The Eyes That Stared

Her father had been posted to a new place. It was a small, sleepy town with a hydro-electric power station where her father worked. Coming from the city, Taryn was pretty much bored and bugged by the place. The high school she went to was an old building and her class mates had no clue about the latest fashion or the latest songs. They were not cool at all.

On the other hand, Taryn, with her high heel, mini skirts, latest hair-do and gadgets had become a flying success. All the girls wanted to be friends with her. All the boys stared at her when she passed them. Secretly she liked this attention. In the city she was just another girl, but here she was the queen.

School was not very far from where she lived so she used to walk it back. Everyday when she returned from school she noticed a young man at the window of the house opposite to her’s, staring out of the window at her. At first she did not mind. As the days turned into weeks, she began to get the creeps. Her friends from the city adviced her to be careful, after all these rural people had not seen a city girl. One of her friends even asked her to go and confront the guy. But Taryn was scared.

One day as she was returning from school, she noticed the man staring out of the window. Something snapped inside Taryn and she decided to end the matter once and for all. She marched straight to the door of the house and knocked. A woman in her late forties opened the door. Furious as she was, Taryn bitterly complained to the lady about this man who always stares out at her and how that was so vulgar and compromised her dignity and the dignity of women-kind. She advised the woman to control the man or else a formal complaint would be made and that she would see the matter to this end. Throughout this tirade, the woman listened patiently to the complaints and threats.
“I shall see to it that you are not inconvenienced again,” said the woman in an apologetic tone.
“You better do” retorted Taryn.

As she was about to leave, an old man called out to her from inside the house. Taryn stopped to look back and saw an old man emerging. He beckoned to her and said, “You are talking about the yong man who stands by the window?”

“Yes, I am.” Taryn pouted her lips to show that she was serious.

“Well, I thought you should know, he is blind,” said the old man.

(This is a story that my father told me.)