A STORY. 121. RETURN TO THE BOOKSTORE

You don’t know quite what happened. The used bookstore was a home away from home. It came to feel like you’d been going there forever, and would continue to go there forever.

And then you stopped going. You told yourself it was time to deal with those piles of notes. They were supposed to turn into a book. Or to be precise, you were supposed to turn them into a book. A nice academic exploration of creativity. You had the title. Ruminations. You could feel the end of your sabbatical looming. Classes would soon begin again. Students. Marking. And you had nothing but piles of notes to show for your time.

So you stopped going to the bookstore, and typed up the notes, sorted them this way and that, wandered around town.

It did no good.

You thought most often of The House by the River - a house you’d never want to live in, damp and prone to flooding, most likely with mold in the basement. But the words made you want to live there:

You realize that you are right outside the bookstore. Staying away has done no good.

You might as well go in.

To be continued . . .

A STORY. ALL THE CHAPTERS ... UP TO NOW:
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Posted July 14, 2025