Chapter 1 : John and Elena
In the last year of the previous millennium, there was this book...No, it was not a boring history book...No, it was not one of those thick books that dads always read before sleeping...and certainly not a crummy TV specials magazine! No No! It was a story book. A lovely story book actually...so good that her owner could hardly put it down...infact, her owner, a little boy actually, could not sleep each night without hearing some words read out from her to him by his mom. The little red book...yes, it was a red book...was very happy! She loved the little boy...and the little boy loved her back!
But alas...time flew on...the little boy grew up into a particularly rebellious teenager. He forgot all about his book. Now its his iPod, his friends or the cheeky girls around the neighborhood! Our little red book was feeling alone, sad and lonely without her friend who used to love her so much...poor thing! She was all alone in her cupboard...nothing to do all day. Infact, she did not even have good company as she was unceremoniously dumped on top of some old newspapers from a few years ago!! Dusty, smelly, dark and damp cupboard!!! Every now and then she would long for someone to embrace her...throw open her pages and warm her to the spine by caressing them...run their fingers through the seam and smell the fragrance that only old books possess...she missed making people smile.
Poor book...since we can never get to know their given true names, lets call her Elena because she likes to call herself by that name. Elena became so tired with her life one day that she did something which was crazy even for books to do!! Our little red book, she got a little irked with this one sided nature of things...soooo...she started talking out loud!!
Thus unfurls our little fairy tale about the adventures of a little red book...
One fine day mom was tidying up the room. And suddenly she heard a small voice...a little muffled...but yet clear...say..."Hello! How are you?". His mom stopped whatever she was doing and stood up straight to listen again...she thought she heard a voice but she was not sure...she waited for a few moments before picking up the brush...and again..."Hello! Nice day isn't it?". Now, she was startled and dropped down the brush with a clatter onto the floor! She searched the bathroom, under the bed, behind the sofa and she even looked outside the window! Nothing!! And then...again...there!! She heard it again!! She could have sworn that it was coming from somewhere inside the cupboard...hmmmm...
By the way, if you are wondering how books can speak...well...its something very special. As a matter of fact, all books can do that. It's just that one has never spoken to you before...not while you were awake in any case. Infact, over the years...the kids who treated their books well got rewarded by this very special and rarely beheld ability that books possess. How?? Well, while the kids slept, the books will read out stories to them. And for those kids who were bad at school, the books will even repeat their lessons. What people consider as dreaming is actually their mind visualizing what the books tell them...its not random at all!! Now maybe you can comprehend the power of a books capability of thought...of creativity...no wonder reading books makes the mind wonder and wander...its an amazing feeling!
But...there is one catch. Its agreed among the book world that they can speak out loud only while everyone around are asleep. So, you see...our little red book, she created quite a revolution among her world by breaking the rule!! The golden rule...the most important rule of them all!! She spoke to someone while they were not sleeping!! Yikes!!
Anyways, mom was perturbed now...she started walking towards the cupboard. Elena was a little scared...she did not realize the magnitude of her mistake until after a while...but then, she was terrified! She was trembling so much that the papers around her started rustling and that roused mom a little bit more than was necessary.
Mom was almost there at the threshold of opening the cupboard. Our little red book was trying to bury herself between the sports page and the crossword page of one of the news papers...grumpy old newspaper. He was not too amused by our little book and refused to provide cover! Too late...in flooded the light from the outside world...the cupboard was open...and mom was looking over her horned spectacles. Peeking in a little curiously...as curiously as our book was staring back...
Book have this not too amazing tendency of keeping very still when required. Its in the family as they say...an ordinary but much needed skill especially during emergencies. There have been many a shave too close in the past with some especially naughty books!! Our little red book was doing all it can not to gain her attention...but then kids, if you see a little red book among a pile of old newspapers, wouldn't you notice it or not?? Precisely!
Our little red book was not too happy now...because she was discovered by mom. But not too sad either...because mom was carrying her off to another place in the house...maybe a nicer cupboard...maybe even to the showcase...maybe even the shelf in the hallway with those other BIG books. Some change will do our little red book some good...it was as good for her as flying south is for the ducks!! Just that, in this case it did not matter whether Elena flew south or north or even southwest!! Change was welcome!! :)
Mom walked past the cupboard in the hall...those gleaming encyclopedias!! Our little red book would not mind sharing a place with them. They are among the most respectable books around...what with their impressive royal blue hard covers with pictures of a thousand colours splashed all over their pages including a very impressive cover page!! They know so much too...our little red book can have wonderful conversations with them...if she gets bored with A-C and especially with "Bumble Bees", it can easily switch to M-O and chat about Ostriches from Africa! That would be a nice place to be in....but...where is mom bustling off to?
Mom...she missed the cupboard in the hall!! Oh no! She was now walking towards the attic stairs with her duster whirring away on her other hand whenever she passed any corner!! Our little red book was not too excited about the prospect of being holed up in the attic. She has heard eerie stories about the place...brrrr...chills one to the paperback even thinking about it!! Just then...TING TONG!! The doorbell...!!! For the moment, saved by the bell...phew. Mom made for the door after putting the book away on the chair in the hallway.
And guess who it was...our boy! His name is John in case you didn't know. Elena almost jumped with joy and almost shouted "Heyyyyyyyy...its been so long since I seen you!!! How are you??" But then...she did not. But really, its been quite a couple of years since she saw her boy. Our little red book...she was quite happy to see him. How much he had grown...how much!! He is almost as tall as his mom now..maybe even a shade taller. Wonderful! Lovely!
He was not alone...he was with friends. While he was passing the chair, he just happened to glance at her...and to her joy, he stopped for a moment. An almost disbelieving stare...all his friends stopped too. And he slowly inched closer to her and picker her up after many years...he opened her pages...paused for what seemed an eternity...Elena could hardly control the gush of warmth rushing through her paragraphs...and then, he ran his fingers...lovingly...through her words...it was the best our little book had felt in a very very long time!
Just then, his mom called him into the kitchen for a cup of hot chocolate. It was close to Christmas time and it was quite cold outside. He set her aside and went into the kitchen. Elena did not want to let him go...she did not want him to even turn away from her...but its ok. She has seen that look in his eyes. She knew that he will come back to her after finishing with his friends. She knew that he had not forgotten her...the look in his eyes...the shine in them as he saw her insides...she was an intuitive one our Elena. So, she just sat there, the most content book in the world.
Then she heard a rustle behind her...as sudden as that noise was, she felt herself being roughly swept off the table and thrust into someplace dark and smelly! Fear caught up with her...she could hear John somewhere closeby...but what was going on?? His voice became weaker...and weaker...and then a door slammed...she felt herself being carried away from the house...away from the only place she has ever known since she was born in the printing press...despair clouded her...agony gripped her...and away she was swept into life or maybe nothing at all...
To be contd...
In the last year of the previous millennium, there was this book...No, it was not a boring history book...No, it was not one of those thick books that dads always read before sleeping...and certainly not a crummy TV specials magazine! No No! It was a story book. A lovely story book actually...so good that her owner could hardly put it down...infact, her owner, a little boy actually, could not sleep each night without hearing some words read out from her to him by his mom. The little red book...yes, it was a red book...was very happy! She loved the little boy...and the little boy loved her back!
But alas...time flew on...the little boy grew up into a particularly rebellious teenager. He forgot all about his book. Now its his iPod, his friends or the cheeky girls around the neighborhood! Our little red book was feeling alone, sad and lonely without her friend who used to love her so much...poor thing! She was all alone in her cupboard...nothing to do all day. Infact, she did not even have good company as she was unceremoniously dumped on top of some old newspapers from a few years ago!! Dusty, smelly, dark and damp cupboard!!! Every now and then she would long for someone to embrace her...throw open her pages and warm her to the spine by caressing them...run their fingers through the seam and smell the fragrance that only old books possess...she missed making people smile.
Poor book...since we can never get to know their given true names, lets call her Elena because she likes to call herself by that name. Elena became so tired with her life one day that she did something which was crazy even for books to do!! Our little red book, she got a little irked with this one sided nature of things...soooo...she started talking out loud!!
Thus unfurls our little fairy tale about the adventures of a little red book...
One fine day mom was tidying up the room. And suddenly she heard a small voice...a little muffled...but yet clear...say..."Hello! How are you?". His mom stopped whatever she was doing and stood up straight to listen again...she thought she heard a voice but she was not sure...she waited for a few moments before picking up the brush...and again..."Hello! Nice day isn't it?". Now, she was startled and dropped down the brush with a clatter onto the floor! She searched the bathroom, under the bed, behind the sofa and she even looked outside the window! Nothing!! And then...again...there!! She heard it again!! She could have sworn that it was coming from somewhere inside the cupboard...hmmmm...
By the way, if you are wondering how books can speak...well...its something very special. As a matter of fact, all books can do that. It's just that one has never spoken to you before...not while you were awake in any case. Infact, over the years...the kids who treated their books well got rewarded by this very special and rarely beheld ability that books possess. How?? Well, while the kids slept, the books will read out stories to them. And for those kids who were bad at school, the books will even repeat their lessons. What people consider as dreaming is actually their mind visualizing what the books tell them...its not random at all!! Now maybe you can comprehend the power of a books capability of thought...of creativity...no wonder reading books makes the mind wonder and wander...its an amazing feeling!
But...there is one catch. Its agreed among the book world that they can speak out loud only while everyone around are asleep. So, you see...our little red book, she created quite a revolution among her world by breaking the rule!! The golden rule...the most important rule of them all!! She spoke to someone while they were not sleeping!! Yikes!!
Anyways, mom was perturbed now...she started walking towards the cupboard. Elena was a little scared...she did not realize the magnitude of her mistake until after a while...but then, she was terrified! She was trembling so much that the papers around her started rustling and that roused mom a little bit more than was necessary.
Mom was almost there at the threshold of opening the cupboard. Our little red book was trying to bury herself between the sports page and the crossword page of one of the news papers...grumpy old newspaper. He was not too amused by our little book and refused to provide cover! Too late...in flooded the light from the outside world...the cupboard was open...and mom was looking over her horned spectacles. Peeking in a little curiously...as curiously as our book was staring back...
Book have this not too amazing tendency of keeping very still when required. Its in the family as they say...an ordinary but much needed skill especially during emergencies. There have been many a shave too close in the past with some especially naughty books!! Our little red book was doing all it can not to gain her attention...but then kids, if you see a little red book among a pile of old newspapers, wouldn't you notice it or not?? Precisely!
Our little red book was not too happy now...because she was discovered by mom. But not too sad either...because mom was carrying her off to another place in the house...maybe a nicer cupboard...maybe even to the showcase...maybe even the shelf in the hallway with those other BIG books. Some change will do our little red book some good...it was as good for her as flying south is for the ducks!! Just that, in this case it did not matter whether Elena flew south or north or even southwest!! Change was welcome!! :)
Mom walked past the cupboard in the hall...those gleaming encyclopedias!! Our little red book would not mind sharing a place with them. They are among the most respectable books around...what with their impressive royal blue hard covers with pictures of a thousand colours splashed all over their pages including a very impressive cover page!! They know so much too...our little red book can have wonderful conversations with them...if she gets bored with A-C and especially with "Bumble Bees", it can easily switch to M-O and chat about Ostriches from Africa! That would be a nice place to be in....but...where is mom bustling off to?
Mom...she missed the cupboard in the hall!! Oh no! She was now walking towards the attic stairs with her duster whirring away on her other hand whenever she passed any corner!! Our little red book was not too excited about the prospect of being holed up in the attic. She has heard eerie stories about the place...brrrr...chills one to the paperback even thinking about it!! Just then...TING TONG!! The doorbell...!!! For the moment, saved by the bell...phew. Mom made for the door after putting the book away on the chair in the hallway.
And guess who it was...our boy! His name is John in case you didn't know. Elena almost jumped with joy and almost shouted "Heyyyyyyyy...its been so long since I seen you!!! How are you??" But then...she did not. But really, its been quite a couple of years since she saw her boy. Our little red book...she was quite happy to see him. How much he had grown...how much!! He is almost as tall as his mom now..maybe even a shade taller. Wonderful! Lovely!
He was not alone...he was with friends. While he was passing the chair, he just happened to glance at her...and to her joy, he stopped for a moment. An almost disbelieving stare...all his friends stopped too. And he slowly inched closer to her and picker her up after many years...he opened her pages...paused for what seemed an eternity...Elena could hardly control the gush of warmth rushing through her paragraphs...and then, he ran his fingers...lovingly...through her words...it was the best our little book had felt in a very very long time!
Just then, his mom called him into the kitchen for a cup of hot chocolate. It was close to Christmas time and it was quite cold outside. He set her aside and went into the kitchen. Elena did not want to let him go...she did not want him to even turn away from her...but its ok. She has seen that look in his eyes. She knew that he will come back to her after finishing with his friends. She knew that he had not forgotten her...the look in his eyes...the shine in them as he saw her insides...she was an intuitive one our Elena. So, she just sat there, the most content book in the world.
Then she heard a rustle behind her...as sudden as that noise was, she felt herself being roughly swept off the table and thrust into someplace dark and smelly! Fear caught up with her...she could hear John somewhere closeby...but what was going on?? His voice became weaker...and weaker...and then a door slammed...she felt herself being carried away from the house...away from the only place she has ever known since she was born in the printing press...despair clouded her...agony gripped her...and away she was swept into life or maybe nothing at all...
To be contd...
posted by Maharaj @ 2:07 PM
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