Carefully observe the world

Author: (USA) Dorothy Herrmann
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features:
Chapter 1: Helen sat in a room filled with sunlight and noisy chatter. The deaf and blind Helen, with Kay Leary, sorrowfully sat by the bedside. Just minutes before, her teacher and lifelong companion, Anne Sullivan, had lay in this very bed and passed away. Poor Helen was utterly devastated. To her, Anne was not just a friend but her "other self," her life belonging to Anne.
Temperamental, unrestrained, yet indomitable—this was Anne at 21, an orphan with black hair who had grown up in an orphanage. Yet, it was this orphan who transformed a "wild child" who often broke dishes and kicked people into one of the most famous women of her time, a symbol of hope and courage, inspiring millions of disabled people worldwide.
Helen's hometown was Tuscumbia, Alabama. Since 1987, when young Helen was transformed from an almost uneducated savage into a civilized person, she and Anne had become internationally renowned. Wherever they appeared, crowds would flock to see them—even the President, Kings, Queens, and even the Pope were no exception. For many, meeting Helen was like participating in a religious ceremony, as if they had encountered an angel. The only thing that remained constant was the tears of emotion that people would shed.
Over the past eight hours, Helen had sat by her teacher's bedside, her sensitive fingers tracing the frail face of Anne, feeling her faint breaths, which caused her immense pain. She could sense the throaty sounds Anne made as she drew her last breath. When everything was finally over, she felt Anne's hands grow cold. These hands had once been the warm, pulsing lifeline that supported her for nearly half a century, but now they were so cold, completely devoid of life.
Friends gently pulled Helen aside to arrange Anne's body for the funeral. Of course, there was another reason for forcing her into another room—they feared Helen might go mad. Over the decades, people had clearly understood Helen's dependence on Anne, and they worried greatly about whether she could survive without her.
An hour later, when people were preparing to move Anne Sullivan's body to another room, Helen was led in for her final farewell to Anne. Though she was now 56 years old, she still respectfully called her "Teacher."
In the eyes of many, Helen remained a beautiful woman. She was tall, well-proportioned, and her features were almost perfect—her eyes as blue as the vast sky. Though she had never seen a sunrise, a rainbow, or a human face since she was 19 months old, her eyes were bright, as if she had already seen through life and death. However, her family had always feared the public would discover her eyes were artificial. For medical and aesthetic reasons, her eyes had been removed and replaced with glassy ones.
Young Helen was even more captivating. Her skin was as white as jade, smooth and delicate, with thick chestnut hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall. She had slender fingers, full breasts, perfectly proportioned hips, and beautiful legs.