The eye doctor, Dr. Griffen, handed Venn the glasses case with a smile on her lips. "There you are."

Venn took the case. "Thanks." He opened it and looked down at the glasses. They were rimless. The lenses were slightly more square than ovals but too round to be a rectangle. The arms were thin and black.

Dr. Griffen smiled. "Why don't you try them on?"

Venn chuckled quietly. "I'd have gotten there eventually." He carefully took out the glasses and put them on.

Everything suddenly snapped into focus. Venn blinked in surprise. Everything was sharp. Dr. Griffen's hair no longer looked like a brown paint smudge. The blotches of grey on the wall turned out to be faded flowery wallpaper.

"Oh wow. My eyesight was really bad." Venn looked around in wide eyed amazement.

Dr. Griffen laughed. "I recommend taking the long way home then. You'll appreciate the change."

Venn stood. "Thank you again."

Dr. Griffen smiled. "You're still very welcome. Have a good day, Mr. Drake."

Venn nodded and left. The moment he stepped outside he was struck with how different everything was. The leaves of the trees were more textured, the road was made of hundreds of tiny rocks, the cars speeding by were more than just blurred shapes, and there was pollen floating in the air.

As advised, Venn took the long way to Reed's house. He walked slowly. He was overwhelmed by the sheer detail in everything. He felt like a child again as he ran his fingers over the rough bricks of a storefront.

-

Venn didn't leave Reed's house until almost midnight. When he was eventually pushed out the door by a laughing Reed, he froze. His eyes had drifted up to the sky. Clear and black and filled with shimmering stars.

Reed's laughter vanished and he stepped up to stand next to Venn. "You okay, Venn?"

Venn took a moment to respond. "I've... I've always wondered what the stars looked like," he said quietly. He adjusted his glasses, never taking his eyes off the sky.

Reed blinked. "You haven't- no of course not. Your eyes."

Venn nodded. He was silent. Reed put an arm around Venn's shoulders and closed the door. They stood there, both staring up at the sky in silence, for almost another hour.

Finally, Venn took a deep breath and pulled away. "I should really be going."

Reed nodded. "See you tomorrow?"

Venn shrugged. "Probably. I'm going to the orphanage in the morning though. I've been given permission to take the kids to the museum."

Reed chuckled. "You're going to have a hundred children."

Venn waved a hand and started walking away. He smiled. "Nah. Only Gio I think." He turned so he was walking straight.

Reed smirked. "Hey! Now that you have glasses, better be careful for the sidewalk cracks! You might fall in!"

Venn didnt respond, but Reed could picture him rolling his eyes. That made Reed continue.

"Oh no! Watch out for the big monster!" He paused, letting Venn walk a couple more steps before he shouted, "Be more careful you almost hit a crack there!"

Venn held up a hand above his head. With a laugh, he put up his middle finger. Reed grinned and watched Venn disappear into the night.