52. Working Miracles

                          

“Alright,” Michael said to Curmudgeon, “let’s see if we can do this without wasting paper. Binky has sent me the tests he made you take to see if you were capable of learning. But I think I know you well enough to understand what your problem is.”

“I don’t see what the problem is,” protested Curmudgeon.”I can copy all those doodles as well as anyone. Why do they say I can’t read or write?”

“Because they are not just doodles,” explained Michael. “They have a meaning. That’s why I want you to see a film about somebody who had a similar problem.”

Michael had been to a mortal mall. There he had bought a DVD that he now laid on the desk before his pupil. On the case of the DVD was a picture of a little girl with rumpled hair, a stained face and crumpled clothing. Her eyes were a little awry.

“I know who that is,” said Curmudgeon. “That film is about a little girl and an exorcist. Am I possessed? Is there a devil inside me that doesn’t let me learn?”

“No! Good heavens, no!  No, it’s not that little girl. This is another little girl. Her name is Helen Keller. Helen had a privileged mind but it was isolated from the world because she became deaf and blind when she was a very little baby. The film is about how her teacher made her understand that she could communicate with people and live a richer, fuller life. That is also why you want to learn to read and write. I want you to watch this DVD on Alpin’s TV and DVD combo. I don’t think he will mind if we use it. His mother bought it for him a week ago so he must be bored with it by now.

Curmudgeon said he would watch the DVD like a hawk watched its prey. He didn’t mind watching tv. It was easy for him to stare at a machine because he had spent all his life watching treasures.

“I kept my eyes fixed on them every second for years and years. I can watch this film without blinking. Watch me do it.”

“No! No, that’s not what you have to do. You mustn’t watch the film as if it were something someone might want to steal. You won’t be able to concentrate on it if you do that and you won’t understand it. I want you to get involved in this film. I want you to feel empathy. I want you to feel as if you were Helen and to experience that glorious moment when she realizes that words have a meaning and they are used to communicate.”

Curmudgeon said he didn’t understand what he was being asked to do but that he would watch the film anyway if Michael said he had to. Michael sighed and said that at least Curmudgeon did try to cooperate.

“This isn’t going to be easy,” said Michael, “but if there is something to be learned from Helen’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, it is that one mustn’t give up too soon.”

 Michael urged Curmudgeon not only to watch the film but also to listen to it. People who didn’t learn were often people who didn’t know how to listen.

“I can listen like an Indian scout in a forest,” said Curmudgeon proudly.

“Don’t listen for noises that might indicate someone could be creeping up to try and steal the DVD. Listen to what the actors have to say. To the message they are trying to get across to you. It’s not thieves that matter now.  Forget them. It’s Helen and what her example can do for you.”

Alpin allowed Michael and Curmudgeon the use of his combo. In fact, he was quite interested in Michael’s experiment. “Cousin Michael, are you going to pull Curmudgeon’s hair and slap his face and roll on the floor with him like Anne Sullivan had to do to Helen?” he asked.

“No,” replied Michael. “I’m going to pray for help from above.”