P.LS: A Web Novel
Chapter 1
One Man's Eye is Another Creature’s Home
I heard that the gift of truesight is said to be hereditary, but not a birthright.
To see the unseen, to peer into another world and see our reality for more than what it is
is a talent.
My Mom claims that she could stare down the boulevard
to see djinn carving playful pranks and schemata in graffiti tags.
She used to want to be a director.
Her gaze is said to drift up above our home and count the eyes of our guardian angel.
Grandma, supposedly, can see the silhouettes of our prayers before they take flight.
She hums and nods as if to say, It is so. Often,
she'll glance at the half-finished projects by my bed and ask why I didn't become
a doctor,
or an engineer
or something that had a bit more promise than a freelance writer.
My brother, Jael, brags that he can see beyond
at the far edge of our cosmos.
Lately, he’s been watching something vampiric staring back at him and routinely glancing at me.
He says he’s calm since the creature is so far, but that thing is vigilant and grins
over the severed head of a god-pretender while being illuminated by an organic star.
As eloquent as everyone is, this must be some elaborate family prank.
Maybe, I’ll start seeing things too when I can consistently pay rent or do chores on time.
But really, what is the value of this divinity to me, outside of a good story?
In fact, one of my favorite bands of all time, Crimes Against Divinity,
Can create entire albums referencing the things they see from truesight.
I lay in bed, listening to their singles, wondering if I would feel whole if I saw them live.
Would I understand this gift then?
And would that understanding grant me something I secretly crave?