There are memories that do not enter through the eyes, but remain etched on the fingertips. For many, childhood is a colourful photo album; for me, my first ten years were a choreography of textures, sounds and the rhythmic relief of dots on paper.

I was born into a world of shadows before four operations and fate allowed me, at the age of eight, to discover the world through my left eye, my reality was built on touch. At the age of six, I enrolled in a school for the visually impaired, and it was there that the first miracle of my life occurred... Braille.

My Tactile Journey to Celia and the Grimms

It was the late 1950s and early 1960s, decades of a prosperous Venezuela, but Braille books were scarce, expensive and, above all, monumental treasures. A story that any child could fit in their pocket was, for us, a massive volume that took up half a desk. That is why, today, I wish to pay a deeply heartfelt tribute to the National Organisation of the Blind of Spain (ONCE). Thanks to their pioneering work in that decade, we children who lived in visual silence were able to access the gems of the Brothers Grimm, Perrault and the unforgettable Elena Fortún.

^{Kobo Ebook}

I remember with particular fondness a edition of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales. It wasn’t just raised lettering; that book came with three-dimensional figures, little figurines that brought the story to life. My fingers would trace the wolf’s ears, Little Red Riding Hood’s cloak or the hardness of a little chocolate house before reading the description in the text. It was an immersive experience long before technology was invented; it was cinema for the senses.

^{Renaissance Publishing House.}

But if there was one character who stole my heart and taught me what freedom of spirit meant, it was Celia. Elena Fortún’s series was a window into a world of mischief, childish questions and boundless tenderness. Celia was more than just a girl who ‘said things’; to me, she was the friend who told me what the outside world was like whilst I learnt to decipher it with my fingertips.

^{Filmoffice Madrid}

Life takes wonderful turns. Two decades ago, now with the sight that medicine had given me in my left eye, I had the chance to bring an emotional circle full circle. The TV series based on Celia was released, and I was able to sit on the sofa with my daughter Sofía, who was seven at the time (the same age as the protagonist). Watching the series with her was like reclaiming a piece of my own childhood. I told her how I imagined Celia when I could only touch her words, and she looked at me in amazement, discovering that her father, before seeing with his eyes, had already seen with his soul.

^{RTVE Play.}

This piece is a tribute to those thick books that filled my darkness with light. To ONCE, for investing in our education when the world seemed to ignore us. And, above all, to literature, which showed me that you don’t need sight to travel to enchanted forests or to laugh at the witty remarks of a girl from Madrid.

Today, as a ‘Silver Blogger’ who treasures the past, I realise that my favourite story was not just one story, but the tale of how I learnt that true vision is that which is born of curiosity and nurtured by the love of a book in one’s hands… whether you read it with your eyes or with your heart in your fingertips.

Hi! Everybody (friends), if you've made it this far, THANK YOU! You are welcome to participate; the link with all the information is below. But I also hope to read your comments in the reply box. Thank you for joining us in these waters of HIVE.