Book Killer
Sometimes after bookbinding for a few hours at the hand-sewing table, Jillie would, after scraping her knife too roughly over the glue of an old book's spine, feel not like a resurrector of literature, as she should, but a killer. Not a calculating or skillful killer either. Just a clumsy, sleep-deprived one. One whose fingers after a few hours at work, and fewer hours of sleep, were committing involuntary manslaughter of countless innocent old books. It wasn't time to make the donuts. It was time to kill the books. Serial killing. Sitting there smelling the smoke from last night's bar in her hair. Scraping and knicking and drilling and killing.
That was the joke that kept them going and got recycled day after day.
And what if she could do it all over again?
What would she do differently?
Move to New York and try her luck there? Hey, how about becoming famous for something? Nah . . .
If she could do it all over again, what would she do differently?
Well, for one thing, she wouldn't be so cheap and pathetic as to not even buy a Walkman for God's sake. The music they played in that place sucked to hell.
That was the joke that kept them going and got recycled day after day.
And what if she could do it all over again?
What would she do differently?
Move to New York and try her luck there? Hey, how about becoming famous for something? Nah . . .
If she could do it all over again, what would she do differently?
Well, for one thing, she wouldn't be so cheap and pathetic as to not even buy a Walkman for God's sake. The music they played in that place sucked to hell.
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Author's Note
memories
Other stories by Phoebe Wilcox
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Since I have a love-hate thing with books and literature (not the best public comment a writer could make!) I can relate to Jillie in this short piece.
Good work, Phoebe.
nice to see you on fictionaut.
who else would think of book binding. Nice work Phoebe
A whole life captured in just a few lines and images. Sad music, but inspiring, too. This is what a flash piece can do when the writer knows what he or she is doing. Good work.
Wonderful opening here - "Sometimes after bookbinding for a few hours at the hand-sewing table, Jillie would, after scraping her knife too roughly over the glue of an old book's spine, feel not like a resurrector of literature, as she should, but a killer." Amazing. I like the voice throughout. Good piece.
"The music they played in that place sucked to hell."
Truth and arrow-straight never fails for a strong ending.
I've also thought I should buy a Walkman at some point, but I know that I will not. Technology has already passed me by and I waved and went back to other things very soon after.
This was good work.
I loved this, and I agree that whoever can write a phrase like "sucked to hell" and have it fit well, bravo.
I loved this, and I agree that whoever can write a phrase like "sucked to hell" and have it fit well, bravo.
Pheebs, very edgy story with a lot of truth and life to the writing
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Excellent. Love the last line.