In Mineral Town the name Mary was almost synonymous with literature. She was the town's librarian, after all, and she was rarely found without a book in tow. She was an enigma to many and a friend to few. There was much to discover beneath her quiet exterior and the reputation that preceded her.
For as long as she could remember, Mary felt different. She had always been fascinated with both the mundane and the extraordinary and traveled along a never ending quest for knowledge. What the librarian lacked in social skills, she made up for in creativity and passion.
It wasn't that Mary was unsatisfied with her life in Mineral Town, but she found herself longing for something more…Something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something was missing. The monotony of life in Mineral Town had become both comfortable and yet somehow painful at the same time. Perhaps it was because of this that Mary took such solace in her reading. She was able to escape to new worlds all while feeling safe behind her librarian's desk.
Only one thing could rival the excitement Mary found when reading a good book, and that was the exhilaration of writing her own. Her novel was a secret creation that only she knew about. The librarian dreamed, not of becoming a famed author, but of finally completing a work of art that she was truly proud of
It was another, ordinary Spring Tuesday in the Mineral Town Library. Mary's thick rimmed glasses peeked over her notebook as several strands of raven hair fell from her braid. She chewed on her pen while pacing around the room lost in thought.
I wonder what I should do with this…" The librarian mumbled to herself while tapping her pen on her notebook as if it were a magic wand.
Tap tap tap
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there." She looked down at the ground and closed her book abruptly.
The visitor was tall with messy brown hair poking out from a backwards cap. Mary caught his piercing brown eyes with hers once more. He spoke, but she couldn't hear a thing underneath her thumping heart. He smiled.
"I've never seen you before…are you a tourist or something?" The librarian tapped the pencil against her temple as she looked him over once more.
"Oh, you're the new fellow up at the farm! Pete, right? I'm Mary, nice to meet you." Mary blushed and smiled as she adjusted her strands of hair.
"Sorry about that before…when I get lost in thought, I don't notice anything." Mary's notebook slipped out from between her, now clammy, palms.
"Can I help?" Pete smiled as he bent down to retrieve the notebook.
"I'm writing a novel, you see. I was just having a case of writer's block, that's all." Mary took the notebook careful to avoid any physical contact.
The two stood in silence for a moment as Mary slipped her notebook back onto her desk.
"Just let me know if you want to read anything. I bet I have lots of books you'd like…Read any book you want."
"Pete locked eyes with the librarian once more. He shyly put his hands into his pockets and scanned the room.
"There is one book I'd be interested in reading…when it's done that is!" He shot Mary one last smile before exiting the library.
Mary sunk back in her chair and let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Her clammy hands picked up her pen once more and she began to write.