If You Give Me Three Days of Light: The Best Collection of Helen Keller

Chapter 29 The Teacher's Story (6)
"Yes, that's where the problem lies. She is not afraid of heaven and earth." Captain Keller replied with a wry smile.

The Keller family vacated a room as Anne's room, painted in a light and elegant white.The captain put down the suitcase and said kindly: "Okay! You tidy up slowly."

Helen followed them all the way up to Annie's room.Captain Keller gestured to take her away.

Anne said: "Let her stay! We'll get to know each other sooner or later anyway."

Annie opened the suitcase on her own and began to organize things, she did not try to please Helen.Helen was full of curiosity about this strange guest. Her little hands followed Annie's movements up and down, and her sticky dirty hands opened and closed the suitcase countless times. Annie said, "You are such a tenacious little thing!"

Helen found Anne's traveling cap, picked it up, put it awkwardly on her head, and tied it under her chin.She fumbled to stand in front of the mirror, looked up, turned to the left, turned to the right, and looked up and down, as if she could really see.

Annie couldn't help laughing, "You little naughty, you've seen your mother look in the mirror like this, you've learned really well."

Little fingers, who were now untying the knot of the hat, fumbled here and there with their dirty little hands, looking for new tricks. "You've learned a lot, I bet you can use your hands as your eyes, and you can do a lot with your hands, can't you? Ha! It's all trifles, and the best will come later! In a few You will learn to read and write with your hands this week, and your hands will help you unshackle and set you free." She suddenly stopped talking in a daze.Helen's shrewdness and dexterity made Annie forget that she was a disabled child with no hearing or vision, and she kept chattering at her.

Evening came early and the house was silent, and Anne, exhausted, fell asleep as soon as she went to bed.As usual, I suddenly fell asleep.In the master bedroom on the other side, Captain Keller tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and was woken up by him.

Mrs. Keller asked, "What's the matter, dear."

Captain Keller was silent for a moment and said, "That girl is so young, can she afford it?"

Mrs. Keller smiled and said, "Don't worry, Arthur, she can do it!"

little beast

Students at the Perkins Institute for the Blind brought Annie a doll when she left Boston.The doll was bought by everyone, and Laura made a beautiful coat.Now it was lying quietly in Anne's suitcase, and Helen's restive hands had already discovered it.In Helen's room, there is a large box of dolls of various sizes and shapes. This is such an intimate and familiar image to Helen.She pulled the doll out and hugged it tightly.

"Good start! Get twice the result with half the effort." Annie decided to use local materials.She took Helen's hand and spelled in her palm: "Doll".Helen immediately withdrew her hand, she never liked people touching her.But her curiosity overcame her disgust, and when Annie took her hand again, there was no struggle.

"Doll", Anne repeated the word in Helen's palm again and again, and then she asked Helen to pat the doll's head.Annie did spelling and patted the doll several times in a row.Helen stood inexplicably at first, and then concentrated on feeling the drawing on her palm.

At this time, Mrs. Keller came with a pile of dirty clothes in her hands and asked, "What fun games are you two playing? Let me share a little too!"

Anne smiled back.Life is so strange!From the first moment they met, they hit it off very well.Annie knew it well, and several other people, such as Captain Keller, James and his younger brother Xing Shengdi, all treated her as a hired servant instead of a friend.

Annie raised Helen's hand, spelled the characters into her palm, and explained to Mrs. Keller, "I wrote the characters into Helen's hands, so that she can get used to some sign language."

Annie stretched out her hand, swiped her fingers quickly, and made a series of movements. "I wrote 'How are you? Nice weather, isn't it? Helen has only one hand to lean on, her eyes, her ears, and I just spelled 'doll' on her hand, and she will When spelling this word, I drew my attention to the doll she was holding in her hand, and I wanted her to understand the relationship between words and objects. You see, she started to draw, and she wrote a part of it, okay? , come on."

Annie bent down, couldn't help but help Helen's fumbling fingers and said: "One more drawing." She guided to complete the word.Annie saw a gleam of hope flashing across Mrs. Keller's face, and quickly explained: "We're just getting started! She still doesn't understand the meaning of the word, and she didn't think that the word represented the doll's entity. This is just an imitation action. So I'm going to go back and forth in the universe and objects until she understands it herself. Helen, you will understand, won't you?"

Anne paused as she considered what to say next.She continued slowly: "After learning some words, it is very difficult to use them, but I believe there is no 'impossible' thing in the world."

Annie turned to Helen and said, "Okay! Let's play this game for a while." She reached out and took the doll away, and asked Helen to spell "doll" in her hand before returning the doll to Helen. She wanted to strengthen the combination of words and objects. Related impressions.

Helen didn't know this, all she knew was that the stranger had taken the doll from her.She flushed with anger, clenched her fists, and with a growl in her throat, she threw herself fiercely at Annie.

Annie quickly pushed the doll away, so that the doll would not suffer any harm.Helen's fists were pouring down like rain, and Annie tried her best to grab her hands.

Mrs. Keller begged: "Miss Anne, Miss Anne, please give her back the doll!"

Annie replied: "No, no, she will push her feet. If she keeps acting wild like this in the future, how can I teach her?"

Mrs. Keller was very worried: "If you don't give it to her, she will keep making trouble and won't settle down."

She, Annie, was fighting Helen, while refusing: "No, I want to make her obedient, she needs to know what obedience is."

Mrs. Keller continued to beg: "Miss Anne, please give it to her, she never knows what obedience is!"

Annie continued: "That's okay, it's just that I have another job. The first step is to tame her first, and then I can teach her to learn."

Helen and Annie continued to wrestle, refusing to give in to each other, and finally Helen collapsed in Annie's arms.

"Ha! You finally gave up." Annie secretly cheered.There was no such thing, when Annie breathed a sigh of relief and let go, Helen pulled away and quickly fled the room.Annie looked at the back, feeling pity spontaneously. "Okay! Don't worry about winning or losing this time. Maybe I'm too impatient. You must have firm confidence first, and don't rush. I need a while, take your time! It's as simple as that."

However, Annie also understood her situation better because of this. She thought that Helen would be as gentle, sad, and pale as Laura.From beyond the dark and silent shore, give thanks again and again.However, Helen is not Laura, she is alive and well, watching for opportunities to fight back from time to time, just like a little beast.

Annie knew that everyone in the family sympathized with Helen, so they took care of her and let her go, so Helen was spoiled. These blind pity and love made the five-year-old Helen extremely willful, and she became angry like a little girl. Tyrant, everyone must obey her obediently.

In fact, another real reason why Helen has been playing with Anne is out of fear, because she gradually felt that Anne was gradually eroding her life habits of the past five years.Before this, no one had ever opened her heart and led her to the splendor and variety beyond the dark world.Helen's little life explores alone in the dark and struggles in the emptiness.She was young and ignorant, and didn't know how to dispel the sense of despair of not being able to communicate with the outside world. She could only vent her anxious emotions by punching, kicking, screaming, and avoiding.

One day, Mrs. Keller handed Helen a stack of clean towels and motioned to take them to Annie.Helen took it obediently and went upstairs. Halfway, she threw the towel on the ground, climbed upstairs by herself, and ran to the door of Annie's room on tiptoe.Helen knew that Anne was in the room, she groped lightly, ha!When you find the key, insert it in the keyhole.She turned the key quickly, pulled it out, ran downstairs, stuffed the key under a drawer in the great drawing room, and fled.

Annie heard the click of the door in the room, and wanted to go to the door to find out.It turned out to be one step late!The door was locked from the outside, and Anne yelled in the room, and Mrs. Keller and the cook came running.

Mrs. Keller ran and shouted: "Miss Anne, what happened?".

"She locked me in."

The two women outside the door knew who "she" was without asking.The cook was dubious: "How could she do such a thing?"

Annie restrained her anger, and replied coldly from the room: "It's her, this child should be disciplined, is there another spare key?"

Mrs. Keller sent someone to bring Captain Keller back, but Captain Keller said disapprovingly: "We pay her 25 dollars a month, and she is so stupid that she locked herself in the room."

Mrs. Keller was very anxious: "But Arthur, her room is on the third floor. Now we should find a way to get her out?"

Captain Keller brought a long ladder from the barn and climbed to the window of Annie's room. He lifted Annie and carried her on his shoulders, and the two came down safely.

The yard was crowded with servants and peasant servants watching and laughing.Anne blushed with embarrassment, embarrassment and annoyance. It was too embarrassing for a lady to be carried down from the third floor like a bundle of cotton in front of everyone.

Captain Keller thought of Anne's embarrassment, and couldn't help but ask with a playful smile: "Miss Anne, what do you think of Helen?"

"I don't think there's one thing I need to worry about," Annie replied sourly. "Her head. Captain Keller, to tell you the truth, when I first came here, I was still worried about whether her illness had burned her head. Fortunately, the little head is still fully equipped, and she can do it all by herself That's 10 kids."

After speaking, in order to escape Captain Keller's teasing and teasing, Annie ran away.

breakfast fight
For a long time afterwards, Anne and Helen fought wits and courage.They sometimes keep it to themselves, making tentative peeps.Sometimes they can't argue.

Anne's mentality has always been good, and she is full of hope: "Give me some more time, I believe she will have a little positive reaction."

Then came a great battle, and no one could pretend to be stupid anymore, regardless of success or failure. The matter pushed them to the cusp of the storm, and pushed them to the bright side of tit-for-tat.

The dining room is their battleground.At the dinner table, Helen has no rules.She knows how to use a knife, fork and spoon, but she refuses to do so.She would rather grab food with her hands, and what's worse, she not only grabs what's on her own plate, but also what's on other people's plates at the dinner table, she can grab whoever she wants.

Her nose is very sensitive, and she can distinguish the aroma of different dishes on other people's plates.Anne had to admire and sigh for this.But when she saw Helen's filthy little hands reaching out to other people's plates and wantonly grabbing her favorite dishes, she felt very disgusted.But Helen hadn't violated her plate before, so it was better to do less than to do more, so she interfered.

One morning, Helen walked up to Annie and smelled the tempting aroma of sausages wafting from Annie's plate.Helen's favorite food is sausage, but that's Anne's plate, she dare not act rashly.

Helen moved her nose and sniffed carefully.The sense of smell told her that the sausages on other people's plates were empty, so she walked over to Annie again. The taste of the sausages made her salivate, making her irresistible.

With a "snap", Annie pressed Helen's hand tightly, preventing her from moving. Annie slowly peeled Helen's fingers off the sausage.

Captain Keller asked, "What do you mean?"

Anne replied coldly, "I'll take back my sausage."

"We should be tolerant of her! Miss Sullivan, it's not like you don't know that she is a poor disabled child." Captain Keller seemed to regard Anne as an unreasonable idiot.

Why do people in Keller's family always meddle in things?Annie suppressed the anger that was about to erupt, took a deep breath and said, "Captain Keller, letting her go on like this will destroy her. I know Helen is disabled and frustrated, and it's very pitiful, but she is so self-destructive now, It doesn't do her any good to be pampered lawlessly."

Captain Keller stood up angrily. "In my house, my children are not allowed to be deprived of food."

Anne was very angry.Not to be outdone, she pushed back at him: "I also don't allow the children under my discipline to mess with the food on the plate."

James held back his laughter and gave Anne a look of appreciation. Unfortunately, this scene was seen by Captain Keller.

Captain Keller asked fiercely: "James, do you have something to say?".

"No." The young man shrank his neck and replied.

Captain Keller turned his head and continued to say to Anne: "Miss Sullivan, as long as I am in the dining room, no one is allowed to interfere with Helen."

Annie sneered: "If that's the case, please avoid it!"

Seeing this, Mrs. Keller quickly dropped the napkin, stood beside him and whispered to him: "Honey, you promised Miss Sullivan that she could educate Helen in her own way, didn't you? Helen, it just looks cruel on the surface, but in fact it’s not a big deal. Honey, let’s go out for a while! James is also coming. I believe she will teach with all her heart and do her best.”

Just like that, Annie and the little beast stayed in the restaurant face to face.

Annie got up and locked the dining-room door, putting the key in her pocket.She stepped over Helen who was throwing a tantrum and rolled on the ground, and returned to her seat.

When she picked up the pan and saw the cold sausages that Helen's little dirty hands had grabbed, she thought to herself, "It's hard to swallow." It doesn't matter, life is still going on, Annie had no choice but to pretend to be calm, and slowly chewed her cold breakfast.

Anne only cared about eating by herself, while Helen continued to roll on the ground.It went on like this for half an hour, but it seemed like a whole day.Helen finally felt bored, and suddenly thought of other people?Why didn't everyone coax like before?Curiosity rises, anger rests a little.

Helen walked over to see what Annie was doing. "Wow, so she is eating!"

Helen was so hungry that she patted Annie's arm with one hand, and sneaked into the plate with the other.Anne pushed her hand away.Helen stretched out her hand again, and Annie pushed it away again.

Helen became angry and stretched out her hand to twist Anne's arm severely.Annie immediately slapped back hard, not polite at all, which made Helen gasp, and she felt the pain piercing her heart, she twisted again, Annie retaliated, and without hesitation, she slapped Helen again, and the fiery slap came out of the darkness again. flew over.

Helen changed her strategy and wanted to see who else was there. She walked around the table and found that the seats were all empty.She wanted to escape and pulled the door hard, but it didn't move, her fingers groped for the key, the door was locked and the key was taken away.For the first time, she experienced being alone, exhausted, and trapped in the same room with the enemy.

Seeing Helen who was paralyzed on the ground, Annie couldn't bear to say, "Hey! Helen, don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

But whenever Anne took a step closer, Helen would take a step back.Her instinct of self-preservation makes her try to keep her distance from strangers as well.Anne buried her head in her hands in pain and sighed.Maybe she shouldn't have locked the door... no, no!You shouldn't be softhearted.In any case, there should be firm confidence.Having made this decision, Anne put on airs, picked up her fork again and resumed her unappetizing breakfast.

After a while, Helen felt that she couldn't bear the hunger anymore, and she found that Annie was still sitting at the dining table, not daring to approach.She made a detour back to her seat and started grabbing cereal from her bowl.

Annie sighed: "No, no, stubborn thing, I thought everything was in order, and you did this trick again. In fact, you know everything, and you deliberately provoke me. I can't indulge you, no! Never give up easily "Annie got up and gave her the spoon.

After Helen took the spoon, she dropped it on the ground.Annie picked her up from the seat, forced her to pick up the spoon on the ground, and told her to sit upright.Annie's hand was strong and strong, preventing Helen from breaking free, forcing her to drink one mouthful at a time.One bite...two bites, very good!Annie thought that Helen would submit obediently, so she let go.But unexpectedly, the moment he let go, Helen threw the spoon at Anne.Annie stepped aside in a hurry, and the spoon fell to the ground with a clang.

Things are like repeating themselves.Helen screamed and kicked again, and Anne had to use force to hold her tightly, forcing her to finish her breakfast in a proper manner. In the end, Helen was really exhausted and fainted from hunger, so she obediently ate her breakfast as soon as possible.Annie watched her almost finish eating, and thought to herself: "It's almost over, it's almost over." Unexpectedly, Helen was rebellious, scooped up the last bite from the plate, pulled off the napkin and threw it on the ground.

"God, you are really unruly. But you are stubborn, I am more stubborn than you; you are strong, I am stronger than you, you hate, you resent! Our success or failure depends on one action, I can't let you be like this To pass, you have to pick up the napkin and fold it."

For the napkin, they refused to give in to each other, and went through another hour-long struggle.At last Helen convulsed and collapsed.She had no choice but to follow Anne's command, fold the napkin diagonally again, fold it again, and finally folded the napkin.Annie fell back to her seat with a long sigh and finished the most important lesson.

She unlocked it and took Helen into the garden, where the sun was high above her head.

Annie was very upset. "It's getting late, and the good morning light is wasted in the restaurant like this."

Annie heard the busy sounds of lunch being prepared in the kitchen.Annie sat listlessly on the bench and sighed. "I really lost my appetite. Where can I have lunch?"

Anne left Helen behind, and walked into the house alone. She dragged her weary steps up the stairs and entered the room. The surroundings were empty and silent. On the bed, tears streamed down my face.

quarantine family
All morning Mrs. Keller, terrified by the crashing sounds from the dining room, sat alone in the shade of the wicker shed by the gate, with a basket of old socks beside her, too distracted to mend.

(End of this chapter)