Dollieh Sanctuary

This is Tyler. He's an adventurer and an explorer at heart.




Today was an exceptionally warm day for November and, since Tyler loves to be outside, he decided it would be a wonderful day for a walk in the woods. He went to a different park than the one he usually visits. This one has lovely forest trails. It's quite a long way from our house and Tyler doesn't usually go walking in unfamiliar areas by himself, but today he was feeling adventurous.

He liked the sound of the leaves swishing and crackling as he walked over them.




After he'd walked for a while, he stopped to rest by a tree.




Leaning against the tree trunk, he listened to all the different sounds around him. He heard several different birds and something else that the thought might be a chipmunk or a squirrel. There was a slight breeze and it made a rustling sound among the leaves that still clung to the trees. He smiled when he realized that he had walked far enough into the woods that he could just barely hear the sounds of the city any more. This was almost as good as being back home in the country.




Tyler resumed his walk, but soon found that he had to stop again because something was blocking his path. He put out his hand to find the thing he'd encountered with his white cane, and discovered that a tree had fallen across the trail.

"It must've came down in the storm on Thursday night," he said to himself.




Tyler examined the fallen tree to see if he could go around it or if he'd have to climb over it.




The bark of the tree was damp and rough to the touch. Tyler thought the texture was very interesting and he got so caught up in the fascinating bumps and cracks on the surface of the fallen tree that he nearly forgot to find out if was blocking the entire width of the path or not. Eventually, he decided to move on. He ended up having to climb over the tree, but he didn't mind. That was just part of the adventure.




As he walked along, Tyler could occasionally hear the soft rustling of leaves against other leaves as they fell from the trees to the ground. He tried to picture the falling leaves, and imagined them drifting down to earth in a way similar to large snowflakes. A favourite winter activity of his when he'd been a child was to pull off his mittens, stretch out his arms and try to catch snowflakes on the palms of his hands. Now that he's grown up, he still likes to do that sometimes.

He wondered, if he stood under a tree long enough and was very patient, would he be able to catch a falling leaf?




Tyler's patience was rewarded at last when a small leaf settled onto his palm.




He felt very pleased at actually having caught a falling leaf.




The leaf was soft and smooth to the touch. It was almost oval-shaped, but it came to a sharp point on one end. Tyler wished he knew what colour it was. He imagined it was gold. Even though he's never seen any colours, he likes to know the colour of things and to match ideas and feelings with his concept of each colour. Gold is a word that makes him think of sunshine and afternoons back home on the farm. Gold is rich and vibrant; it's harvest time, and hot apple cider at his grandfather's house. He decided to take the leaf home to show his family. He'd ask someone to tell him if it was gold or not.




Tucking the leaf into his pocket, Tyler set off down the trail once again.

It wasn't long before the gentle breeze began to turn into energetic gusts of wind, and the sun disappeared behind a cloud. Tyler could tell it had become cloudy because the air quickly got cooler and he couldn't feel the warmth of the sun shining on him.

Was it going to rain?

He didn't have to wait long for the answer to that question. He laughed when he felt the first few drops splash onto his head. Some people might consider their afternoon ruined, but not Tyler. He likes rain. He resolved that a little shower wasn't going to prevent him from having fun, and decided to stay out and play despite the sudden change in weather.

He ventured off the path and discovered another fallen tree. This one was a lot bigger than the first one he'd found. It was so large that he could walk on it.




~*~ CONTINUED IN NEXT POST ~*~

When he reached the end of the log, he jumped off.




Jumping was exhilirating! It made him feel alive!

Just because he could, he started singing. He didn't know if there was anyone else around, but even if somebody else was there, that didn't matter. Tyler sang as if no one was listening.




Heedless of the ongoing rainshower, Tyler thought it might be fun to roll around in the fallen leaves. He enjoyed the rain on his face, the smell of the earth and the feeling of all those leaves under him.

Tyler enjoys simple pleasures and, for him, this is one of them.




"That old saying is true," he said. "The best things in life are free."




Tyler can't seem to stay out of trees. He loves to climb, and he found what he thought would be the perfect climbing tree. When he reached one branch in particular, he was pleased to discover that it was growing at nearly a right angle to the trunk. It made a perfect perch for him.




The rain stopped at last and the sun peeked out from beneath the clouds again. Tyler relaxed on his perfect tree branch and thought about what he should do next.




He felt contented and might've liked to take a nap up there, but common sense told him that if he went to sleep, autumn leaves wouldn't be the only things falling from the trees. He concluded that it'd be best to climb down and head for home.




He got a little lost trying to find his way back to the trail but, fortunately, a woman walking her dog spotted him and helped him find his way. They walked together for a little while, but then the lady said she was going off the trail. She cautioned Tyler to stay on the path and then she said goodbye.

Tyler didn't hurry home. He stopped a few times along the way, mostly just to play in the leaves.




When he arrived home, he was pleased to discover freshly baked bread and hot tea waiting for him. It was a fitting end to an amazing day.


~ * ~ THANK YOU FOR LOOKING!!! ~*~

What a delightful story! A confident, independent blind person out enjoying himself. What scale is he? I like how you did the mobility cane.

Tell us more about him. How old is he? Where does he live? Things like that.

Thanks for posting. As a cane user myself, I'm delighted to see him here.

Swan

What a lovely story, on many levels

Was he happy to learn his leaf was gold?

I used to be a student at the Foundation for the Junior Blind (Now Junior Blind of America) and I remember well some of the questions and observations of the kids I was with.

Once, a friend of mine told me she had never seen a butterfly. Never be afraid to use the word 'see' 'seen' or such, to a blind person. We use the word the same as everyone else... to experience. Anyway, so I went and very gently caught a butterfly later in the day and brought it to her.. I held its body and she touched the wings and explored it carefully, then I let it sit on her hand. It flew away and I described its color, markings, et cetera. She was delighted and said "Oh... so a butterfly s just like a flying flower!"

What an incredibly apt observation!! Since then, that is how I think f them. Butterflies are just flying flowers!

One time I was talking to a counselor at the Foundation. he taught blind kids at school. He told me "I asked my class to describe a car. One kid raised his hand and said "A cr looks like a couch with a door at each end." So within fifteen minutes, I had the class out in the faculty parking lot examining my car. Never forget to describe the entire thing."

There are some dummies out there. But we just learn to put up with htem. Once I was crossing a street and someone commented "Look1 A blind person!" to his friend. She replied "Oh wow! I love how those people ski!"

WHAT?! On the other hand, I was turned down for a job once when the HR director told me "I can't hire you! I'd have to hire someone else to take you to the bathroom when you needed to go!" Never MIND that I had come clear from the San Fernando Valley in to Los Angeles by myself for the interview! Sheesh!!

Of course I have answers for the questions I get.
1. How do you dress yourself?"
Same as everyone. Bodyservants!

2. How do you know if it's day or night?
I go outside and sing. If no-one replies, it's daytime. If I hear "Shut UP! It's 4:00 AM!!" I know it's night!"

3. Can your dog read signs?
"No, her native language isn't English."

4. How do you eat?
"Good grief what a question! Photosynthesis, of course!"
or just "Eat? ......Bra-a-a-i-i-n-n-s-s-s!!!"

5. How can you tell money?
"Give me a hundred dollar bill and I'll demonstrate."

6. How many fingers am I holding up?
"All of them. Some are bent."

7. Have you ever had sex? (Honest! Someone ASKED me this!!)
"Why yes, I have. I'll have it again as soon as I get my gorilla suit back from the cleaners, and find a new chicken."


Swan

This is such a beautiful story! It really touched my heart ;w; Tyler is a very handsome boy, and that curly head of hair is too adorable! I'm curious about his sculpt as well. Anyway, you did a wonderful job capturing such simple, heartwarming moments ^^

Oh and I just have to say - Swan, you're awesome xD

This was the most interesting story I've read in a while, I loved how you were describing everything. And then I couldn't stop giggling when I started reading Swan's questions.