Flash Fiction #1

My eyes filled with tears as I wondered invisibly through the mountains and piles of unread books deep in the bowels of Amazon. I had always wondered where they were sent when no one chose to open up the wonders they contained inside. Luckily, the writers of these books weren’t writers just to gain a following or they would have given up long ago. I rounded a corner and was startled to see my own novel atop a pile labelled “somewhat read.” Picking up the book, I smiled. It had been a labor of pure love and wherever it ended up, I was glad I had done it. That’s not to say it wasn’t a little bitter sweet to find it here in this dark place, but it still gave me a confidence boost every time I looked at it.

Just as I set it back in the pile, a light began to shine around it and it disappeared. Seconds later, it appeared in a pile further down the row. I sprinted down the aisle after it and came to a stop, squinting at the label on this pile, “slightly more read.” My heart leapt and the book let off a final wink before going dark again. Someone must have read it! My heart leapt with joy and I wondered who they were. Was it making a difference in their day, having read the words I painstakingly thrust from my brain and heart so many months ago? 

It was time to leave this place. I picked up several books I’d thought looked interesting and shut my eyes. When I was back at home, curled on my couch, I cracked open one of my new books and wondered if it, too, would change piles. It was worth a shot.