Eunoia
(n.) beautiful thinking; a well mind

~

As the wind blew Iris' curls, she walked along the coast behind Chase, her service dog, and companion. She could feel the sand tickle her feet lightly so she kicked it off, giggling. 

Her chocolate skin glowed under the glare of the sun and her white dress flowed around her because of the cool breeze from the crystalline sea. Her feet were submerged in the cool water but Iris didn't mind. She had always loved the water, specifically the ocean.

It was the only thing she could visualize after going blind at the age of 14. She could hear and imagine the waves crashing against the shore. The sound of seagulls calling and flapping their wings filled her ears. As she walked, she could imagine a blazing sun drowning at the horizon. She sighed contentedly as she took in the beauty around her.

It reminded her that beauty can not only be seen but can be felt and heard and it served as proof that going blind wasn't the end of her life.

But of course, it was the end of her love life. Iris had always been mesmerized by the idea of love, she had always believed in soulmates, she had always thought she would see color one day once she found her soulmate but not anymore. She would never be able to see again, let alone see color, so finding her soulmate was a long shot.

Being as calm as she is, Iris had accepted this years ago. Granted, hearing stories about her friends with their soulmates once absolutely crushed her to bits but she had grown numb to the pain as she grew older, and now, knowing she would never find love didn't bother her.

At the age of 24, where most people already settle down, she was alone in the world with only Chase and some friends. Her parents: already dead in the horrific car accident that took her sight from her.

A bark broke Iris out her trance and she halted as there was a rock ahead of her. Iris smiled and bent down to pet Chase in gratitude, standing up she slowly guided herself over the rock and passed it.

Finally, at her usual spot, Iris sat down on the warm sand facing the ocean. She scratched Chase under his left ear, letting him know that he was off duty for now and he quickly settled in her lap.

Iris leaned against the hard rock and began to drown in the never-ending abyss called 'thoughts', rubbing Chase at the same time. She had always been a deep-thinker and used to zone out a lot which was dangerous considering she was blind but Chase had grown used to it which is why he always remained alert of his surrounding no matter if he was on a break, he had a duty and he was loyal to his owner after all she had saved him from the abusive training center he trained at.

As she scratched Chase, Iris eventually began to sing. Her voice was special, it was like a siren's: enchanting and alluring. As she sang, Iris forgot about all her worries, words just flowed out and it felt right. All the tension left her body and she smiled, it was that adorable smile of her's too, one in which her lips twitched upwards and the dimple on her left cheek showed, one in which her brown eyes sparkled with happiness.

Singing did that to Iris, it calmed her down, which is why she chose to work as a singer. She wasn't famous but she wasn't unknown either. The whole town knew her and her music flourished on YouTube. Other than that, Iris did gigs here and there which was how she earned a living.

But as Iris sang, she suddenly felt someone's eyes on her and she stopped. Chase rubbed his fur against her right leg to let her know about someone's presence. She stood up from her spot and tried to feel or hear anything in her surroundings.

"Hello? Is anyone there? I'm sorry I'm blind and it would be helpful if you could say something to let me know of your presence." Iris forced a smile and tried to figure out what was wrong.

She felt uneasy not knowing who was there, most people in the town knew about her sight due to her singing and they immediately informed her whenever they showed up, so this was unusual for her and even after years of being blind, the unknown terrified her.

When Iris heard nothing, she once again asked if someone was there but once she didn't hear anything she calmed down.

Perhaps, it was just someone taking a stroll that Chase warned her about she thought, looking for an explanation but suddenly she heard someone taking a step towards her.

Iris' eyes widened in panic, and she grabbed Chase in her arms and ran. She was familiar with the beach so she didn't really need Chase to guide her, just warn her as she ran.

She could hear someone running after her, and Iris had to force herself to refrain from just collapsing and breaking down. She was scared, she was so scared and there was no one there to help her, she could feel her tears threatening to come out but she remained strong.

Fear ran through her veins as she continued to run and as the thumping of footsteps got closer, Iris's heart began to race.

Oh god, please let me go, please let me live.

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand snake around her waist and Iris let out a blood-curdling scream. The sudden movement made Iris fall to the ground with the unknown person on top of her.

Iris immediately pushed the person off and scampered away on her knees, tears now running down her cheeks. Chase barked in anger at the person for scaring her lady and she could hear the person back away.

"P-please, leave me, I didn't do anything! Please, I beg you," Iris begged in fear, her voice cracking in between. She cowered away, wanting to stand and run again but she had hurt her foot as she fell and was unable to get up.

Suddenly, the barking stopped and Iris looked confused, Chase would never stop without letting her know. She tried to figure out what was happening and heard someone stepping forward and taking her hand in the most gentle way possible and for some reason, Iris instantly felt comforted and wanted to run to into this person's arms but she refrained from doing so and asked with the Loudest voice she could muster at the moment.

"Who are you?"

She felt a finger trace a heart in her palm and she looked up when she heard the person speak.

"I-I'm sorry, s-soulmate."