I’m also interested in receiving some reader commentary. I would love to hear from you, to know which stories you preferred and why. I do not pretend to be a master, so any praise and/or criticism is important for making improvements.
The other thing I would like to see is some of your stories. I think every person has a good story in them, either true, fiction, or some combination of those. I highly recommend that everyone try writing a short story; it is really fun and can reveal a lot about yourself that you may not have known.
With all that said, I now present Tuesday’s short story: The Library. *(Bonus kudos if you can figure out what story this is based on)*
The Library
Now Alan and Emily were studying biology in the library. The two were under the watchful eye of the librarian, who sat at the center kiosk organizing the tomes. He was pleased with their existence in the otherwise empty building; much preferable to being all alone.
Alan wore a dusty shirt with khaki shorts, his text open to the chapter on respiration. Emily had on a red tank top and mini skirt. The pair was in the Educational Documents, Essays, and Novels section of the library. Having finished memorizing zoological taxonomy, they were joking and giggling before moving to the next subject. Alan held the sides of his abdominals as he rolled with laughter. The librarian smiled proudly.
As they continued pouring over notes, the librarian excused himself, leaving the couple by themselves. Emily heard a soft rumbling in her belly and walked to the abandoned center booth in search of food. On the counter lay a box of chocolate bars being sold for charity. Without any money, Emily was unable to purchase these treats. Her stomach hissed at her, a subtle reminder of hunger, so she swiped two of the candies, since nobody was around to stop her.
She unwrapped and bit into the bar as she returned to the study table. Tasting how good it was, she gave some to Alan, and he ate it. The two barely spoke while scarfing down the chocolate.
Once finished, they tried to return to their studies, but were unable to focus. Gone was the light-hearted mood that previously permeated the room. Alan read aloud from the textbook, uncomfortably pronouncing the names of reproductive organs and processes. Likewise, Emily had lost her ability to laugh honestly and tried to compensate by forcing a chortle to interrupt the silent void.
Startled, Alan looked up from the phallic images on the page, his vision met by the low-cut of his companion’s white tank top. Two curved mounds peaked his interest, until embarrassment jolted his eyes back down into the book. He did not dare raise his head, terrified he would not be able to control his desires.
Emily was all too aware of the situation. She suddenly felt ashamed for displaying such copious cleavage. It was warm inside the building, but she pulled a sweatshirt over her head anyways. Alan took note of this and realized he was covered in grime. He felt the filth scuttling from his body across the table and consuming Emily. They both held unflinching; dirty and self-conscious.
The librarian reentered the room and immediately sensed the discomfort in the air. Unsure exactly what was wrong, he sat at his desk and observed the young duo. They avoided looking at each other, instead burying their faces in notebooks. Squinting at them suspiciously, the librarian noticed two crumpled candy wrappers and understood what had happened. He approached the guilty party and accused them of theft and breaking his trust.
Unable to lie, they confessed to their transgressions and pleaded for forgiveness. The librarian refused to pardon them, banished them from the building, and demanded that they never return- slamming the large dual doors shut behind them. Alan and Emily stared out silently into the afternoon sun, confused and ashamed.
No comments:
Post a Comment