Esther Chilton

This weekend, it’s time for the story which was awarded third place in the themed competition I held at  Swanwick Writing Summer School. Entrants had to write a story between 1000-3000 words on any of the following themes: 

LIBRARY, JOURNEY or LOVE.

Still on the Shelf

By

Sharon Richards

A frisson of excitement spread along the library shelves, running from book to book – a Mexican wave of silent anticipation. With bated breath, they watched Anna and James complete the remaining tasks of the day. Circling each other just beyond touching distance, the two librarians went through the motions of tidying the shelves in fiction, shuffling and reshuffling table-top displays in local history, and putting brightly coloured plastic chairs back on their feet in Story-Time Corner. The pair took their time, working far more slowly than they needed, each stealing glances at the other when they thought they wouldn’t be noticed. Eventually, having no more excuses to linger together inside, they made their way to the exit and closed the door behind them.

Anna turned the key in the lock. ‘Goodnight then, James.’

‘Goodnight, Anna.’

But neither moved. They waited by the window, only a few inches apart, unsure what to do next as, on the other side of the glass…   

‘Closing time at last! Thank Goodness for that. I thought the day would never end,’ sobbed Fifty Shades of Grey, trying to shake the dust from the shoulders of her plastic jacket. ‘I’m convinced that people really do want to read me but they’re too embarrassed to take me to the counter and check me out.’

‘You’re absolutely right,’ said Fifty Shades Darker. ‘Every second-hand bookshop in the country must be full of us – all ordered in secret on Amazon and then dumped on charity-shop doorsteps; in the dead of night too I shouldn’t wonder. It’s really not fair; just because on page 27 he asks her to slip his enormous…’

‘Now, now, that’s quite enough of that,’ Mary Poppins interjected with a volley of tuts. ‘Little pigs have big ears.’

There was muffled tittering from The Famous Five in the children’s section.

Outside, a drifting cloud obscured the early evening moon and the square darkened. The wind moaned, an owl hooted in the nearby park and, in the distance, a dog added a forlorn howl.

‘Lovely night,’ said Dracula.

The two librarians, ever reluctant to part, drew closer together in the chilly air. They shuffled their feet and exchanged nervous smiles as their eyes met.

‘Ooh, this looks promising,’ said Love in a Cold Climate.

‘I know, I know. Sparks have been flying between them from the moment their paths crossed,’ sighed Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

‘Don’t mention sparks! Have you forgotten where we are?’ warned Fahrenheit 451.

‘I can’t be doing with all this long, drawn out ‘Will they, won’t they?’ nonsense. It’s been going on for weeks now. I  wish he’d cut to the chase and kiss her,’ quipped The Flash Fiction Writers’ Workbook.

‘But it’s their hesitation that makes it so romantic,’ cooed Brief Encounter.

‘And we all need more romance in our lives,’ added Madame Bovary.

‘MORE?’asked Oliver Twist.

‘Yes, more, absolutely,’ said Delia’s Complete Cookery Course. ‘A handsome young man, a sweet young woman – their eyes meeting through the shelf stacks. It’s got all the ingredients of a wonderful romance.’

There was an immediate chorus of agreement from the Mills and Boon shelves;

‘He’s got the tousled black hair.’

‘And the strong jawline.’

‘And the gentle but firm touch.’

‘She’s kind and ever so pretty with such doe-like eyes.’

‘She’s innocent, but feisty and independent at the same time.’

‘And one of them is bound to have a secret past with a hidden heartbreak.’

The collective sigh they heaved almost blew the posters off the notice board.

‘I know deep in my heart that they’re going to get married, have beautiful babies and live happily ever after, ’ squealed Pollyanna.

‘There’s more to life than having babies,’ snapped The Handmaid’s Tale.

‘Are you suggesting that two attractive people will produce beautiful babies? I’ve got a theory about that,’ announced Origin of Species.

‘And you can just keep it to yourself, if you don’t mind,’ huffed The Bible.

‘Well, I for one think it’s wonderful that we’re all getting to witness the beginning of this new relationship, love affair, courtship, bond, alliance, association, connection,’ said Roget’s Thesaurus.

‘Can you see what’s happening now?’ asked The Woman in the Window.

‘No, it’s too dark. Somebody forgot to put the outside light on, but I haven’t quite worked out whodunnit yet,’ said Hercule Poirot’s Casebook.

‘I always like it best at this time of night, when the library’s empty and the square’s all quiet,’ sighed Far From the Madding crowd.

‘It does look romantic out there in the moonlight. Now all he has to do is ask her to go out with him. I really don’t understand what’s stopping him,’ said Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway. ’Oh, I take that back; looks like he might actually be leaning in for a kiss!’

‘My word!’said The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.

‘Good Lord,’exclaimed Burke’s Peerage.

‘If they ever do get together, we could throw such an extravagant party to celebrate,’ The Great Gatsby proposed.

‘Ooh, we could serve a nice Chianti,’ suggested The Silence of the Lambs.

‘I just hope their families approve,’ sighed multiple copies of Spare.

‘Hang on a minute, isn’t she already going out with someone?’ asked The Boys of My Youth. ‘ She certainly was when she first started working here.’

‘That’s all in the past. She’s probably realised that she’s better off without him,’ said Lessons of History.

‘Oh no, he’s taking too long,’ moaned Waiting for Godot. ‘He’s going to miss his chance yet again. He still hasn’t said anything or even tried to kiss her after all this time. Nothing’s going to happen tonight; nothing ever does and nothing ever will.’

‘And now they’re heading off in completely different directions!’ said The 2024 AA Road Atlas.

‘Don’t worry about it, pal. I’d  bet a dime to a dollar they’ve arranged to be back on duty together again for the rest of the week. It’s late anyway; the best thing we can do is get some shut-eye,’ suggested The Big Sleep.

‘Yes, let’s do that.  And don’t give up hope, y’all,’ said Gone With The Wind.  ‘There really is every chance they could get together during their morning coffee break, because, after all, tomorrow is another day.’

---

I don’t usually like stories with too many characters, but Still on the Shelf is a wonderful exception to the rule. Sharon captures the essence of each book so well and the whole story had me smiling from beginning to end. It’s fun, clever and thoroughly entertaining. A very worthy placing.

---