There were footsteps echoing all over the
library today. The crotchety grey-haired librarian continued to glare at
all of the kids that happened to stop by on this dreary and rainy day.
For her the library was a place of quiet and usually was, that was until
the ever constant curtain of rain set in come the autumn months causing
all of the local village and city children to seek haven in the
building while their parents were out in the fields. Today was worse
than normal. The kids were running, pushing the step ladders all around,
racing chairs, throwing things around and causing something of a fuss.
One particular time on this day the kids actually knocked down a full
bookcase, scattering its contents all around. Naturally, as the only
authority figure around, she called the kids to help clean up the mess
and per the norm no one came to help. Except for one little girl. She
couldn’t have been much older than eleven or twelve years old and one
could tell by her attire of a simple green shirt, torn brown pants and
sandals that she was one of the poorer children of her class. However,
she had a light of helpfulness and hopefulness about her.
The librarian debated for a moment
before she spoke. “Come child – help me clean this up if you don’t
mind.” The little girl merely nodded her head and proceeded to clean up
the catastrophe that the other children had caused. It took some time,
but between the two of them they got the mess contained to just about
five books still lying around. One of which was black, dusty,
leather-bound and falling apart and obviously far older than anything
the library had to offer to its patrons. The little girl noticed this
book and picked it up looking at it. She walked over to the librarian
who had returned to her post after they cleaned up the mess.
“Ma’m?” The librarian looked at her curiously wondering what the meek child had in her hands.
“Yes child? I see you have a book in
your hands. May I see it?” inquired the librarian as she extended a hand
out for the book.
“Certainly, ma’m,” answered the girl
as she handed the book to the librarian. The old woman looked at the
book for a moment with a look of confusion. She had been the librarian
at this library for the last forty-some-odd years and had never once
seen this book.
“This book isn’t one of ours. I’ve
been working here for the better part of my life and have never seen it
once in that time. What is your name, girl?”
The girl gulped, “Liana, ma’m.” The librarian pursed her lips for a brief moment before she spoke back to the girl.
“Well, Liana. For your invaluable
help today, you may take this book as a token of my gratitude. Take it
home and treat it well. It may well prove to be useful in your life
yet.” The librarian smiled as the girl named Liana lit up like a torch.
“Really ma’m?!” Liana exclaimed. The
librarian merely nodded and watched in utter fascination as the girl
jumped up and down. The girl gathered her things and raced home to start
tearing into this unique book. As the girl bounded away, the librarian
had felt that the poor girl must not get a lot in her life so she gave
her the book in hopes that it starts a fantastic story for the girl to
pass down to her children and their children and their children’s
children for generations to come. After all, every story has to have a
beginning scene. And it would take many years for the story that would
unfold before Liana’s feet to even come to its true beginning scene..
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