Sunday
means it is time for another sample from the upcoming book. This one works off a basic premise that came to me very late
one night while shelving at BOOKSTOP. What if book covers were alive and you
were the only one who knew?
Visions of Reality
“Look, John, I just want you to
shelve the product.” Mr. Phillpots, the store manager, pointed with his black
pen, jabbing the air for emphasis as he added, “A book is a book. Nothing more.
No deep meanings. Just get them out there. Got it?"
“Books aren’t a product like a sack
of potatoes, Mr. Phillpots. They mean much more. All books aren’t equal. Some
of that stuff is just trash.”
This was a losing proposition
because the man had no soul. How do you explain such a concept to a non-book
lover? It was hopeless, and instead of
being a good and loyal yes man, I had tilted at the windmill again.
In annoyance, Phillpots tossed the
pen down on the desk and rocked back in his expensive orthopedic chair. A chair that he wouldn't need if he actually
did something useful and worked the sales floor like the rest of us. The money
saved could have been used to fix the aging air conditioning system that was
losing the ongoing war with the brutal Texas summer heat. After staring at me
for what seemed forever, he started shaking his head like I was a bad dog that
had made a mess on the carpet.
“Listen, I know you’ve been having,”
his pudgy fingers made the obligatory quotation marks, “some emotional problems
lately.” He paused for a moment, his beady little eyes gauging my reaction. My
face burned in embarrassment, and I shifted slightly in the chair. Phillpots
lowered his voice in an attempt to be comforting and supportive; reminding me
my calls to the employee hotline had been handled. “It’s okay, really. I’ve
thought for a long time you needed help. I’m very glad you’re getting it. So
let’s make this simple.” He paused and then did that stupid little nod he
always did right before he issued one of his edicts. “While you’re here at
work, I just want you to do what you’re told. Just put the product on the
shelf. Don’t think about it. The books aren't alive or anything…..”
4 comments:
I love this story and am so glad you are doing something with it. You are a better writer than you know and should be published in long fiction by now if not for your setbacks. Besides helping distract you from the pain, you can actually make money writing and publishing online on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble. We can all use "extra" money.
Thank you, Caroline. I know it is one of your favorites.
My energy is going to this for now and then once it is up, I hope to get back to the novel.
I'm ready for more
Thank you, Terry. I appreciate that very much.
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