In ‘The Eye’ 
of the beholder

When I was but a wee lad, inclined to great flights of the imagination, it happened that I knew a gentleman who possessed a glass eye. ‘Twas the result of a horrible freak accident, obviously a few tragic minutes of excruciating pain and a life altering event, yet was simply one of those subjects never touched upon in everyday, normal conversation. Now, being young and not well-versed in the biological sciences, this led to much conjecture on my part.

At times, it seemed as though that unmoving, emotionless orb was looking straight through me, piercing deep into my very soul. Could he tell when I was not being honest? Was he able to view my dreams or see my future? Perhaps he was some magical visionary, complete with his own miniature crystal ball, an unspeaking mystic who would knowingly smile when he caught a glimpse of my innermost thoughts. If prodded, could he predict events yet to come, or delve deep into the past?

He would often gather an audience, talking and laughing and telling tall tales, so believable in fact that to this day, most are still thought to be at least partially true, disproved by no one. Wanting to be sure he had captured the attention of those assembled, as he spoke he would glance around the room with a sly smile and a twinkle in his good eye. Yet there were times, as the glass eye stared straight ahead, I swore it glimmered also. I alternately imagined he saw the world through either a kaleidoscope, full of wild rotating colors and ever changing patterns ... or viewed life around him as through a fog-covered window, shadowy and murky and shapeless.

There were times when that glass eye haunted my dreams, floating above me in the dark — unmoving, unblinking, visible even through the blankets pulled over my head and the pillow hugged tight against my face. At other moments, like the voice of my own conscience, it was there in my mind to convince me I was about to embark on a rather questionable endeavor, one which would more than likely end in either injury or embarrassment. Looking back, there was no doubt about it, the power radiating from within the glass eye was life altering.