Invisible String

In the Beginning

Play "We're gonna be friends" by The white stripes

Sun cream, arduous sweaty nights, swim towels, sunbathing, creamy ice-cream glistening in the sun, sinking under the heat. Summer. It's one of those days when the sky is like a friendly welcome. However there where scarcely any clouds so the heat was ravenous, trying to contend with the people below. Nevertheless, New Yorkers scurry under the waves of heat imposed by the sun. Businessmen possess significantly less urgency as their suits cling on to them like a second skin. People are drawn to any ounce of shade they can find.

An amongst all this is a girl, a girl called Jules Ward. Yes, the daughter of Jonathan Ward, a notorious businessman who's glowing reputation hangs over New York like a deadly warning, a reminder. Jules beams excitedly as she now stands outside of New York public library, it's walls providing solace to the eleven-year-old girl. She bounds up the stairs and pushes the thick heavy oak doors open.

She's met with a serene silence; it tiptoes along the shelves and dances up the staircases. The library stretches out infront of Jules, open for her to explore every facet. She runs her fingers over the smooth wood of the staircase as she makes her way up to the second floor, her favourite place. Shelves and shelves of different multi-coloured books.

Jules goes over to row c, reaching her hand in she takes out Alice in Wonderland that she hid in the back of the section. Sitting down in corner on a beanbag, Jules shrugs off her school bag and begins to read. In the few days she'd been reading this book she had become quite attached to Alice. Her troubling home life, her vivid imagination, the way she was a magnet for adventure.

An hour maybe passed when Jules heard the door open and the tentative tapping of a stick. She glances up momentarily. A boy. Thick dark hair which flops over his forehead, black rectangular glasses that seemed slightly to big for his face. Even though blind he carries himself with a unique kind of assertiveness. Using his cane to guide him, he walks over to the books in brail section.

He props his cane against the bookcase then moves his fingers over the books. Jules peeks over at him from the top of her book, she hadn't seen him come in the library before. Finally, he settles on a book that she recognizes: wonder by R.J Palacio. This intrigues her even more as it was one of her favourite books. The boy moves his fingers over the part in braille.

Jules eyes unwittingly catch attention of the clock on the wall, 5:00pm. She inhales, biting the inside of her cheek. It was getting late and the option of facing her father imposed over her like a grey cloud. She sighed. Jules had two options, go home to the ordinary. Or two, talk to the mysterious dark-haired boy and see what happens.

Impulsively Jules turns towards the boy sitting at a table in the corner of the room. She stands slightly in front of him. "Uh hi, I just wanted to tell you that that book is really awesome." She pauses. "I just don't normally see people pick it up and you did, its uh just nice to see someone with some sense y'know?" The boy looks up in her direction and a small smile pulls on the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, so far its pretty good I'm only two chapters in but I'm enjoying it so far." He cocks his head to the side. "Well this book must be really good for you to come all the way over here and talk to me." Jules shrugs smiling. "Yeah also I'm generally quite nosy and wanted to talk to the mysterious blind boy." The boy falls silent.

"What?" Jules prompts, he shakes his head and sighs. "Uh I don't know. I guess people feel kinda weird around me cause I'm blind, I guess they kinda creep around me cos there just not used it I guess." Jules leans against the table and shrugs nonchalantly. "Well not me. I guess the "weird" people are the one that have the most interesting things to say." The boy smiles. His chest swelling with emotion. She noticed him. "Hey, I'm Jules by the way, what's your name?" She asks. "I'm Matt. Matt Murdock."