The Book on a Shelf
Short story that I wrote a long time ago.
Author's Notes
Do not judge a book by its cover.
Nor a man by his looks.
Nor anything else in the world by first appearances.
You might miss out on quite a story.
A book sits on a shelf, brimming with new life and with hope. With fresh written words and brand new pages, it feels alive with the beginnings of adventures to come. It knows that something as new, young, and undiscovered as a book such as itself will surely be noticed and snatched up soon. So, it sits and waits, shaking with excitement....
Finally, the time arrives! A young, avid reader picks up the book, and starts to read its back cover.
"It's just a summary," the book thinks to itself, "the true prize is inside!" But to the book's surprise, the reader puts the book back on the shelf, and walks away.
The book does not understand. How could the reader get only a glimpse of what it is really about? The summary is only a mere shadow of its true self.... So, the book sits and waits, again.....
"Someone else will come along," the book tells itself, "someone who will want to know my full tale, my whole story, everything about me!" It does not have to wait for long. Soon, another person comes along.
"Hm, I wonder what you're about?" the person mutters to themselves as they flip back to the summary.
"Let me tell you!" The book wishes to flip open to page 1 and make the person read, but what good book was ever satisfying at the end of all that? Nonetheless, the person does flip to page 1, of their own accord, and starts reading.
"How exciting!" thinks the book. "Let me tell you my story; here's how it goes...."
The book tells of quite an interesting set-up for the beginning of a tale (in the book's opinion), but to it's surprise, the person snaps it close after Chapter 1, puts it back on the shelf, and walks away!
"Why?" mopes the book, "What did I say? I even left with a cliff-hanger!"
This pattern continues to the poor book, person after person, each of them putting it back on the shelf without reading anymore than the equivalent of two measly chapters. As it sits on the shelf longer over time, its pages begin to yellow and bend, the binding starts to wear down, and the once shiny luster fades to a dull gray. Of course, various persons picking it up and looking at it without intending to read it don't help its condition any, either.
Still, even through all of this, the book does not lose hope.
"I will find someone, someday. Someone who will want to know my full story, not just what's written on the pages anymore."
The book of course endures person after person still, and a long life on the shelf. So it's no wonder it barely wakes up at all to one person in particular who picks it up on a somewhat slow afternoon. This person seems to have a different sort of... tender touch.
The person inspects the plain cover, something few had ever done. After reading the summary, the person gently flips through the yellow pages.
"Ah. I see," says the person, "You have quite the story to tell. You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Then, the person sits down and asks, "So tell me, what are you about?" and begins to read page 1... and keeps reading... and keeps reading even more! The book has never felt so alive before!
The more the person reads, the more the book wishes it has to tell; but, as all good things, even the book has to come to an end. The person sighs happily and closes it, patting the cover softly.
"That was quite some story," says the person. "I'm glad I didn't pass you by. I would've missed something spectacular!"
But even this my dear friends, is not the the end of the story of the book on a shelf.
© 2017 - 2019 SerenityStarla
Author's Notes
Of all my stories, poems, songs, and blurbs I've written, this, is by far my favorite.
This story is about a book that sits on a shelf, simple as that. At first, it is brand new, fresh off the print, ready to be read by many readers! But person after person, it is dejected, because of it's cover, and a couple of chapters. (First impressions are always the most memorable.) And over time, it becomes old, faded, and yellow, until no one wants it. Finally, one person reads it, and it is brought full of life again! The person is filled with happiness, not just to read the story on the pages but to read the story of the book itself. (And that's something I cannot explain to someone unless you pick up a book for yourself.)
I've had a passion for books since the time I began to learn how to read. Yes, that was at a very young age, indeed. I was taught that although a book may have a boring cover, it might have the most exciting story imaginable. (The same could be true of the opposite.) I wish to have my own library one day, and so I began to search at discounted book stores, and libraries' book sales carts, etc. and found myself books just like these: dejected, and just in need of some TLC. It doesn't have to have a fancy cover to have a fancy story. In fact, many of my books' covers are ripped and the pages yellow or watermarked. But I read them time and time again. And I hope the books will be read for generations to come.