Short Story Saturday 6/08: Watch the Cow

Note: This actually used to be a regular feature, but it fell away like so many other things. But I'm bring it back like a couple of other things!!

Watch the Cow by Alex Ivine 

Source: Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine 

What is it about?

 This is the story of a father who discovers that his kids can no longer see. This blind phenomenon is something that happens to 2 million kids around the world. He knows the person responsible for this accident and believes that they are the only ones who can fix things. But some changes are permanent. 

It's really hard to talk about a short story without giving too much away. Especially with short stories that stand alone and are not considered novellas. But I will try. I found this story interesting, mainly because there were so many layers, and for its length it was pretty deep. The kids who are affected by the blindness are okay with it, they have lost their sight but they have also gained something. This happens because of science research gone wrong. The same cannot be said of the adults, who are freaking out and trying to find someone to blame. In all of the stories of what the adults are doing, only two people are said to be trying to figure out a way to fix it. Of those two, one is the person who caused the accident and the other is the main character. He is the father of two of the children and he sees the difference in the kids reactions and adult reactions. He understands that in the end this may have caused a whole generation of kids that are now on a higher level of awareness. But he also recognizes that this may not necessarily be  a good thing. 

This makes me think of what my world would be like if I lost any of my five senses. If I could choose (choice definitely changes things) I would like to keep my sight and sense of touch since I am a writer and a photographer. But my sense of hearing I could lose and be okay with. I took ASL in college so I know more about the Deaf culture and though there are differences, they seemed to make up for the inability of hearing with other things. 

What do you think the world would be like if children collectively went blind? If you could lose one sense, what would it be?

See you next Saturday!!

Always Shine, 

Starr K