The Library Will Put a Spell on You
"That man over there is sleeping," the woman said. Her finger shook, the little charm bracelet on her wrist jingling.
Read MoreHope on Hold
Placing a hold on a book is a scary endeavour. You don't know when the book is going to show up. It's mostly based on hope. Hope in the system, hope in the library staff, and hope that nobody decides to eat the book. That much hope can only lead to ulcers and visiting your parents on non-holidays.
Read MoreWhy Halloween (2018) is Popular
People are afraid of the dark. Maybe not always the physical, non-light variety, but the empty cold nothing that comes with lack of knowledge.
Read MoreVoice in the Stacks - Patreon Story for Halloween
"Mommy?" the child's sing song, a little low note, came again.
I walked around the desk, hands in pockets, strolling. I was sure I would hear the mother give a reassuring "What?" or "Yes, baby?" When all that came was another "Mommy?" I turned my wander that way.
Read MoreWeird Weird Library
The circulation desk got cold. Like the top of a refrigerator with a leak kinda cold. I lifted my hand up and wondered what the hell was happening.
Read MoreSave the Last Dance
"I need a place to play my cassettes," the man said. He had liver spots on his shaking hand, the one that held the box. The box rattled with the gentle plastic.
Read MoreBasement Carts
More shopping carts appeared on the library steps and I got concerned. Three days they stuck around, Walter and Brenda berating them, then they slipped away. I wondered if we had space in the basement for all of them.
Read MoreDelivering Newspapers for Depression
"I didn't get my paper this morning. Just checking that things were okay," the old man said into my voicemail.
Read MoreShopping Cart Outside
Back home in the south, we call them "buggies." We also call them "shopping carts," the wire mesh baskets on wheels that live in grocery stores. When one showed up at the library, we knew we had an opportunity.
Read MoreThe Circulation Bell
The director said the bell would stay on the circulation desk. Brenda complained that someone was always there, but the director said the bell would stay. Brenda pouted and stood, arms crossed, glaring at the little metal object.
Read MoreApartment Hunting Tips and Trick-R-Treats
Several times in my life I have moved myself and others into new domiciles. Several, several times, in fact. Over my life I have lived in fifteen different dorms, houses, apartments, and a camper with sixteen different people not counting my parents and my sister.
Read MoreThe Hokey Pokey in Paris
"Just meet us there," the chaperone told me. Those words started one of the more memorable nights of my life.
Read MoreStory of a Ring
He stood with her in a little hallway. They both wore a sheen of sweat and he said something about marrying her.
Read MoreSouthern Language I've Re-adopted
About a year and change I moved from the bayou of Louisiana to the wilds of Provo, Utah. The diversity of the place staggered me
Read MoreFirst Kiss on a Beach
We were crossing into Florida when I realized that this girl might want to kiss me.
Read MorePeer-Reviewed Instructive Librarianship
The time of year has come for school visits to the library. Seniors learning deep research for their final papers. Juniors dipping their toes into the waters of "what is database and peer review?" Sophomores and freshman asking questions such as "where is the bathroom?"
Read MoreGrand Canyon Heartbreak
"You can always let a hole be cause if you try to fill it, you can't ever get it just right," Mrs. Joyce said over me as I tried to pack the dirt back tight.
Read MoreTalking Cars and Boats and Motorcycles in 80s Television
When someone asks me what my favorite television show growing up was, I have to think about that. Hands down, I could say MacGyver because I still think it's better than leftover cornbread with onions. But then I think on all the sitcoms and action shows of the 1980s and have to give it up to a genre: weaponized and sentient vehicles.
Read MoreTo All the Cars I've Loved Before
When performing an expert u-turn on a small suburban street in the middle of the night, watch for curbs. And small animals. But mostly the curbs because the small animals have sense to get out of the way even when finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. You will pop a tire and end up calling someone to bring you a jack at three in the morning.
Read MoreThe Firework King and His Wild Fire
As I write this, a hazy smoke has enveloped the Pacific Northwest and the high desert whatever the hell biosphere I live in at the moment. There may be a picture accompanying this, but if there is not allow me to describe it: Gray haze with shimmering figures in the distance that resemble mountains inhabited by old chain smoking yeti figures who have run out of shit to eat.
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