The Eyes are Not Here

The Eyes are Not Here is a short story by Ruskin Bond that was originally published in Contemporary Indian English Stories. The narrator of this story, a blind man whose eyes were sensitive only to light and darkness, was going to Dehradun by train when he met a girl and had a chit-chat with her. It was only after she left and another passenger came into the compartment that the narrator realizes the girl was blind.

Summary

Up to Rohana, the narrator was alone in the compartment. A girl boarded the compartment from there. The couple who bid her goodbye at the station were anxious abut her well-being and advised her a lot regarding where to keep her belongings, not to lean out of the windows and to avoid talking to strangers.

Once the train left the station, the narrator started a conversation asking if she too was going to Dehra. The voice startled her as she thought her to be alone in the compartment. The girl told him that she was going to Saharanpur where her aunt would come to take her home. She also envied the narrator as the hills of Mussoorie, where he was headed to, presented a lovely sight in October (the present month).

After some more chit-chats, the narrator told her, quite daringly (as he was blind and couldn't have known her face for sure) that she had an interesting face. She laughed at this and replied that it was indeed a welcome deviation from the oft repeated phrase:"You have a pretty face".

Soon it was time for the girl to bid goodbye as the train arrived at her destination. After her departure, a man entered the compartment and apologized, as a matter of fact, for not being an attractive travelling companion as his predecessor. When the narrator asked him if the girl had her hair long or short, he replied that he had noticed only her eyes, which were beautiful but of no use, as she was completely blind.