[ WP ] An entire species on a planet is born blind , and only gains the ability to see with their eyes once they fall in love with another person .

“ Neppa, ” said Mister Ry, the sound of his voice a delight to her ears. The only thing sweeter than hearing her name on his breath was feeling *his* name in *her* mouth. 
 
 “ Yes, Mister Ry? ” Neppa ’ s throat was so tight that it came out as a whisper. “ Yes… Mister Ry? ” She tried again in a low voice. She savored the feel of each syllable on her lips. 
 
 “ My dear, we need to have a little talk. ” He touched her arm and she almost gasped. Goosebumps crept up all over her body as he led her on the familiar route to his desk at the front of the classroom. For the next few seconds, the only thing in the world worth paying attention to was the warmth of his skin on hers; the sensual brush of his sleeve; the whiff of his personal scent—the scent of *man*—that reached her nose. 
 
 With any other teacher such contact wouldn ’ t have meant a thing. Like most of her classmates ( except a few oddballs who everybody talked about behind their backs ), Neppa was blind as she ’ d been born, so she was used to being led around the school by the sighted staff. With Mister Ry, however, she couldn ’ t help hoping that the physical contact *meant* something. She tried to decipher the hidden message. Did his fingers linger on her flesh? Was he deliberately leaning close to breathe in the scent of her fruity shampoo? Could he read the fond expression on her face? 
 
 He released her arm. 
 
 She heard Mister Ry drop into his teacher ’ s chair with an “ oof. ” *I wonder when he got his sight? * thought Neppa as Mister Ry began to rattle through the drawers of his desk. Their people—hers and his—remained blind only until the fateful day when they fell in love. Who had Mister Ry fallen in love with? Was he still in love with the person who had opened his eyes by opening his heart? Neppa ’ s mother always said it was only *true* love that held such power; therefore good girls and boys would be rewarded with the sight of their beloved ( not to mention the rest of the world ) on their sacred wedding day. Neppa wrinkled her nose and tried not to imagine Mister Ry and his True Love discovering the joys of *light* and *color* together. 
 
 “ Now, ” Mister Ry sighed finally. Neppa heard the *flik* of a piece of paper being handled. “ I have here a little something for which I believe you are responsible. ” He waited, seeming to expect a reply, but Neppa couldn ’ t guess what he was talking about. Some essay she ’ d written and forgotten about, perhaps? Some flimsy and unimportant pretext, perhaps, for getting her alone with him? 
 
 “ I will read it to you, ” he said. He coughed. “ *Oh my god, Bibi, * ” he began in a sort of sing-song voice that indicated his discomfort. He coughed again. “ *I want to rub his voice all over my body. I tried to feel his muscle yesterday but it didn ’ t work. I bet he is really strong though. * ” Pause. “ *XOXO, my… sexy Mister Ry. * ” 
 
 Neppa ’ s face had started to burn at “ Oh my god. ” She remembered writing that note to Bibi on her hand terminal when Mister Ry was having an especially sexy day. She had never imagined him finding out like this. Still worse: his tone of voice did *not* suggest that he was about to confess how badly he ’ d been wanting her, and the wordless statement of rejection ignited a crushing pain in her chest. *Deny, deny, deny! *went her mental alarms. 
 
 “ That isn ’ t mine. ” 
 
 “ Neppa, to be honest, your authorship is not in doubt, ” said Mister Ry. He allowed a brief silence, and Neppa heard the sound of a hand rubbed over a face. She blinked as tears pricked her sightless eyes. 
 
 “ As much as I ’ m flattered, my dear, ” said Mister Ry, every word another slap, “ you need to realize that I am your teacher. ” Neppa ’ s eyes were brimming. “ I need your respect, and you certainly have mine. You are an excellent student, Neppa. I want nothing more than to see that continue. What I don ’ t want is to find any more… *missives* like this one on your school equipment. Is that clear? ” 
 
 Neppa couldn ’ t speak, knowing that if she opened her mouth she would choke and sob, and Mister Ry would probably try to comfort her. Humiliating. The tears began to drip uncontrollably, and Neppa blinked hard against them. She felt like the droplets were clinging, grotesquely, to her eyeballs and lashes, so she blinked again and then again and again, but that only made the feeling worse… 
 
 “ Oh shit, ” said Mister Ry. 
 
 Neppa brought her hands up to her eyes and rubbed at the gooiness that was developing there. The substance clung to her eyelids and cheeks, and her discomfort rose to panic as she started to feel a… *something*that was impossible to describe. It was like the sun shining upon her face, but… different. The more she blinked and rubbed at her eyes, the more fleshy and horrifying was the substance that her fingers were now wiping across her cheeks. But there was more of *that feeling*, too, and she was starting to like it. 
 
 “ Oh! ” she said, wiping the last of the goop from her eyes. “ OH. ” She blinked and moved her head up and down; left and right, and the sensations changed as she moved. It didn ’ t hurt. *This is sight, * she thought. It could be nothing else. 
 
 “ Mister… Ry?? ” said Neppa in a high voice, abandoning her wish to never speak to him again. 
 
 “ Miss Neppa, ” he groaned. Neppa realized with awe that she could “ see ” the person-shape, with its nose, hair, eyes, mouth, and limbs, that before she had only touched or intuited. She was seeing Mister Ry. 
 
 “ Does this mean we should get married? ” she whispered. And it was extraordinary: she could *see* the sag of his shoulders before he even said a word.
