Born Blind

Chapter Two

Have compassion; our child is still helpless and needs your nurture and our care. It was not her fault for coming into this world blind!

"Monara! No please, come back." Ricdar was sobbing. Monara was running rapidly, not looking back, unmindful of the rocky and dark path she was treading, crying unceasingly as if escaping from danger. Monara found the known century-old oak tree standing mightily up the shaky, dusty ground on the top of a hill, and once one reached the top, around the century-old oak tree was grassy land with blossoming flowers. Monara patiently and eagerly climbed the steep hill; her feet were bruised while running with no slippers. As soon as she reached the old oak tree, she cried and whined simultaneously with the cries of her newly-born child. She gently laid the baby on the base of the tree, covered it entirely with a soft blanket, sighed deeply, and kissed her child.

Between sobs, she spoke: "I'm sorry, my child, but I have to leave you here, and maybe a kind-hearted person will pick you up, own you, and raise you well. May the gods forgive me, but I must give you away." Monara cried again, covering her face, and cowered. A lantern in his hand, Ricdar finally found her, knelt before them, then placed the lantern on the ground near the baby and gazed at his beautiful daughter.

"Monara, please don't do this, I beg you," wept Ricdar. "Have compassion; our child is still helpless and needs your nurture and our care. It was not her fault for coming into this world blind!" begged Ricdar. While the couple was talking, the century-old oak tree seemed to move. Its head slightly bowed as if curious about the baby; then its leaves swayed as if wanting to open its arms for the baby. From its branches came pixies and fairies nesting on the tree's branches, appearing like fireflies. They flew down, surrounded the couple, and took a glimpse of the baby. They were surprised, and their faces showed joyful smiles because the baby was so beautiful and angelic. They were sad, too, giving their sympathy to the family but felt sorrow for the child because, aside from being blind, the mother gave up on her.

"We can care for her, watch and help her grow independently with our guidance. Take a look at her; isn't she radiantly beautiful? What a waste if you'll leave her here helplessly. She may die here before someone happen to see her. Please, don't do this, Monara." Implored Ricdar, putting sense to her confused mind.

"I'm sorry, Ricdar, but I cannot do this. If you insist on taking care of her, I won't stop you, but I am leaving; I suffered enough! I can't continue living like this, especially with a blind child!" She stood up, determined with her decision. Ricdar was weeping, imploring Monara, but she could not be moved. She left in haste while Ricdar was in deep remorse; he took the child in his arms, still weeping, and the baby cried too as if sympathizing with her father.

The pixies and the fairies were flying around the father and baby, wanting to console them, when the elves and dwarfs hiding in the shallow trunk of the oak tree went out too to sympathize with them. The fairies, pixies, elves, and dwarfs came together and talked. Their voices sounded like the chirps of the crickets, asking in unison, "What can we do for them, especially the poor baby?" Then the mother fairy flew to them and thought of an idea, "You better follow them to their home. Be with the child as long as it takes. The father and the baby need us, but we must be incognito as we move along. The father must not find out that we are here." And all agreed, then followed Ricdar on his way home.

When Ricdar laid the baby in her crib, the mother fairy came to the baby together with the rest and surrounded her. The mother fairy raised her wand on the child's forehead and blessed her with her words: "I bless you today, my little one. As you grow, you will become more beautiful and charming than ever. I will name you Aziza, beloved, precious, and mighty. You will grow up kind and warm-hearted, optimistic, intelligent, persistent, courageous, independent, and dauntless in the face of unbelievable struggles, notwithstanding the difficulties and harshness around you. You will spread joy and cheerfulness to those around you. Then you will have someone in your life who will protect you and love you unconditionally. These are my gifts to you." Prayed the mother fairy. The old dwarf came close to the baby, kissed her forehead, and said a wish, "Even if you are blind, my dear Aziza, you will possess incredible powers in your senses of hearing, smell, and the agility to possess strong, swift, and accurate moves as you grow up. And these powers will help you protect yourself and those around you, and the abilities you possess are but normal to you."

One day, Ricdar's neighbors asked him, "what name did you give your child?" Ricdar scratched his head, forgetting to give her daughter a name because he was used to calling her 'baby.' While he was thinking, a fairy whispered to him, Aziza. Then Ricdar said, "Aziza, yes, her name is Aziza. Its' beautiful, isn't it?" said Ricdar confidently.

Aziza grew into a young beautiful, and charming girl. Everyone adores her not only for her beauty and intelligence but also for her courage, her kindness, and her optimism. She was always cheerful and happy, even in the middle of difficulty. Aziza was independent. She was always confident in anything she did despite her blindness. Her father was always amazed at what she could do, like cooking, cleaning, washing clothes and dishes, and even ironing. And sometimes, his father can be heard with his remark, "If only your mother knew what becomes of you, my dear daughter." She also knew her way to the marketplace, nearby stores, streams where she fetched water, lakes where she flowed their clothes, and even the woods, especially the mountain where the century-old oak tree was. Unbeknownst to Ricdar, Aziza's unseen little friends were always there to assist her, and even if she could not see them, she always heard them and talked to them alone.

One day, her friend, Adviteeya, was pounded and punched by Murdock's gang and tied to a tree face down. They kept hitting him with sticks as he swung from the tree, shouting for help. Aziza heard a voice calling for help. Unknown to her, she had the power to listen to even the faintest sound, which was an ordinary sense to her, and his tiny unseen friends shook the edges of her dress, telling her about a weak voice they also heard.

Aziza went closer, and her tiny friends pulled her behind the bushes and told her to hide because they might notice her at once. Adviteeya kept shouting for help, and Aziza could not take that shout for use any longer, especially when she suddenly recognized her friend's voice. Aziza went out of hiding and, pulling her dress by her tiny friends, brought her toward Murdock and held his hand about to strike Adviteeya again with a thick branch in his hand.

"Well, look who's here! Adviteeya's friend." Staring funny at Aziza and pulling her hand from Aziza's grasp, Murdock laughed and ranted at Aziza. "Look at her; she's blind yet so brave to fight me?" he shouted sarcastically.

"I may be blind, but I know how to strike you," Aziza warned and simultaneously struck him with a fist blow on his face, his eyes blackened. Murdock cringed in pain and was about to hit her when Aziza kicked his groin. Her little friends were thrilled and laughed at the way Aziza made her strike. Murdock's friends rushed to retaliate, but her unseen friends blocked their way, and all of Murdock's gang stumbled together. They were wondering what made them slip, and as they stood up, they saw stones flying toward them. They got frightened of what they thought was a phenomenon and called Murdock to run. But Murdock was stubborn because he was embarrassed having been beaten by a girl and blind at that! He wanted to get back at her, but she gave him another blow and warned Murdock while lying on the ground.

"Don't you ever hurt not even touch a single hair of any of my friends, or I will show you how to be shamed and embarrassed when I give you a blow again," meaning to strike him, but Murdock shouted, pleading for her to stop.

"Now, release my friend!" Murdock did and ran away as fast as he could. Adviteeya, amazed by Aziza's bravery, and prowess, bowed to her and said, "My lady master, thank you for saving me from those foolish hoodlums. If it were not for your bravery, I could be left with an aching body until someone could happen here." Adviteeya was so grateful to Aziza. And so they left the woods, and Adviteeya could not help wondering how good his friend was at fights when she could not see her opponents, and another thing, were there unseen mysterious creatures in the woods, recalling those flying stones thrown at those hoodlums? He felt goosebumps and quickly pulled Aziza out from the woods, fearing they might also be thrown with stones.