It was a sunny winter day. I had gone up and down the tower, and felt pleased with myself for having taken this initiative, when, outside the little door at the foot, a blind man came toward me. He was a pale, thin man, with black hair and dark glasses that gave him a mysterious look. He kept close to the inner wall of the courtyard, touching it lightly with his arm. On reaching the door, he touched it and sharply turned inside. In a moment, he disappeared up the staircase. I stood still, looking at the empty space left by the open door, and at the little sign that said 'To the Tower' nailed to the wall. I felt compelled to follow.
I didn't follow closely. I caught up with him in the ticket office. There I was surprised to see the attendant selling him a ticket as though he were any other visitor. The man reached out for it clumsily, sweeping a little space of desk with his hand until he had it, but the attend ant didn't seem to take any notice. Then, with the ticket in one hand and touching the wall with the fingers of the other, he reached the staircase leading to the hallway.
I stood by the desk, watching him until he was out of hearing. 'That man is blind, ' I said to the attendant, and espected him show some concern, but he just looked at me with his sleepy eyes. He was a heavy man who seemed all one piece with his chair and desk. 'He's blind, ' I repeated.
He looked at me vacantly.
'what would a blind man want to climb up the tower for?'
He didn't answer.
'Not the view certainly, ' I said. 'Perhaps he wants to jump. '
His mouth opened a little. Should he do something? But his chair was too comfortable. He didn't stir. 'Well, let's hope not, ' He said, and looked down at a crossword puzzle he had begun.
The blind man was now out of sight. I turned toward the staircase.
'The ticket, ' the attendant said, rising from his chair. It seemed the only thing that couldmove him.
I handed him a fifty-lira piece, and he tore a ticket from his ticket book. Then I hurried up the staircase.
The man hadn't gone as far as I imagined. Much less time had passed than I thought. A third of the way up the tower, I heard his step. I slowed down and followed him at a little distance. He went up slowly, and stopped from time to time. When he got to the balcony, I was a dozen steps behind. But as I reached it, he wasn't to be seen. I dashed to the first corner of the bell tower, around the next, and saw him.
At last, after ten minutes, I approached him. 'Excuse me, ' I said as politely as I could, 'but I am very curious to know why you came up. '
'You'd never guess, ' he said.
'Not the view, I take it, or the fresh air on this winter day. '
'No, ' he said as he looked at me with an amused expression on his face.
'Tell me, ' I said.
He smiled. 'Perhaps, coming up the stairs, you will have noticed----and yet, not being blind, perhaps you won't----how not just light but sun pours into the tower through the narrow windows here and there, so that one can feel the change----the cool staircase suddenly becomes quite warm, even in winter----and how up here behind the wall there is shade, but as soon as one goes opposite a narrow window one finds the sun. In all of Siena there is no place so good as this for feeling the contrast between light and shade. It is not the first time that I've come up. '
He stepped into the shade. 'I am in the shade, ' he said. 'There is a wall there. ' He moved in?to the sunlight. 'Now I am opposite a window, ' he said. We went down the bell tower. 'An arch is there, ' he said.
'You never miss. And the sun isn't even very strong, ' I said.
'Strong enough, ' he said, and added, 'Now I'm behind a bell. '
Coming back down onto the balcony, he went around it. 'Light, shade, light, shade, ' he said, and seemed as pleased as a child who, in a game of hopscotch, jumps from square and square.
Wewent down the tower. 'A window there, ' he said, up near the top. 'Another window, ' he said, when we were half-way down.
I left him, gladdened as one can only be by the sunlight.
It was a sunny winter day. I had gone up and down the tower, and felt pleased with myself for having taken this initiative, when, outside the little door at the foot, a blind man came toward me. He was a pale, thin man, with black hair and dark glasses that gave him a mysterious look. He kept close to the inner wall of the courtyard, touching it lightly with his arm. On reaching the door, he touched it and sharply turned inside. In a moment, he disappeared up the staircase. I stood still, looking at the empty space left by the open door, and at the little sign that said 'To the Tower' nailed to the wall. I felt compelled to follow.
I didn't follow closely. I caught up with him in the ticket office. There I was surprised to see the attendant selling him a ticket as though he were any other visitor. The man reached out for it clumsily, sweeping a little space of desk with his hand until he had it, but the attend ant didn't seem to take any notice. Then, with the ticket in one hand and touching the wall with the fingers of the other, he reached the staircase leading to the hallway.
I stood by the desk, watching him until he was out of hearing. 'That man is blind, ' I said to the attendant, and espected him show some concern, but he just looked at me with his sleepy eyes. He was a heavy man who seemed all one piece with his chair and desk. 'He's blind, ' I repeated.
He looked at me vacantly.
'what would a blind man want to climb up the tower for?'
He didn't answer.
'Not the view certainly, ' I said. 'Perhaps he wants to jump. '
His mouth opened a little. Should he do something? But his chair was too comfortable. He didn't stir. 'Well, let's hope not, ' He said, and looked down at a crossword puzzle he had begun.
The blind man was now out of sight. I turned toward the staircase.
'The ticket, ' the attendant said, rising from his chair. It seemed the only thing that couldmove him.
I handed him a fifty-lira piece, and he tore a ticket from his ticket book. Then I hurried up the staircase.
The man hadn't gone as far as I imagined. Much less time had passed than I thought. A third of the way up the tower, I heard his step. I slowed down and followed him at a little distance. He went up slowly, and stopped from time to time. When he got to the balcony, I was a dozen steps behind. But as I reached it, he wasn't to be seen. I dashed to the first corner of the bell tower, around the next, and saw him.
At last, after ten minutes, I approached him. 'Excuse me, ' I said as politely as I could, 'but I am very curious to know why you came up. '
'You'd never guess, ' he said.
'Not the view, I take it, or the fresh air on this winter day. '
'No, ' he said as he looked at me with an amused expression on his face.
'Tell me, ' I said.
He smiled. 'Perhaps, coming up the stairs, you will have noticed----and yet, not being blind, perhaps you won't----how not just light but sun pours into the tower through the narrow windows here and there, so that one can feel the change----the cool staircase suddenly becomes quite warm, even in winter----and how up here behind the wall there is shade, but as soon as one goes opposite a narrow window one finds the sun. In all of Siena there is no place so good as this for feeling the contrast between light and shade. It is not the first time that I've come up. '
He stepped into the shade. 'I am in the shade, ' he said. 'There is a wall there. ' He moved in?to the sunlight. 'Now I am opposite a window, ' he said. We went down the bell tower. 'An arch is there, ' he said.
'You never miss. And the sun isn't even very strong, ' I said.
'Strong enough, ' he said, and added, 'Now I'm behind a bell. '
Coming back down onto the balcony, he went around it. 'Light, shade, light, shade, ' he said, and seemed as pleased as a child who, in a game of hopscotch, jumps from square and square.
Wewent down the tower. 'A window there, ' he said, up near the top. 'Another window, ' he said, when we were half-way down.
I left him, gladdened as one can only be by the sunlight.
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