“Good morning! Is there anything I can help you find?”
Behind me, the girls all reacted differently to be spoken to. Momo was aloof as a cat would be, Sonja was happy and excited, and Chloe was nervous and shivering. Luckily, they each managed to avoid actually showing their reactions, just standing prim, proper, and silent like regular girls.
“No, thank you. We just came to use the Wi-Fi,” I said, holding up my laptop case and charger.
She wasn’t surprised, but I could tell part of her was hoping we were actually interested in reading. We went past her and I led the girls into the maze of shelves. They were all dumbfounded by the massive number of books, unable to believe that the world contained so much information.
“Now let’s see if we can find something to interest you three.”
It had been a long time since I actually set foot in a library before this storm, let alone had to look for something, but I was able to find my way around thanks to labeled shelves. I showed the girls to books about art, nature, and other simple subjects. Luckily, this library had a large selection for elementary school readers, so there was plenty of material to keep them busy.
We finally settled at a table in the corner farthest from the librarian, I on my laptop and the girls with their books. While I was looking around on Facebook, Momo was reading a book about marine life, Sonja reading a book about dogs, and Chloe was trying to find Waldo.
About an hour after settling down, Sonja had finished her book and was now looking for another one. She was in the children’s section, unsure of what she even wanted. She was also here for another reason. Even though she was expressly forbidden, she couldn’t help but untuck her tail and let it wag freely. Whether she tucked her tail into her coat or her pants, it was always bent uncomfortably. Hidden in the bookshelves was the only safe space.
“Whoa!”
She spun around, hearing a stranger’s voice. It was a six-year-old boy, staring at her tail. She was still wearing her hat to keep her ears hidden, so she didn’t hear him approach. This was exactly what she had been warned against and she was now terrified.
“Is that real?” the boy asked.
Sonja thought back. She had been told what to say in this situation. “No… I… uh… I got it for Christmas.”
“Can I touch it?”
Sonja should have said no, but as a dog, she was a slave to her need for attention. She turned around and let the boy touch her tail, fighting with all her strength to keep from wagging it in joy.
“Sonja?” I called out to her from the end of the aisle, causing her to freeze up. “Come on, it’s time for us to head home,” I said while flashing her the evil eye.
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