Sunshine

Sunrise. Sunset. The sun. Sunshine. It was all just a memory now...

All I see now is the moon and darkness.

I have a rare disease that meant that I couldn't go out in the sunlight without burning to death. My Mother says that I am sick. My sister says that I am a vampire.

The sun makes my skin burn and bleed. It hurts so much. At least there was a way around it.

I worked nights at the hospital. Therefore I cannot be a vampire because I do not need blood. At least not that way.

I hesitantly looked out the window. The sky was a navy blue but there was only a slight hint of orange. Sunset.

It was my day - or night - off and no one had asked me to come in. There was no sudden emergency and no doctor was ill. I could go out but where would I go? I could call someone but who would be awake at this time of night? I had no friends or I would call them because they would of course be from the nightshift but no one talked to me.

I flop onto the couch with a huge sigh. I switch on the TV on and saw a sunrise in Africa. A nature program. I stared longingly at it before changing the channel. I can't do this...

I turn the TV back off and circle the house. Again. This was getting ridiculous and torturous. I needed to move somewhere with little sun. Then maybe I could go out in the daytime and be... well not normal but better than this. How long before I go insane? How long?

I turned and practically ran to my car. I gunned the engine and drove for miles upon miles for hours. Soon I came to a breathtaking site.

I was on a cliff that overlooked the greenly blue ocean. Behind me was a forest. No people for miles.

I looked at my watch. Ten minutes... five...one...

For the first in my life I saw my first sunrise. I was beautiful. The sun was a golden globe surrounded by yellows and oranges. The sky changed from black to navy to a gorgeous blue. The dark ocean became turquoise.

I felt no pain... no agony... just pure peace and joy.