keep myself
from screaming these thoughts in her face.
“You don’t think she did?” she asked softly. I could only
assume that my face had given away my thoughts.
I shook my head and looked away.
“Let’s not talk about that now. I’d like to continue with our
walk is that’s okay with you,” she said.
“Fine.”
I didn’t walk next to her anymore as I tried to collect my
thoughts as well as my borrowed thoughts because if I let either
run wild, I don’t know how she’d look at me after I unleashed my
anger in a flood of spiteful words about London.
“So tell me about yourself, Caelum,” she
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