Library Man | Teen Ink

Library Man

June 22, 2013
By Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light" --Dylan Thomas


I knew a man, who prowled the library halls every Sunday, at the eve at noon. He schleps along a tank full of air, as if he is dragging his ball and chain. And I can't help but notice from the safety of my corner chair, the way he growls at his daughter, when he has found a book. And she comes, swinging babies in her arms and dangling cigarettes from her mouth, trying to catch up to her father. I peer out over my books as he grasps the soft paperback in his arthritis riddled hands and shoves it towards the girl. She takes it with grudging despair and reluctance, and just when she is about to place it on the counter, in front of the check out lady, he shakes his scruffy, white-clad head and mumbles something about it not being the right one. The girl sighs, wishes the check out lady a happy Sunday, and follows behind, stepping in the shadow of her father. I long to know what their names are, the daughter who is short and stubby and never seems complete without a chuby baby hanging off her meaty arms. The old man who drags his ball and chain through the forest of books, growling like a tiger. And the baby, who screams at the top if her lungs when her mommys cigarette smokes swirls through her nose. This ragtag family entertains me far beyond the confines of my silken pages, and i yearn to know their story more than the fanciful characters draped before me. On the second Sunday of February, he was there right on time, his ball and chain moaning like a ghost as it glided down the carpeted floor. His daughter came in, cigarette lounging in her mouth, baby lounging on her arms. In her hands she clutched a pack of Marlboro, and flicked ashes about the floor. I peered over the hard cover of my book. The old man paced through the fiction section, and his tank purred alongside him. Down through the fantasy books, wrinkled hands massaging the bindings on the edges. He stalks through biographies and fables, letting his hands ripple over their leathery bodies. He grumbles at the daughter when she has fallen too far behind. His hands stopped over an old copy of Tuck Everlasting and his tounge flicked quickly over his cracked lips. "Some books are timeless" he grumbled. I looked out at him, searching the forest of rows to see who he might be talking to. His daughter and her child had long since disappated out the jangling door laden with bells, where they stood swirling in Marlboro smoke as the soft white flurries coated them. The old mans eyes flicked to mine. He repeated what he had said. I nodded slowly. His old, worn out hands picked up the book. It was old, with a brown cover and a faded picture of Tuck with his girlfriend. The two were bent over a pool of water nestled underneath a tree. "If only I hadn't aged." He sighed. The man took rumbling steps over to me, his tank full of life beside him as always. He stopped in front if my chair and stood. "Tuck was my hero, and I always wanted to end up like him. You cherish being young. It's not as fun As being old." His old, blue eyes twinkled merrily in their sunk-in sockets. I nodded as he strode away. He signaled through the window to his daughter to get the car, and she rushed out from under the red and white awning. Five minutes later and he was gone.

He died the next week, on a Sunday at noon. Apparently it was an open casket. Both my parents went, but not because they knew him, but because we all went to the same church. And while they respectfully dressed in black, not a tear was shed for this old man. "He died of old age," they said. But I knew better, though he needed a tank to breath and arthritis laced his fingers, he was young at heart. And that made him everlasting.


The author's comments:
Hi there! Dont mind the tense changing cuz that's part of it :) enjoy and please give feedback!!

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This article has 20 comments.


on Nov. 27 2013 at 10:51 pm
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light" --Dylan Thomas

Oh right sorry! Winters Song. Thats the one thats getting published

on Nov. 23 2013 at 3:47 am
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou
When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn’t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out
The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay
If love produced a blossom/I’d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I’d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven
And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

But you didn't tell me which article is getting published?! I want to go read and and re-read if I already have read it. :D Tell me!

on Nov. 21 2013 at 10:40 pm
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light" --Dylan Thomas

Where am I? Well im in New York of course. "The Greatest City In the World" (it really isnt all that but whatevs!) Thanks! 

on Nov. 21 2013 at 11:14 am
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou
When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn’t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out
The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay
If love produced a blossom/I’d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I’d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven
And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

HEY!! I didn't get an email yet. Why the heck not? Anyway,, TELL ME WHICH???? WOW CONGRATULATIONS!! I am skipping in joy :D  And Duh! Of course. I shall always enjoy reading your work. Liv. Sometimes you do say preposterous things. :P Where are you??

on Nov. 20 2013 at 6:29 pm
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light" --Dylan Thomas

DUA! Haha thanks! Did you hear?! IM BEING PUBLISHED IN THE MAGAZINE!!!! I will soon reply to your other comments cuz I have been taking a while.....school :/ Anwho, so good to hear from you and to know that you still enjoy reading my work!!! <3        ~Liv

on Nov. 19 2013 at 11:38 am
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou
When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn’t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out
The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay
If love produced a blossom/I’d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I’d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven
And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

And adding to my comment, Congratulations on the Editor's choice pal! :D :D :D YAY YAY YAY!

on Nov. 19 2013 at 11:36 am
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou
When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn’t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out
The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay
If love produced a blossom/I’d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I’d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven
And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

Okay so for the first five minutes after reading this I was like: " HANG ON! Why haven't I read this one of Liv's before?!" Seriously. That. Was. Breath. Taking. Awesome. Such. A. Wonderful.Story. To. Tell. Liv. YOUR. Words. Are. Beautiful.    P.s. I love your diction too. "lounging, swinging, dangling, hanging, wow! "  And hey, You really should have told me to read this before!

Kindle GOLD said...
on Oct. 23 2013 at 4:33 pm
Kindle GOLD, Sudbury, Other
11 articles 0 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There is no subject so old that something new cannot be said about it." -Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Forgive me my nonsense, as I also forgive the nonsense of those that think they talk sense." - Robert Frost

I wish I could write like you; this is amazing - simply breathtaking!

on Oct. 21 2013 at 1:09 am
SpidersAcrossStars PLATINUM, Hayward, California
36 articles 0 photos 160 comments

Favorite Quote:
For you, a thousand times over.

5/5 I LOVED THIS! It struck a personal note for me because I find myself writing alot about being young. But this was lyrical. Your discriptions are amazing. You have a gift of writing. I added to favorites....

Hanban12 ELITE said...
on Sep. 16 2013 at 8:37 pm
Hanban12 ELITE, Lake Worth, Florida
133 articles 7 photos 631 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them."
Henry David Thoreau

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep; slowly, and then all at once."
John Green

This is a brilliant story worthy of multiple applause. Well done; this is a very captivating, intriguing piece. The ending was the most memorable part for me. "He was young at heart. And that made him everlasting." Wonderful. Write more, my grasshopper! ;) Fame is forseeable in your future

on Sep. 15 2013 at 10:38 pm
SpringRayyn PLATINUM, Lakeville, Minnesota
34 articles 2 photos 658 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Don't punish yourself," she heard her say again, but there would be punishment and pain, and there would be happiness too. That was writing."
--Markus Zusak, "The Book Thief"

Oh my! I wasn't expecting the man to end up talking to the main character! I was just enjoying the description of the man and his family and all of a sudden BAM the guy is talking to the main character and that's when it gets more serious. I really like this piece because of that. I don't really think that the last part about the funeral was necessary; it didn't add anything to the story for me. It would have been fine to end with "Five mintues later and he was gone."

Plume BRONZE said...
on Aug. 20 2013 at 6:18 am
Plume BRONZE, Milano, Other
2 articles 0 photos 31 comments
i meant wonderful

Plume BRONZE said...
on Aug. 20 2013 at 6:16 am
Plume BRONZE, Milano, Other
2 articles 0 photos 31 comments
wow !!!!! this story really touched me ! i love every single thing about it, my favourite part was the last sentence "And that made him everlasting", i thought it was a woderful idea to compare him to his favourite hero ! well done !!! :)

on Aug. 14 2013 at 2:31 am
Z.Monika BRONZE, Dhaka, Other
2 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
“I sometimes seem to myself to wander around the world merely accumulating material for future nostalgias.”
― Vikram Seth, From Heaven Lake

Okay. The story here is very good. Very. The “Tuck Everlating” references and the themes you pretzelled from it, don’t sound wierd. They fit in. Which is very delighful to notice. What I don’t like, however, is the little typos that show in your work. They disturb the readers and you should be aware of it. For example, “And the baby, who screams at the top if her lungs”
Should be,
“And the baby, who screams at the top of her lungs” And, “i”
Should be,  “I” And,  “It's not as fun As being old."
should be “It's not as fun as being old." Etc. They are very trivial mistakes but they can irritate a lot. So I advise you go through your work once or twice after finishing.
The story, on the other hand was good. Keep it up!

Mckay ELITE said...
on Jul. 23 2013 at 5:23 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."
—Apple’s “Think Different” commercial, 1997
“Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn't understood.”
― Weihui Zhou

Sometimes, I do have a feeling something might receive an Editors' Chioce. But I've been wrong sometimes. Sometimes good wrong. And sometimes bad wrong. And of course we can share them. Just as long as we keep getting them. 

on Jul. 6 2013 at 5:05 am
thatunknownthing DIAMOND, Dubai, Other
67 articles 0 photos 208 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift; that's why they call it the present"

What a FANTASTIC work, with such a great narration! The last line is impossibly cool and the lines "cigarette lounging...baby lounging in her arms", " ball and chian moaning like a ghost", "rag-tag family....silken pages" and a zillion others I could point out, are extremely original and breath-taking. You deserve the editor's choice! Keep writing!!

on Jun. 28 2013 at 9:17 pm
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light" --Dylan Thomas

Haha thanks for bribing! ;) just kidding! This may sound totally cocky and overly confident and a little braggy, but when writing this i was like, i know that this is going to win an editors choice, and look what happened! Does that ever happen to you? It seems that my luck checks in right at the points of my despair that the editors don't like my work! Anyway. Thanks again and thanks for saving some nice little red checks for me :) if i keep writing fiction, since it seems to be my calling, maybe we can learn to share those little red checks, though maybe that's just wishful thinking in my part. Thanks again McKay :)

Mckay ELITE said...
on Jun. 28 2013 at 4:26 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."
—Apple’s “Think Different” commercial, 1997
“Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn't understood.”
― Weihui Zhou

BOOM! Wow, this is incredible. I can't believe I might say this...but I might love it more than A Tragic Story, not that the latter story wasn't good. I dunno but this just struck the few rusty chords of my usually non-existent heart, as one of my brothers says. First, to get away from this critique. There were a few typos, but hey it sure didn't dissuade the editors of this fabulous website and magazine from awarding you with a highly coveted Editors' Chioce. CONGRATULATIONS!! See, I did save one for you. JK. Or maybe I bribed the editors? JK. No, this story was just powerful. My favorite thing about it is your descriptions. I'm a lover of details. I hate novels or stories that lack descriptions. Yours were poetic and imaginative. Also that last line is were the BOOM! comes in. It's that last bitter-sweet touch the story needs. I enjoyed reading this. Congrats and well done, Liv. 

on Jun. 25 2013 at 10:50 pm
LexusMarie PLATINUM, Las Cruces, New Mexico
27 articles 0 photos 423 comments

Favorite Quote:
The more control you have over yourself, the less control others have over you.

Guess who? :) Oh, Liv, this is fantastic! Really! Bravo to you! It was really original and I never felt bored with the story. I could picture it all in my head. It reminded me of an old town with an old library that people took advantage of having. The feel to it was very interesting. I liked the old man's personality, very typical for how people like to describe almost every old person, but there was something to the man that made it different! And I really enjoyed the change in the man as he was talking to the person reading. It was almost like watching him chnage as he aged, but reverse. Appearance wise once he was young and wonderful and then he became old and sad. And tone wise he was sad and then it turned wonderful. You see, it reverses. How interesting. I also enjoyed the metaphors of animals! The ending was bitter-sweet. Great job! Congratulations on the check! Love, Lexy-lo.

on Jun. 25 2013 at 5:28 pm
dbk1098 PLATINUM, Rockville, Maryland
20 articles 0 photos 40 comments
This is amazing!!! I love the idea!!!