Reviews (5)

What I tried to say in this piece was indeed a message of acceptance and chance for the child to grow into his/her best. I am glad it went through to the readers. Half of my life I spend as a blind and it will not likely change in the future. There are hardships aplenty here for people like us, but almost nothing is harder to bear than the rejection of our parents. That is the last message that I hoped to convey, and it is also what inspired me to write this. To me, everything and everyone is perfect in the Creator's eyes, but I leave it to the readers to mull over it before they even read the story. :) I do not know if I will continue this piece into a short story, because I have no idea as of now... That is why I asked for help from the readers. Thank you very much for reviewing and sharing a part of your life, your thoughts, and your opinions here. - Rey

Thanks! Well, but so far I have no idea... That is why I asked help from the readers. :) *wince* Well, I am a blind, and until now I am adverse to the word "abortion" when applied to a pregnant woman... Such thought did not cross my parents' minds, I think, because they only knew that I was blind when I was born, but imagination is sometimes a curse. And I am lucky here that I am not rejected by my parents, although my father is often sceptical of my abilities. :) I had a friend whose mother aborted her second child (my friend's new sibling) because of an inner bleeding. The doctor said that the child would be born handicapped if it were born, and so the parents took the... short cut. That was a very unpleasant tale to me, and my imagination once again run rampant. I did intend the summary of the story to intrigue one to think about things, at least slightly, before they went into the story itself. I am glad that it seemed to work. :) It is also my belief that only the Creator knows what His every creation is meant to be, and to Him they are all perfect. That was what I hoped to convey by the summary of the story. I also read somewhere that in Sindarin "hope" has two words: expected hope and faithful hope. This is a story set in Aman in The Silmarillion's timeline, true, but I would like to convey that message anyway. Faithful hope is a fool's hope, but it is stronger and in a way truer. Glad you enjoyed the piece! I do not know if I will manage an expansion, though, as I said before. My muse refuses to cooperate with me... Perhaps your muse would be so kind to help mine? Anyway, thank you for your sharing a part of your life, your thoughts, and your comments. - Rey

*wince* Umm. That is, if I do have more ideas to go with this... I asked for readers' help because of that: My muse does not wish to cooperate with me anymore in this piece. Truthfully, there has been a beginning of the next chapter sitting in my computer, but it never expanded far... Well, she might have done it because of two things: First is that she is truly an academically-talented child. Second is that... she saw the need to prove herself so that people no longer ridiculed/looked down upon her. I find myself in the latter category so far. I am a blind since I was about 12 years old. Handicapped people are usually forced to grow up much beyond their age in order to 'survive' everything. I am glad that your view of Aman is similar to mine. People usually see it as something akin to our "heaven." It is not. Whatever Tolkien set it to be, it is still a part of the physical world, and Melkor has tainted it just as he has done the other parts of Arda. Besides, Elves have their own minds and wills and hearts, just like Men or Dwarves (or hobbits). They are prone to do evil or good because of it; the freedom of choice. (To me, the Valar did them an injustice when they forbade them from going to Middle-Earth and even exiled them, regardless of the bloodshed/foolishness they committed in that way.) This story is set during the Unchaining of Melkor and the Darkening of Valinor (up to the Rebellion of the Noldor and more), so... well... if I do continue the story, it will be darker and filled with more turmoils. I am not so good with writing dark and turbulent things/emotions... This one piece was a gift, I feel. LOL Anyway, thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and opinions. I am quite glad that you enjoyed the story so far and look forward to more. Hopefully I can fulfill your hope and do the next installment just as well as I did... - Rey

I am sorry that I can only reply now. The button was missing for quite a long time. Rather devestating. I am a firstborn and I am blind. My father often looks down on me, although, thankfully, not to that extend. (Umm. Not meaning to slight your husband or anyone...) It is heartbreaking, and I imagine that it is also heartbreaking for my parents, having their very first child like this. It was one of my motifs in writing this story; to thank them, because they still kept me despite everything and even gave me some love. Not many disabled people are that fortunate, especially here in Indonesia. Aman is indeed intended as a blessed realm. But how blessed could it be, with the rebellion and the bloodshed in the end of it? That was my first thought when I toyed around with the idea at the start - still very vague, at that time. To me, the name Blessed Realm just means that the Valar live there, and later the Elves; both are immortal in their own ways. The Powers are some sort of angels, and angels are considered blessed. And this little snippet is situated in the part of age where Melkor was released from Mandos and roamed free... Thank you for reviewing and sharing your thoughts - and experience. And once again, I am sorry for the very late reply. Hopefully this will never happen again. - Rey

Thanks! But truthfully I do not know. This story was purely my creation. I am glad that you enjoyed it, though. It was made in the spur of a moment. :) - Rey