Shadows Behind the Wall

The Florida School For The Deaf And The Blind is the setting for this fictional account of the daily lives of students in the school and the tragedy that occurred there. Chris Montgomery, a seventeen year old recently diagnosed with a severe vision disorder, learns to function in the unusual environment of a state institution and unexpectedly finds first love there. He meets and befriends a number of characters including Wesley Monroe who announces with meticulous detail, football games that are played only in his mind, and Dog Chandler who has dedicated himself to closely monitoring the development of Mouseketeer Annette Funicello’s breasts.

An animosity develops between Chris and the school principal, contributing to Chris being suspected of the sexual assault of a young girl who, being blind, cannot identify her attacker.
Chris befriends and eventually falls in love with Mrs. Gray, one of the adult supervisors, whose room is on the second floor of his dormitory. Being married, she half-heartedly tries to discourage the crush Chris is developing for her, but enjoys his company and the help he provides in caring for the young boys in her charge. Chris is particularly helpful in monitoring two of the young boys under her care who have developed an unusual dependence on each other and tend to wander away from the supervised group. Even more problematic is their newly developed tendency to slip from the dormitory at night to wander about campus. Chris cares for the young boys who return his affection.

Chris’ actions inadvertently set in motion a series of events that precipitate a tragedy which shapes the remainder of his life. He covers up his part in the tragedy but finds he cannot escape the consequences of what he has done. He returns to the school forty years after graduation in an attempt to resolve issues related to the unfortunate event but finds solace illusionary.