The Book Glasses

Sam woke the next morning with a start as the sun peeked over the horizon. After a quick shower, she dressed and set off for her routine volunteering duties—serving breakfast at the refuge. She raced like the wind to arrive in the kitchen and have everything set up before the sisters got there but she was surprised to find Sister Sue barring her way, a rolling pin in one hand. “Oh no you don’t. You are not helping out today, young lady. Off you go back home and I don’t want to see you all week.” she said. “What are you going to do with that?” Sam asked and laughed. “You take another step in and I’ll show you what I’ll do with it. Now, go on, get out of here!” Sister Sue wasn’t joking. It was strange for Sam to see her like this. Disappointed she couldn’t help, she grabbed a few bananas and apples and a handful of grapes from the kitchen bench and turned around to head back home. When she arrived back at her apartment she went back to bed. She soon fell asleep, wondering what she would do with her free time. By the time the doorbell rang and woke her, it was almost lunchtime. She hurriedly jumped out of bed and opened the door. Disappointed to discover no one there, she noticed a parcel on the floor. After looking up and down the corridor, she picked it up and took it inside, making sure to lock the door behind her. She couldn’t read the address, so she ripped open the huge yellow envelope, reached in and pulled out a book. For a while, she just stared at it and then flipped through it, but there wasn’t a single picture or anything else to help her determine what it was about. She shoved the book back in the yellow envelope and threw it across the room in frustration. Nearly an hour later, as she was washing up her cup and plate after lunch, she decided to use the glasses to find out what the book was about. She dried her hands and retrieved the parcel and the book glasses and placed them in front of her on the kitchen table. With a deep breath, she pulled out the book, opened it and put on the glasses. It was like déjà vu. She could read! The parcel was addressed to her next-door neighbour and the book was called Principles of Administrative Law. It was the Second Edition by Peter Cane and Leighton McDonald, 15th July 2013. Principles of Administrative LawShe turned it over and was able to read the text on the back cover effortlessly: This book provides a clear and concise account of the main principles of administrative law. More than that, it sets those principles in historical, comparative, and constitutional perspective. Principles of Administrative Law guides the reader through the complexities of the current law and provides an account of how it developed and where it might go in the years to come. This book tells not only what administrative law is but also what it is about. It explains as well as informs… This book provides a clear and concise account of the main principles of administrative law. More than that, it sets those principles in historical, comparative, and constitutional perspective. guides the reader through the complexities of the current law and provides an account of how it developed and where it might go in the years to come. This book tells not only what administrative law is but also what it is about. It explains as well as informs…Once she had read to the bottom of the page, she took off the glasses with disbelief and astonishment. Not only could she read the words, but she could also understand what they meant. After contemplating whether to take the textbook to her neighbours, she opened it and began reading from the start. One page turned into two, then ten and twenty. In twenty minutes, she was halfway through the four-hundred-page book. She took off the glasses, gently placed them on the table and paced around the apartment, trying to work out what had just happened. It wasn’t only the speed reading that shook her up, it was the fact she understood the contents and retained the knowledge. It was astonishing. Hungry for more, she sat down, put on the glasses again and picked up the book. Twenty minutes later, she had finished reading it and had verified it wasn’t a one-off incident—it was the book glasses. She returned the glasses to their case and put it back in its hiding spot. At a loss of what to do next, she decided to go for a walk. Walking was always helpful when she had something to figure out. Once she’d returned to her apartment after taking the law textbook next door, Sam changed her clothes and headed out of the building. She walked for many blocks. On her way home, with her new-found self-confidence, she located an automatic teller and did something she had never done before—withdrew money for herself. After taking out one hundred dollars, she carefully put it away and hurried home. Although excited about her achievement, things were no better for her once she was back in her apartment. She still did not know what to do about the book glasses. When she took the money out and placed it on the table, tears started streaming down her cheeks. They were a mixture of happy tears because she finally had some money of her own and proud tears as she had used an automatic teller by herself, but mostly sad tears as she mourned the loss of Joyce and Mr Harman, two people she barely knew. Then, with a new sense of excitement, she contemplated pushing things further with the book glasses to test their limits. There were no books in her apartment, so she ran over to the refuge and grabbed a handful from the library without anyone noticing. She tossed the books onto the kitchen table and retrieved the glasses. She put them on and started reading the titles and authors: Moby-d**k by Herman Melville; The Color Purple by Alice Walker; Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally; Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Misery by Stephen King and Australian School’s Oxford Dictionary Fourth Edition. Moby-DickThe Color PurpleSchindler’s ListPride and PrejudiceMiseryAustralian School’s Oxford Dictionary Fourth EditionAwestruck that she could read each book’s title and author name, she dared herself to read them all. She picked up Moby-d**k and began to read. The speed at which she read was astonishing but what blew her away was how she understood the meaning of every word; somehow, she knew that even her pronunciation was faultless. Moby-DickOnce she’d finished the last of the five books, she came up with an idea to further test the glasses. Starting with Moby-d**k, she selected six unusual words from the novel and wrote them down on a note pad. To her amazement, she then wrote out the definition of each word with ease; almost verbatim dictionary descriptions after checking. Moby-DickVain—showing an excessively high opinion of one’s appearance, abilities or worth. Vain—showing an excessively high opinion of one’s appearance, abilities or worth.Tribulation—a state of great trouble or suffering. Tribulation—a state of great trouble or suffering.Leviathan—monstrous sea creature symbolising evil in the Old Testament. Leviathan—monstrous sea creature symbolising evil in the Old Testament.Zephyr—a slight wind. Zephyr—a slight wind.Supplicate—ask for humbly or earnestly, as in prayer. Supplicate—ask for humbly or earnestly, as in prayer.Inexorable—impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason. Inexorable—impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason.“How is this possible?” she asked the empty room and sat back in her chair, scratching her head. She took off the glasses and her dyslexia was back; she couldn’t even read the book covers, let alone understand the words on the pages. She donned the glasses and picked up The Color Purple, opened it and selected six more words. The Color Purple,Crib—baby bed. Crib—baby bed.Fornication—s****l i*********e between persons not married to each other. Fornication—s****l i*********e between persons not married to each other.Pomade—hairdressing consisting of a perfumed oil or ointment. Pomade—hairdressing consisting of a perfumed oil or ointment.Primp—dress or groom with elaborate care. Primp—dress or groom with elaborate care.Strumpet—a woman adulterer. Strumpet—a woman adulterer.Sass—answer back in an impudent or insolent manner. Sass—answer back in an impudent or insolent manner.After laying The Color Purple back on the table, she chose Schindler’s List and again selected some words. The Color Purple Schindler’s List g******e—the deliberate and total extermination of a culture. Genocide—the deliberate and total extermination of a culture.Ghetto—poor sections of cities. Ghetto—poor sections of cities.Gypsies—wandering people, originally from India. Gypsies—wandering people, originally from India.Holocaust—systematic and bureaucratic annihilation of millions of people. Holocaust—systematic and bureaucratic annihilation of millions of people.Resistance—acts of rebellion, sabotage and attempts to escape. Resistance—acts of rebellion, sabotage and attempts to escape.Racism—The belief that a racial group is inferior because of biological or cultural traits. Racism—The belief that a racial group is inferior because of biological or cultural traits.She realised these were serious words and thought back over the story she had read about the h*******t in which so many innocent people had died and how Schindler had worked to save the people on his list. Despite reading the book so quickly, she could recall the full story in great detail. From Pride and Prejudice, she selected another six words: Pride and PrejudiceScrupulous—characterised by extreme care and great effort. Scrupulous—characterised by extreme care and great effort.Vex—disturb, especially by minor irritations. Vex—disturb, especially by minor irritations.Supercilious—having or showing arrogant disdain or haughtiness. Supercilious—having or showing arrogant disdain or haughtiness.Impertinent—improperly forward or bold. Impertinent—improperly forward or bold.Persevere—be persistent, refuse to stop. Persevere—be persistent, refuse to stop.Indifference—the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care. Indifference—the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care.Sam studied the worn cover of Pride and Prejudice and imagined living the life of the story’s heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. How different would it have been to grow up in a big house in the country with a mother and father and sisters, and to wear fancy dresses like the woman on the cover and dance at balls with handsome gentlemen? Pride and PrejudiceAfter returning to the present day, she put the book down and selected half a dozen words from the last book, Misery. MiseryCarnivorous—relating to flesh-eating animals. Carnivorous—relating to flesh-eating animals.Malevolence—wishing evil to others. Malevolence—wishing evil to others.Paradox—a statement that contradicts itself. Paradox—a statement that contradicts itself.Sinister—wicked, evil, or dishonourable. Sinister—wicked, evil, or dishonourable.Deteriorate—become worse or disintegrate. Deteriorate—become worse or disintegrate.Alter ego—a very close friend who seems almost a part of yourself. Alter ego—a very close friend who seems almost a part of yourself.Once finished, Sam didn’t need to check to see if her answers were correct; she intuitively knew they were all one hundred percent accurate. The sudden ability to break down and understand complex words, words she previously would never have imagined, was effortless. Her experiment had worked, and she was thrilled beyond belief. For the first time in her life, she could read books. Dreaming of endless possibilities, she picked up all the books and cradled them in her arms, dancing around the apartment with them. She had triumphed over her disability. She had been given a gift from God and had accepted it with fortitude and gratefulness. Now, nothing could stop her from reading as many books as she could. Her stomach rumbled and she realised she had forgotten to eat. She stowed the books in a plastic bag and planned to drop them back at the refuge on her way to get something to eat at the local shops. The thought of daring to venture into the shops was exhilarating. After again hiding away the glasses, she scooped up the money from the kitchen table along with the bag of books and headed for the refuge.