Friday 14 May 2010

Bibliophilia (#fridayflash)

He slams the book down onto his desk and stares out the arched window, clasping a wrinkled hand over his forehead. The hum of cars driving past agitates him, like the wasps that buzz in his garden when he's trying to enjoy a tankard of cool beer. He'll need a beer soon. But first he grabs the book and throws it at the wall. Its pages crumple on impact, and it crashes to the floor.

"Bloody rubbish," he says.

He walks across to his kitchen, and takes a can of beer from the fridge, pouring it into his tankard.  He swears to himself as he sips it.  The beer calms him down.

When he's finished he picks up his wallet and walks out onto the street towards the bookshop.  As always he goes the the secondhand section - a book that's been read must be worth reading - and chooses a title that attracts his attention.  Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

The girl at the counter never lets him pay full price.

"That's two-fifty," she says.

He hands over a fiver, and tells the shop assistant she must take the full three pounds.  She gives him too much change, and he pretends not to notice.

Back at his flat, he scuttles upstairs, goes to straight to his study and sits at the desk.  He holds the book tight to his chest, feeling its energy.

"This is the one," he tells himself.

He lifts the book to his face, breathing its aroma.

This is the one.

He flicks the pages with his fingertips, listening to their gentle click.

This will be the one.

With trembling hands he places the book on his desk and opens the cover.

As he begins to read, he stops shaking.  The words meet his eyes and hold him, enchanted.

21 comments:

  1. Always love that moment of enchantment when one sits with a book and gets transported to the fictive dream.

    Glad he found the one.

    Well done.

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  2. I don't begrudge my fellow man his reading habits, but I hope I never adopt these. Must be heck looking for the next good book. But his profound reaction at the end is validating and warm.

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  3. It's hard work, looking for a great book. I know how he feels. I hope he finds it one day!

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  4. This made me smile! I like the physicality you added into the scene, the description of holding a book before being transported elsewhere.

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  5. You threw so many subtle details into this story, David. The shop assistant who gives too much change, for example. The repeated times he fills the tankard with beer. There was a nice bit of unexpected tension at the end. Very nice story.

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  6. This is exactly why i have such a hard time with e-books. :-) Nice one!

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  7. Very nice. I remember the first time I figuratively threw a book against a wall... Thankfully, it hasn't been repeated often. Le Carre is a great choice, too.

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  8. There speaks a true book-lover! The thrill of a new bibli-romance... :D

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  9. So many emotions...all in one piece x x

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  10. To be lost in the pages...enchanted. Yes!

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  11. I always cheat and read the first page in the bookstore. I'm glad his gamble led to a happy ending. That is a magical moment when a story captivates you.

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  12. I think most of us can relate to this. Well told!

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  13. yep, I know where he's coming from too :)

    The girl never letting him pay full price has me wondering at a few possible threads of backstory, too

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  14. I'd hate to see him get a Kindle, but seriously, this is why books can't be replaced. They can be accompanied, sure. But there's always the book you want to hold, touch and yes, even smell. Well done.

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  15. I could totally relate to this sentence here
    "As always he goes the the secondhand section - a book that's been read must be worth reading - and chooses a title that attracts his attention"

    Great flash! And even though I looove my notebook and reading ebooks, I love how reading a book is half the fun of reading.

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  16. I love the subtlety of your piece. Many details interwoven in a perfect way. You're harsh in the beginning, then kind at the bookstore. You close up with anticipation and enchantment (to use your own word). Great story!

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  17. Rats! Estrella stole my favourite line - "a book that's been read must be worth reading" - lovely and SO true! I've never thought of books that way before.
    Beautiful words, David. Very nice. The end was particularly good.

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  18. I think it's more a book that's been read more than once by the same person is worth reading. I know I've read a few bad books in my time, recommended by others, that I wouldn't pick up again. Sometimes you read a bad book hoping it'll get better.

    I liked this. I wonder what he meant by "This will be the one." The one what? His new favorite maybe? The one that has the key to some puzzle he's trying to solve? That line might be worth expanding on...interesting possibilities.

    Well done.

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  19. Lovely, lovely expression of the entrancement with reading. Reading as addiction Absolutely!

    And Tinker Tailor is a FABULOUS book. John Le Carre a fine writer.

    Inspired.

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  20. I like the little detial about him breathing the aroma. That's the thing that ebooks will never have, that great second-hand book smell.

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