the gawky bookworm

Im a student from Oxford University. Just visited our library in my usual long sleeve/sweatshirt attire. That is my favourite hangout here at Oxford. Those immense columns of towering wooden bookshelves, the English infrastructure. Besides, she's always there, after her choir practice. Smell the scores of books and hear the sounds of flipping pages in that welcoming silence. I felt like a child in the candy shop.

Nicely arranged in alphabetical order, it didn't take me long before i found 'L' on the top rack of the 5th shelf. Careful not to fall off the ladder and to break the silence, I made noise no more than a mouse.

'Achooo!' I vouch at least 10 heads turned my direction, some with annoyance in their eyes. I must have just rudely snapped a few out of their advanture in lands beyond Oxford. She looked up too and all i could manage was to smile apologetically. She returned a smile, the sweet smile. I couldn't help it, but i have been born with a nose sensitive to the slightest of dust. That is why when i was a boy, mum never allowed me to play in the woods.

Must have been the books. I scanned through the authors and it wasn't long before i reached 'C.S. Lewis' printed in BOLD golden font.

'The Screwtape Letters"
"Mere Christianity"
"Pain"

Alas, I found the book. Big book with a serious black cover. It almost looked mysterious with a tinge of magical. Slowly and carefully, I stepped down the ladder. One hand holding the big book tight to my chest, the other over my nose. I don't need anymore attention for the day.

Intuitively, i retreated into my favourite corner of the library, where the red couch is. I couldn't believe that i managed to lay hands on the only copy of this book. I took more than a second admiring my catch. Then, as if i was opening an intricately designed box, i turned the black cover..




Narnia