#fenixtj

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Mr. Viggo places out the tiles with the engravings of the letters.

"Now, Ellie, please, play with these awhile, get a feel for them"

She pushes the tiles around, somewhat lackluster.

"oh now," Mr. Viggo smiles genntly, "is it because I smell a bit like mothballs?"

"Feel free to hold them, get their weight. Letters used to have weight, did you know that?"

"How?"

"beads were counnted, runes were carved into tablets.. the letters were deeper and not just on the material but a part of it. Did you know that there are those who don't use their eyes at all to read even to this day?"

"Here, close your eyes for a moment, and hold out your fingers"

She complies.

And feels.. odd tiny bump there, then.. as she moves it, more of them, then her fingers the bumps are moving or new gaps are there.

"Go ahead, get to know them, your eyes are a distraction for this anyway. Want to know more about it? It's the invention of a Frenchman. Yours is a French house, yes?"

"It is!"

"I bet Salma would like something she could read in the dark..."

"She might, here, let me show you..' He guides her fingers "This is the letter E... feel the difference?" And he goes on "And very smart, young lady. Before this, there was something called Night Writing, very much like this . This is Braille is named after its creator, Lord Braille, a Frenchman who lost his sight as a result of a childhood accident. In 1824, at the age of fifteen, he developed a code for the French as an improvement on night writing. He published his system, which subsequently included musical notes, in 1829. The second revision, published in 1837, was the first binary form of writing developed in the modern era. You see, Lord Braille was challenged. He was denied the ability to read with his eyes. So, he rose to the task and made a way that even a blind man can read. "

"That's cool. And... oh, yeah!"

"It is cool," he admits in his soft voice, "here.. let me show you the L" and he guides her fingers slowly, letting them linger over each letter, to spell out her name of Eleanor

"..That's my name!"

"It is" he nods "With Braille, your fingers can read where your eyes might be a wee bit fussier. I wonder if Lord Braille was Beaumaynn Kinian? He certainly was a man of foresight given he had no sight. " Speculative, "He gave a gift to the world that far out lived him. Would you like to learn braille?"

"I could teach Salma!" Delighted at the notion.

"Why, wouldn't she be pleasantly surprised?" He ponders this "Yes, you are free to teach Salma anything I teach you if you wish"

"Thank you, Mr. Viggo. Are there spanish letters, too?"

"Oh, Braille is based on the latin alphabet ,which Spanish shares... yes, you'll be able to read more than one language in Braille."

"Salma reads in both."

"With effort, now so will you" A smile "Thanks to fingers"

"This is a fun game...."

"I'm glad" he says "now, who else's name would you like to learn?"

"Salma! Ariel would just be Eleanor... A-r-e-a-l..."

"Close" A smile

"Salma.. let's go to the S.. keep yoru eyes closed, and .. " Finger slide "There you are. That's S"

"Okay, and I know A and L..."

"So we go back there.." he says says "Very good" when she goes back to them "now M is new to you... overwhere, feel how that differs?"

"Mmm.."

"And it does make that sound, doesn't it?" mmmm"

"Oh, it has a different dot. M and N are hard."

a chuckle "Mmm sounds like it taste's good"

"Oh yes, some games have hard moments. But practice helps you get it."

"True. Like learning a song."

"Just so"

"How about Jessica's name?"

"Ah, an excellent choice" And so.. he goes through that one, fingers her fingers along, but more and more he lets her take the lead when it seems she's getting which one it might be

Soon enough, she's working through all the names. She has some interesting ideas about spelling - phonetics and English do not always get along, though espanl seems to do better at following its own rules.

Yes, Ariel's name it turns out is TRICKY.. but that's okay and finally the teacher says "you're very good at this for a beginer. It took me a long longer on my first day, but.. would it be all right if we resumed tomorrow? I'm tired I fear and don't want to miss afternoon tea"

"Can I go show Salma?"

"I promised you could teach her what i taught you if you wanted" he nods "How about we leave the braille board with you?"

"Thank you!" Viggo gets a hug, which might startle the sluagh, before the childling takes off in search of her friend.

He is startled, but smiles "you are..welcome" he whispers as she is possibly already gone. Childlings. Seemingly inexhaustable

until they must nap

(end scene)