The adventure of a lifetime!
Books have feelings too...let them enjoy life
by zoejayneJuly 16, 2009
It started off like any other day. Little did I know this was the beginning of the biggest adventure of my life.
I’d been sitting on the shelf gathering dust, overlooked, same neighbours for years. Everyone is in a hurry these days. They see the promotional stands, grab a book, glance over the back and rush out the store. No one takes time to browse anymore. No one runs their finger along the spine of a book, slips it out of the shelf and looks at the cover (we are all told not to judge a book by its cover but some of us have beautiful covers; they certainly deserve some appreciation), takes a deep breath in and lets the scent of a new book wash over them, opens the cover and reads the first line, waiting to see if it captures the imagination. No one takes time anymore. So books like me are left on the shelf, untouched and unread.
Then it happens. A lady enters the store. She walks past the promotional books with barely a glance and over to the shelving. She’s only a few feet away from me. I can feel the excitement mounting; finally someone has noticed we're here. "Pick me, pick me!" I think to myself. She’s running her hands over the books, pausing now and again. She picks one up, looks at the cover, turns it over and puts it back on the shelf. She’s moving closer towards me, I see her hand reach out, and then I feel her touching my spine, slowly, carefully. She eases me off the shelf, careful not to disturb my neighbours. She dusts me off and runs her hand over my cover. She carefully opens me up and reads my first line. I see the smile creep over her face. I’ve done it! I’ve got her attention. Before I realise what’s happening I’m on the counter and the lady has decided to take me home.
When we get to my new home the lady unwraps me and puts me on the table in the kitchen. I see some other books on the other side of the table. They look like they’ve lived here a while. I notice that one of them has a sticker on it, with a number. I wonder what that is? My new owner sits at the table with a cup of tea. She picks up the book with a sticker and puts him in the bag I came home in. I guess there isn’t room for all of us here. I feel bad but I’ve waited a long time for a home, and he could be off to be read by someone else. The lady picks me up and opens me, careful not to damage my spine. I am excited, after all, this is my purpose in life, to be read.
Several days later we are finished. I think my owner enjoyed me, she certainly seemed to spend a lot of time with me. I feel tired but happy, my purpose having been fulfilled. Most of us like to be read several times by several owners but the first time is always the best. I sit on the table with the other books I’ve come to know over the last few days. The lady comes over and picks up the book next to me. She puts a sticker on it just like the other one. “Time for your adventure,” she says and takes her away. What kind of adventure, I wonder? I like adventure! Although I could do with some rest, it’s been a long few days.
The following week, just as I’ve settled into my new home, living on a bookshelf with many other books, the lady comes and takes me down and puts a sticker on me. I’m simultaneously excited and terrified. She puts a book in my place on the shelf that has a sticker on, I wonder where she has come from, and where I am going to. I’m put in a bag and we leave the house.
Some time later we go into an old church building. It is full of alcoves. The lady places me gently on a ledge in one of the alcoves. She looks around to see if anyone noticed but the place is empty. I think she is going to leave me here, cold and all alone.
Days and weeks pass, it feels like an eternity and I sit patiently in my alcove. People come and go, admiring the building, taking their time to look around. I keep hoping that someone will see me. One day, a young girl does. She picks me up and looks around. Just then her mother calls her and she puts me back down and runs off. But someone else saw the girl look at me. A man comes over and picks me up. He sees the sticker. He reads my back and then opens me up to read the first paragraph. He looks around as if expecting someone to come back and claim me. Finally he slips me into his pocket and we leave the building. A new home and a new reader!
Moral of this story – set your books free! We obviously all love books, but they’re not made to sit on shelves, gathering dust, unloved and unread. Read your books and then set them on the adventure of their lives, and give a home to other books!
I’d been sitting on the shelf gathering dust, overlooked, same neighbours for years. Everyone is in a hurry these days. They see the promotional stands, grab a book, glance over the back and rush out the store. No one takes time to browse anymore. No one runs their finger along the spine of a book, slips it out of the shelf and looks at the cover (we are all told not to judge a book by its cover but some of us have beautiful covers; they certainly deserve some appreciation), takes a deep breath in and lets the scent of a new book wash over them, opens the cover and reads the first line, waiting to see if it captures the imagination. No one takes time anymore. So books like me are left on the shelf, untouched and unread.
Then it happens. A lady enters the store. She walks past the promotional books with barely a glance and over to the shelving. She’s only a few feet away from me. I can feel the excitement mounting; finally someone has noticed we're here. "Pick me, pick me!" I think to myself. She’s running her hands over the books, pausing now and again. She picks one up, looks at the cover, turns it over and puts it back on the shelf. She’s moving closer towards me, I see her hand reach out, and then I feel her touching my spine, slowly, carefully. She eases me off the shelf, careful not to disturb my neighbours. She dusts me off and runs her hand over my cover. She carefully opens me up and reads my first line. I see the smile creep over her face. I’ve done it! I’ve got her attention. Before I realise what’s happening I’m on the counter and the lady has decided to take me home.
When we get to my new home the lady unwraps me and puts me on the table in the kitchen. I see some other books on the other side of the table. They look like they’ve lived here a while. I notice that one of them has a sticker on it, with a number. I wonder what that is? My new owner sits at the table with a cup of tea. She picks up the book with a sticker and puts him in the bag I came home in. I guess there isn’t room for all of us here. I feel bad but I’ve waited a long time for a home, and he could be off to be read by someone else. The lady picks me up and opens me, careful not to damage my spine. I am excited, after all, this is my purpose in life, to be read.
Several days later we are finished. I think my owner enjoyed me, she certainly seemed to spend a lot of time with me. I feel tired but happy, my purpose having been fulfilled. Most of us like to be read several times by several owners but the first time is always the best. I sit on the table with the other books I’ve come to know over the last few days. The lady comes over and picks up the book next to me. She puts a sticker on it just like the other one. “Time for your adventure,” she says and takes her away. What kind of adventure, I wonder? I like adventure! Although I could do with some rest, it’s been a long few days.
The following week, just as I’ve settled into my new home, living on a bookshelf with many other books, the lady comes and takes me down and puts a sticker on me. I’m simultaneously excited and terrified. She puts a book in my place on the shelf that has a sticker on, I wonder where she has come from, and where I am going to. I’m put in a bag and we leave the house.
Some time later we go into an old church building. It is full of alcoves. The lady places me gently on a ledge in one of the alcoves. She looks around to see if anyone noticed but the place is empty. I think she is going to leave me here, cold and all alone.
Days and weeks pass, it feels like an eternity and I sit patiently in my alcove. People come and go, admiring the building, taking their time to look around. I keep hoping that someone will see me. One day, a young girl does. She picks me up and looks around. Just then her mother calls her and she puts me back down and runs off. But someone else saw the girl look at me. A man comes over and picks me up. He sees the sticker. He reads my back and then opens me up to read the first paragraph. He looks around as if expecting someone to come back and claim me. Finally he slips me into his pocket and we leave the building. A new home and a new reader!
Moral of this story – set your books free! We obviously all love books, but they’re not made to sit on shelves, gathering dust, unloved and unread. Read your books and then set them on the adventure of their lives, and give a home to other books!
