If you give me three days of light

Chapter 2 The Nightmare Comes
I was born on June 1880, 6 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the southern United States.

My father's ancestors originally lived in Sweden and later immigrated to the United States and settled in Maryland.One of my ancestors was an expert on deaf-mute education, and he created many books on deaf-mute education.This is really a coincidence. Who would have expected that a blind, deaf and dumb person like me would be his descendant?Whenever I think of this incredible thing, I can't help feeling: the most unpredictable thing in the world is fate!

It was my grandfather who led the whole family to this small town. He reclaimed a large piece of land here, and the whole family has lived and worked here in peace and contentment ever since.The town of Tuscumbia is very remote, so at that time, my grandfather rode to Philadelphia every year to purchase items needed by the estate and the family, such as seeds, farm tools, fertilizers and daily necessities.It is a long way from us to Philadelphia, more than 1200 kilometers away.On the way to Philadelphia, my grandfather often wrote letters to his family to tell them that the journey was fine, so that they don't have to worry. The letters also vividly described the western scenery and all kinds of people and things seen during the journey.Today, those old letters are kept by my aunt. In my spare time, we often take them out and read them word by word, reminiscing about the past with relish, and the excitement is no less than that of reading adventure novels.

Arthur Keller was my father, he was a captain in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and he was a good officer.My mother, Kate Adams, was several years younger than my father, whom he remarried.

Before I got sick, I was also a normal kid.In my memory, our family only had a big square house and a small house where the servants lived.At that time, southerners often built another house next to the house they lived in, in case of emergency.After the Civil War, my father also built an additional house next to the foundation, where he and my mother lived after their marriage.Seen from the garden, the house looks like a pavilion made of branches and green leaves.Bushes of yellow roses and poria cocos covered the whole little balcony, and in this happy paradise, the swarms of bees and light hummingbirds were singing and dancing.

The grandparents' old house is just a few steps away from the Rose Pavilion.There are lush trees growing around our house, and the fence is covered with lush English ivy. The neighbors love our home very much and call it Green Home. What a poetic name!Although the style of this garden is very old, I like it very much, because my wonderful childhood is treasured here.

Miss Sullivan was my tutor. Before she came into my life, I used to walk slowly into the garden alone along the hard and thorny square boxwood fence on the side of the road.My sense of smell is very sensitive, and the freshly bloomed violets and lilies will guide me to find their location quickly, and the tangy fragrance makes me feel refreshed.Sometimes, when I'm in a bad mood, I lose my temper.At this time, I also like to come here for comfort.I hid my hot cheeks among the cool green leaves and grass, which is the best way to calm down the restless mood.

Whenever I come to this "green home", that kind of relaxed and happy feeling will arise spontaneously from the bottom of my heart.This led me to reach out and feel, and sometimes I touched a branch, which I knew by the shape of its petals and leaves to be the vine that shaded the arbor.There are fragrant jasmine shyly drooping here; tendril vines crawling leisurely on the ground; and rare butterfly lotus.This kind of flower is very beautiful and full of aura, because its petals are somewhat similar to the wings of a butterfly when they fall, and it also emits a sweet fragrance, so it is called Butterfly Lotus.But, in my heart, those climbing roses are the most beautiful, and this kind of flower is very rare in the greenhouses in the north.They hung upside down on the balcony in long rows, and climbed around, filling the air with its fragrance, masking the smell of dust.The roses in the morning are especially intoxicating, with shiny dew on them, making them soft and creamy to the touch.People say that the sunflower orchid in God's Royal Garden is extremely beautiful and unique, and I think it is nothing compared to this morning rose.

Like Zeng Tong's children, my birth was simple and ordinary.I was the first child in my family, so my birth was both nervous and exciting for my family.I fell to the ground, opened my eyes, and the eyes of the whole family were cast on me.Then, everyone began to rack their brains to come up with a name for me. This is not a casual thing.My father wanted me to be named "Middle Campbell" because that was one of his most respected ancestors.My mother thought that "Helen Alfred" was the most suitable name, because that was my grandmother's girlhood name.Later, my father stopped expressing his opinions. After some discussions, we decided to use my grandmother's name "Helen Alfred" as my name according to my mother's wishes.

Now that my name has been chosen, the immediate priority is to take me to church to be baptized.Maybe my father was too nervous and excited, maybe he didn't want to use that name in the first place, anyway, my name disappeared from his mind on the way to church.When the pastor asked him the child's name, the father remembered to use his grandmother's name, so he blurted out: "Helen Adams".However, this name is not the name of my grandmother's girlhood, but her name after marriage.Later, my name was not corrected, and the name "Helen Adams" has been used to this day.

I heard from my family that when I was very young, I showed a studious, confident and stubborn personality, and I was very curious about everything, and I often imitated the behavior of adults. This is also the cutest part of me.When I was 6 months old, I was able to say "Hello" in a baby voice.Before I was one year old, I could clearly say "tea! tea! tea!", and my family members could hear me clearly, which surprised them very much.After I became a blind person, although I forgot the words and pronunciation I learned before, I still remembered the word I learned when I was a few months old-water.After I completely lost my language ability, I can still pronounce the sound of the word "water" vaguely.Later, after the teacher taught me to use spelling to express myself, I never pronounced the word "water" again.

My mother said that I walked earlier than ordinary children.Probably when he just turned one year old.Once, after taking a bath for me, my mother took me out of the tub and put me on her lap.The shadows of the branches outside flickered on the smooth floor. In an instant, my curiosity was suddenly aroused. I slipped down from my mother's lap, took staggering steps, and rushed to step on those shadows.When my curiosity gradually cooled down, the momentum in my body was also exhausted.As a result, the two legs that were powerful enough to step on the shadow also lost their strength.I fell to the ground and struggled to get up again.At this time, the mother who was stunned by the shock came back to her senses and picked me up from the cold ground.

Although the time I had vision and hearing was very short, the beautiful nature still left a deep memory in my mind.Spring is short, white birds chirp, warblers sing and swallows dance; in summer, plump fruits and beautiful roses sway on the branches; late autumn comes, the grass is yellow and the leaves are red, and the garden is full of fragrance.It's just that these three beautiful seasons passed by in a hurry without leaving too many traces when I was young and active.

However, good times don't last forever, and happiness is fleeting.In a spring that should be full of blooming flowers, robins and larks let go of their melodious songs, I escaped into darkness and silence in the midst of a high fever.In the gloomy February of the second year, I had an inexplicably high fever, which persisted for a long time.The doctors diagnosed acute gastric congestion and cerebral congestion. They tried their best to save it, but finally expressed their helplessness to my family.However, a miracle happened. One morning, my fever subsided again inexplicably.The whole family is overjoyed that I escaped death, thank God.However, no one expected that this inexplicable high fever took away my vision and hearing, and I could no longer see or hear anything.I was cruelly exiled into a world of chaos and ignorance, living like a baby, and my family was completely ignorant of this, even the doctors were surprised.

Today, recalling the scene of illness, I am particularly impressed with my mother.When I had a high fever and was groggy, she comforted me gently, coaxed me patiently, and encouraged me to accept treatment bravely, all of which relieved my pain and irritability.When I woke up from the pain and confusion, I only felt burning pain in my eyes, and the amiable and lovely sunshine in my memory was projected, making my eyes hurt. I turned over and faced the wall, curled up in the corner of the bed.In the days that followed, my eyesight deteriorated day by day, and the sun became increasingly dimmer. Afterwards, only a blur of light and shadow was left to accompany me.

Until one day, when I opened my eyes, the amiable and lovely sunshine in my memory disappeared, and the disturbing sound also disappeared, and only darkness and silence replaced them.I was like falling into the abyss of a nightmare, not knowing what was going on.I instinctively wanted to scream, but I couldn't make a sound. The sadness and fear are unforgettable for the rest of my life.

In the following period of time, I gradually got used to the darkness and silence, and I gradually lost my impression of the past. I just felt that my world was full of darkness and desolation.It was not until the arrival of Miss Sullivan that my fate was changed.She unloaded my psychological burden and brought new hope to my life.She ignited the candle in my heart with her true feelings, and made my silent and dark world see light again.

Only 19 months of my life have been the colorful world of sound.But the beautiful "green home", the blue sky, the green grass, the dense trees and the charming flowers are always in my memory. Best decoration.

(End of this chapter)