Anrio was sitting on the warm grass in the forest of Boulogne,not very
far from the Swan-lake,and enjoyed the wondrous warmth of sun on his
face.He didn't know what it looked like,this marvellous wonder of
nature, called the sun, but he knew that it was kind to him,and he loved
the touch of it's beams on his skin.He was ten years old,with handsome
aristocratic face, curly hair,of golden colour,and with grey eyes
beautifully shaded by dark eye-lashes.He didn't know about that
divine,almost angelical beauty,that belonged to him,because those
beautifull eyes never knew the difference between uglyness and
beauty,the difference that can change one's life at once and destroy the
other's.In fact those eyes didn't see anything,but the inner-world of
their owner - little Anrio,who was blind from his birth.Anrio never felt
disabled,or different from the others,and he never missed the things he
never knew.He never thought about the colour of the sky,or what is the
water like.He knew that the water was something liquid,and that the sky
was the place where his mother's soul rested in peace.Anrio never asked
heaven,why he was born like that,and why God denied him the happyness of
seeing and cherishing all the beauty of the earth that God created for
his children.He had a beauty within himslef,a beauty that made a
mysterious world within his head.A world full of visions,sounds and
smells, little details wich remain unnoticed by normal people amd that
can't be explained or described by the one who sees.There was no morning
for Anrio as well as no sunset....Only the never-ending night,that hid
all the world from him behind the thick curtain of darkness,and still
opened the new one,unexplored mysterious and where was no place for
reason or any human law.Only emotions and senses ruled in this realm,and
perhaps that's why he was a happy child.The darkness that parted him
from the others,also defended him from the pain of being
disillusioned,and from the reality ,that in general ,is all unglyness.He
lived within his head,each moment of his life,even when he was sitting
on the grass and waiting pationately for his father to come back for
him.He always recognized him,though he was never able to see him.He
recognized him even when he didn't call him by name,and didn't pronounce
a single sound.He knew the way he walked,though his steps were as quiet
as cat's.He recognized the weight of his hand on his shoulder and he
never was mistaken because the gloves that his father wore time to
time,because he knew each line of his hands and each gracefull gesture
they made.His father was the only member of his family,and he was the
one who created a wonderfull world for Anrio,the world full of magic of the
sound.He made it very simply,he taught Anrio to play the violin.Though
the boy was blind,it wasn't very hard to do,becacuse his fingers seemed
to replace his eyes,and they found the right strings without any
difficulty.Anrio's father turned music into the light,the magic light
that led Anrio through his life.Music became a candle in the eternal
blackness that surrounded Anrio,and his father was the one who lit it
for him.
Each day,his father insisted that Anrio should spend a few hours on the
fresh air,because in the place where they lived the air was dusty.He
took him in the carriage to the exactly same place in the forest of
Boulogne,and left him there alone for a few hours.Anrio wasn't bored at
all,actually he liked the hours that he spent in the forest under the
large old oak.He listened to the sounds that surrounded him.The sweet
music of leaves that flattered on the breeze,the distant sound of human
laughter,and the beautifull songs of numerous birds that filled the
air,made him happy.He wanted his father to share this joy with
him,as they shared the endless hours of talking to each other at
home.The aura of understanding surrounded their life,and Anrio
understood his father good enough,to feel that there was something wrong
about him.Something that dnied him those hours under the sun,something
that made him sigh each time Anrio asked him to stay with him,something
that created a tiny crack in their relationship.Something that Anrio
felt ,but never understood.
"May be dad simply doesn't like sun?"- He thought,and sighed.Suddenly he
heard someone approaching.It wasn't his dad,because the steps were too
noisy,and it was definately not in his father's manner.And if his ears
weren't playing tricks with him,it was ovious that there were two
persons,walking towards him.After a few seconds he recognized his
friend's voice.It was Andre,a boy who used to talk with
Anrio,sometimes.They talked about very simple boyish things,that amused
Anrio.Andre told him about the streets where he grew up and that Anrio
knew nothing about,explained the rules of the games that the other boys
played,and told him all the news of Paris.In exchange,Anrio was telling
him unnumbered stories and fairy-tales,that his father told him.There
wasn't a single person in the world,who could be compared with Anrio's
father in telling stories,except Anrio himself.Andre could have listened him for
hours,while Anrio's voice pictured the adventures,disasters and
love-affairs before his eyes.In those wonderfull moments,Andre recovered
the world of colour and light for Anrio,and he,in exchange,gave him a
chance to gaze on his world,the world of fantasy and magic.Andre was
Anrio's only friend,and something else,perhaps even more important than friend.Andre
was his eyes.
When the sound of steps stopped,Anrio pronounced:
"Is that you,Andre?"- In responce,he heard his friend's voice,saying:
"Yes,Anri,that's me!Good morning to you!"- Anrio smiled and replied:
"Good morning!It's so nice to hear you,Andre,my friend!I've been waiting
for you.We haven't met for such a long time.You just dissapeared,and I
thought that you're not coming back at all,but now I know that you
havn't forgotten about me.Andre,I feel that you are not alone...Who's
that with you?" - Andre's voice sounded exited as he pronounced:
"Anri,I've brought someone to you.Someone.who wants to become your
friend.It is a young lady,her name is Christine.She's very nice!"
Suddenly Anrio's face became worried as he recalled his father's
order,not to talk with anybody,but Andre.At first,even Andre wasn't
welcomed as his friend.Anrio rembered the day when he told his father
that he had a friend.He told him about Andre with exitement,as about
some kind of a miracle that happened to him,expecting his father to be
glad for him,but his reaction was unpredictable.That was the first time
when he shouted at Anrio,saying that he will forbid him to go out at
all,if he'll find out that Anrio will be talking with somebody once
again.Anrio began to cry,first time in his life he was hurt by his own
father.And the worse thing was,that he didn't know,what his guilt
was.Father asked him,why he was crying,and what was so special about
this boy,that made Anrio so unhappy if he won't see him any more.Anrio
quietly wispered:
"He is my friend...What is so bad about it?Don't you have any yourself?"
His father stayed quiet for a long time,and Anrio thought that he might
be terribly angry at him,but suddenly he heard the quiet sobs escaping
his father's chest,and with fear,Anrio realized that he was crying.Anrio
didn't understand what has he done so terrible that hurted him so
much,and he dared to ask:
"What is it,dad?Why are you crying?I'm sorry!I will never meet this boy
again,if it hurts you so much!" - Suddenly,he felt his father's arms
gently pulling him to his chest,and his voice,his comforting and
wonderfull voice pronounced:
"Don't be sorry,son!That's me who should be...It is all my fault...Of
course you need to have friends,forgive me for trying to lock you up in
this lonesome place with me.I have no right to do that...I'm sorry
Anrio!I was affraid son...I was affraid..."
Anrio remembered that when he asked what he was affraid of,he didn't
answer,and kept on holding him tight,as if the thought of letting him go
scared him.From that moment,Anrio understood,that there was something
very wrong about his father.
"Andre,father doesn't like me to talk with strangers,only you are
welcomed as my frined...Are you sure that it will be allright?" - His
voice sounede unsure,but it was obvious that he wanted to talk with
somebody else.Before Andre had the ability to say something,Anrio heard
the girl's gentle voice saying:
"Andre told me that you need a friend,so do I,you know...I came from a
very far distant place,and I don't know a single person here...I think
we could halp each other,don't you think so?" - Anrio felt that the
fragile hand laid on his shoulder and there weren't any hesitations
after that moment.
"It's very nice to meet you,mademoiselle Christine..."