Moongrace

Part 23

Time elapsed and Eleeza settled in. The family accepted her more with every passing day. Especially the kids loved her. With them and Evan of course, she spent most of her time. Zoe and she got along well, helping each other in the kitchen and chatting while washing the cloths. Zoe's belly got bigger and Eleeza had to help her more with the time passing.

Though it was still Eleeza who needed the most help. Sometimes she felt as if even small Wylie needed less care than her. She could walk freely in the house, stumbling and hitting herself nevertheless. But outside she always needed a guide. For each activity she needed help, she was never allowed to light a fire or feed the animals alone. Cooking wasn't that easy anymore, she differentiated the ingredients by their smell and texture which didn't always work out.

Worst of all but was the loss of sight itself. What did Zoe, Oliver, Wylie, Lay and all the others look like? She knew their minds better but not their appearance. What did the mountains look like, the others talked so much about? She often sat in silence and thought about what turn her life had taken. Evan worried a lot about her, proud though of everything she accomplished. He guessed what thoughts were on her mind, angry that he couldn't wipe those thoughts away. He didn't mind that she was blind as long as they were together. Sure, it would be easier if she could still see, but they managed quite well.

Oliver often took walks with Eleeza and told her stories. He seemed to love this time with her, telling himself that he hadn't had such a good listener in a long time. Eventually he confided her in his grief for his wife and his fears for his family. Eleeza felt honoured by his confidence and took him to her heart. It was also Oliver who thought of Rola as a guiding dog for Eleeza. Rola anyway took it as her task to follow Eleeza everywhere. Now on her strolls Rola always accompanied her and they trained the dog to help Eleeza find her way and spot obstacles.
Together with a stick Evan had whittled for her, she was now much less dependent.
Even Arlen finally talked to her. She had a feeling that he was someone who didn't open to strangers easily, so she let him have his time.

Meanwhile she learned how to communicate with her hands and feet. Conversations worked better by every day, though there were a lot of misunderstandings. She also got to know the environment of the house, the garden, the stables and fields. Evan often took her to walks to the forest, so she knew the paths there as well. But they would not allow her to stroll off on her own and she accepted their decision. They were all very protective, trying to ease everything for her. When a stranger would come, someone, mostly Lay, took her to the forest and spend time with her until the guest was gone. Eleeza didn't mind. She enjoyed the company of the seven and did not feel any need meeting somebody new. It was never boring at the farm. Her wounds healed quickly and though she had a lot of bruises from bumping into something lying on the floor, she felt better than ever in her time on this world.

The family had a lot of happy days. Evan started laughing more and truly relaxed. They almost never talked of their time at the castle. The family also got used to her night strolls, but never asked for the reason. Her silver eyes were accepted as well as her small appetite. She got enough moonlight and so didn't need the energy food gave her.

After one month at the farm at dinner, they were joking as usually. Everybody was laughing, especially Eleeza. Suddenly Lay listened up. She looked concentrated and finally looked at her: "Everybody stop laughing except for Eleeza!" She exclaimed. The laughing ceased and it got quiet.

"Eleeza, you should continue laughing!" she protested. She sounded so sincere and yet cute and excited that Eleeza had to laugh. But when she heard the heartbeat of the others rise, she stopped confused.

"Evan, what is it?"

"I really don't know. Lay, what is this about?" Evan was as confused as Eleeza.