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= Miracle of a blind boy = ([]) = There was a family with something a little unusual. The son whose name was John was blind. His mother didn’t mind it at all and brought him up hard. So, he grew up to be a curious healthy boy. His mother played with him and gave him a variety of toys. He enjoyed playing with them, but there was a problem. He couldn’t make many friends due to his blind eyes, so he was usually alone when his mother was out. When he was alone, he felt a little sad. = = One day, his mother bought the toy piano as a birthday present for him. He looked very pleased with it and enjoyed its charming sounds. The next day, his mother played an easy tune on the piano for him. After that, when she was washing dishes, she heard the sound of the piano and suddenly noticed that John was playing the tune which she played for him. She was impressed with the music and decided to teach him the piano. His mother started to teach him how to play the piano as hard as she could. He enjoyed practicing the piano. Moreover, he could feel that he was getting better every day. = = When John was seven years old, his mother asked Mr. Daniel to teach her son the piano, because he was her acquaintance and a famous teacher of the piano. He willingly agreed the proposal. No sooner had Mr. Daniel started to teach John than he was amazed with his talent and progress. Mr. Daniel thought, = = “ I am lucky! John is a gift from God.” Mr. Daniel taught John what he knew. = = John absorbed it and made rapid progress. = = Four year later, when John was eleven years old, Mr. Daniel proposed that John should take part in a junior piano contest which was famous and authoritative in the country. John didn’t like to be seen in public because he was not confident of himself due to his disability. However, in the end, he decided to participate in the contest. He practiced all the more for the contest with Mr. Daniel. = = On the very day of the contest, John was very tensed because he had never played the piano in public. Furthermore, the performances of the other participants were splendid beyond his expectation. When his turn came, he headed to the piano with his mother because he couldn’t see where the chair was. As a result, some of audiences knew that he was blind and the hall got noisy. But, as soon as John began to play, all the audiences fell silent. He played with his whole heart and the hall was filled with, "how sensitive and expressive his music was!" Everyone who heard his performance felt amazed and was impressed. After he finished, the hall resounded with the applause. John was happy and felt that he was recognized by other people for the first time. He could not help crying with joy. = = In the contest, John won the first prize in spite of his blindness. This was the unanimous result of all the judges. He immediately became famous as a miracle blind boy, and fortunately the number of his friends increased. =


 * After the contest, a lot of interviews were conducted for John. In one, he talked about his dream, “I want to be a stunning pianist because I believe that this is the best way I can do to repay for my mother, Mr. Daniel, and other people who support me.” **