By: Josh Clark.

Black lettering sprung off the pages of the books in our library. They didn’t linger as they crashed through the massive windows lining the room. Waterfalls of glass clattered to the floor as the letters zipped to the sky.

Millions of words morphed together like flocks of birds migrating south for the winter. The only difference, I didn’t think they’d return.

Piles of bare pages stared back at me.

“Why?” I asked.

I didn’t expect my grandfather to respond, but he did. “You’d get bored telling the same story day after day too. They’re ready to share a new one.”

© 2024. Josh Clark

Josh Clark is a writer, bookseller, and graphic designer. His short fiction has been published by Pikes Peak Writers, Black Hare Press, Shacklebound Books, and others.

Posted August 28, 2024.