Reading the harbour, by Viola Mendick

An original short story extract set in the twentieth century.

Althea Coombe had been blind since childhood, but in 1982 she knew the harbour district better than the men who drew its street plan. She came to the library every Tuesday carrying a shallow wooden tray. On its surface she fixed lengths of cord for streets and small brass studs for crossings. The librarian read out alterations from the council notices while Althea moved the pieces beneath her fingertips. A smooth button marked the clinic; a rough one marked the post office. She rejected the first version of the hill because its slope could not be felt. At noon she tested the map with two children, asking them to find a route without giving them hints. She noted every hesitation on a tape recorder, then listened to it at home. When the librarian offered to finish the labels for her, Althea asked him instead to find some thinner cord. The narrow lanes were disappearing beneath his thick string.

List five things you learn about Althea in this extract.