During the winter break, the Edwardsville Public Library staff are sharing some poetry animations and a round-robin story. We hope you enjoy the fun and have a restful holiday season. We'll be back in the New Year with more book reviews, movie recommendations and lots of other library related items.
Today, we're offering our annual staff round-robin. Each staff member wrote 1 or 2 sentences and were told to write a story including a missing library book, a white cat, ice/snow and something sparkly. Twenty eight staff members contributed their talents. Somehow the sparkle got lost, but the rest of the story is pretty fun!
Today, we're offering our annual staff round-robin. Each staff member wrote 1 or 2 sentences and were told to write a story including a missing library book, a white cat, ice/snow and something sparkly. Twenty eight staff members contributed their talents. Somehow the sparkle got lost, but the rest of the story is pretty fun!
Blanco el Gato butted his head against
the strange object lying in the middle of the sidewalk. It was a book from the
library where his friend Dewey lived. Blanco el Gato looked at the book in
horror! Its title read: Why No One Likes
Cats. He wasn’t really surprised to find this misplaced library book on the
sidewalk. After all, a book of this context doesn’t belong on the shelves.
It
was a large tome, bound with old cat pelts, and, as the wind turned each page,
it made a faint hiss. Blanco felt the fur on his back rise; he prepared to face
his adversary. All he could think about was how much he hated fighting. He
circled the nasty, malodorous compendium, hissing and spitting. His tail was a
sparking brush, unable to leave it, unable to touch it. Muddy black shoes below
wet pants legs receded down the broken sidewalk. It was time to play a little
bit of “cat and mouse.”
His
eyes sparkled as he pursued the departing figure. As Blanco got closer, he
realized the pants were red and covered with ice and snow. Wait- could it be?
Yes, it was Santa! Surprised by his realization, Blanco shouted “Hey Santa!”
Startled by the talking cat, Santa turned to face him.
“Blanco
el Gato, we meet again for the first time,” Santa said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Naughty,
or nice?”
“You
have been nice, Gato. What is your Christmas wish?”
The
only thing on Gato’s mind was that ridiculous book so he blurted out the first
thing that came to him.
“I wish that book never existed!”
And
so the book turned into snow, and poofed out of existence. Or did it? Could a
book that hisses truly disappear? Blanco continued on his way, determined to
consult with the Dewey (a.k.a. He Who Knows Everything). Blanco turned the
corner and headed straight toward the library, where Dewey was ensconced in the
middle of a blitz of books, librarians, and information! Surely there was a
magic and spells section he could consult about this disappearing, hissing
menace. Blanco was informed that the library computer catalog and databases were
down, but luckily, Dewey pointed him to the source of magical answers…the
tattooed reference librarian, Olaf.
Olaf
spent some time discussing with Blanco what information he was looking for;
then, he raised his finger in the air and shouted, “I know just what you need!”
Olaf bent down behind the desk. A moment later, he produced a large metal
monster of a machine. On the front of the steel beast was a small placard that
read: “Bessie the Shredder- Destroyer of All Tomes Evil.”
Dewey heard the thud of the machine
being dropped on the counter from across the library. He walked to the
reference desk and interrupted Olaf’s demonstration.
“Blanco, it’s time you learned the
truth. Your destiny lies before you...You are one of the few people who can
decide if a book is worthy of shredding. The magic hissing book that you have
told us about only visits a chosen few,” Dewey continued.
Blanco pondered the fate of the
book, constrained by conflicting thoughts. Though the opinions expressed by
this book went against Blanco’s, he had trouble stomaching the thought of
destroying another’s opinion.
Santa and Olaf offered only
temporary solutions it seemed. Blanco needed to settle the fate of the book his
own way. How could he deal with this monstrous anti-cat book? Blanco brainstormed.
He went through his options; he could hunt down the book, he could warn others
about it…or he could write a book against the book…
Suddenly, he knew what he must do.
Instead of destroying the book, he would write a book called Why Cats Make the Best Companions! And so he did.
Today the two books sit, ‘cat’alogued on the same library shelf,
side-by-side - Why No One Likes Cats
and Why Cats make the Best Companions.
The
End.
