The Odd Book

There's this girl. She attends a party. A gathering. When she gets there - she wonders if she's come to the right place. She's unsure. A bit lost. She walks and looks around. She sees a book. It somewhat sparkles - but not literally. It's as if the book draws her closer to it the more she tries her best to figure out where she is rather than be attracted to the book. Nonetheless. She picks it up. Scans through the pages. Reads through it. And unsurprisingly - she takes it home. As time passes by - she figured she's picked up by far the oddest book she's ever come across.

It feels wrong for her to keep the book closer. To take care of it. To sweep off it's dust. To cherish its scent. To carefully understand how well written it was and fully grasp every detail of it. The pages that have been folded. The pencilled notes. The few pages that must have been spilled a few coffee over and then just left for a while to dry out. Under the sun maybe. She's not sure. How the book was once in a library. And the library card had dates. But the names at the back - were a bit smudged. Some names were still readable. And a few hardly noticeable. She wonders if they all felt the same way about the book she so carefully holds.

More than anything else - she's fully aware that she does not own the book. But she also strongly feels that the book has no owner. At all. That the book was its own. But along with all these - she too is fully aware that anytime soon - the book could go and find it's way to someone else.

She decides to take the book. And let it sit some other place and allow it to be found by someone else.

Before she leaves it at an unusual place - she takes out the library card - she doesn't write her name. For the reason she'd rather let her fingerprints alone be left with it. Enough are the hugs she's given it. The many times she's cried over it. Let the stain of her tears be the mark she'd leave. She didn't need the other people who'd come across the book know of her existence. Know of what they once had. It was enough for her that the book knows.


She slides back the library card. Kisses the book. Leaves it.