"Why did you choose to be a retriever?" Lahn asked through my headset. "Your records don't indicate any interest towards historical preservation."
First excavation together and he was already asking me personal questions. I pressed a button on my headset to reply, "Oh you know, the usual. Steady pay, interplanetary traveling, and great benefits." I continued browsing through the aisle for the last book on my list. "How many books do you have left?"
"One on this floor and one on yours. You?"
I hesitated before I said, "Two more for me."
My footsteps echoed throughout the desolate atrium of the Central Public Library of Seattle as I rushed over to the next aisle. Out of all the libraries I've been in, I found this one the most relaxing. The sturdy mesh-like wall of metal and glass with the beams of sunlight illuminating the interior made the library feel more like a sanctuary that protected its patrons from the clamor of a previously bustling world.
Once we were all settled in on our new home world, a lot of people were worried that our history on Earth was eventually going to be forgotten. In response, our government started a project in recovering vital books from Earth. Vital books limited to science, mathematics, and history. Specially certified individuals, retrievers, were each assigned a library to excavate. Once a month we went with an empty ship and expected to come back filled to the windshield with books. I finally found the last book on my list and put it in my pack. This would be our last haul before going back home.
I saved this one for last since it was right next to the section marked "Fiction". I hurried over to the closest aisle for fiction. My hands started to dampen with sweat. I didn't want to get caught but I wasn't going to return home empty handed.
Fiction was never on our list. Same with comic books, maps, and music. Due to the monumental cost of this project, the government considered books like fiction not worth recovering. They were all about maximizing efficiency, hence having only two people to a library in order to provide more room on the ship. Punishment for taking a book for yourself not only meant immediate termination of your job but incarceration as well.
I didn't have time to read through the blurb of every book there so I had to rely on the picture of the covers. I settled for one with an armored woman brandishing a sword at a menacing fire-breathing dragon. Just before I was able to tuck it under my shirt, a voice came from behind me, "Utilizing part of your benefits, I see."
My head swung around to find Lahn standing at the end of the aisle. A cold tingling sensation engulfed my body as the blood drained from my face.
"Lahn, I-"
"Fiction, huh?" He gestured to the book in my still clenched hand. "You don't strike me as an avid reader type. You looking to sell that?"
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. Being caught in the act, I hoped honesty would sway Lahn to simply tell me to put the book back. "No no. It's for my little sister. She..." I recollected my composure, "...she really likes stories of women fighting dragons for some reason. They usually help her sleep."
"So you're risking incarceration for a bedtime story?"
"Yes," I admitted. "For my sister, this story is far more valuable than any of these government issued books. Our mother was amazing at telling stories. My sister's day wasn't complete without one. After our mom died, my sister...well...its been really hard on her." I looked down at the book in my hand. "I'm terrible at telling stories but I knew where I could get plenty of good ones."
Lahn gave me a look I had difficulty reading. "I guess there's only one thing to do." He reached into his pack and, to my surprise, pulled out a book with musical notes on its cover. Sheet music. I looked back at Lahn's face to find a smirk across it. First excavation together and it already looked like we were going to get along just fine.
First excavation together and he was already asking me personal questions. I pressed a button on my headset to reply, "Oh you know, the usual. Steady pay, interplanetary traveling, and great benefits." I continued browsing through the aisle for the last book on my list. "How many books do you have left?"
"One on this floor and one on yours. You?"
I hesitated before I said, "Two more for me."
My footsteps echoed throughout the desolate atrium of the Central Public Library of Seattle as I rushed over to the next aisle. Out of all the libraries I've been in, I found this one the most relaxing. The sturdy mesh-like wall of metal and glass with the beams of sunlight illuminating the interior made the library feel more like a sanctuary that protected its patrons from the clamor of a previously bustling world.
Once we were all settled in on our new home world, a lot of people were worried that our history on Earth was eventually going to be forgotten. In response, our government started a project in recovering vital books from Earth. Vital books limited to science, mathematics, and history. Specially certified individuals, retrievers, were each assigned a library to excavate. Once a month we went with an empty ship and expected to come back filled to the windshield with books. I finally found the last book on my list and put it in my pack. This would be our last haul before going back home.
I saved this one for last since it was right next to the section marked "Fiction". I hurried over to the closest aisle for fiction. My hands started to dampen with sweat. I didn't want to get caught but I wasn't going to return home empty handed.
Fiction was never on our list. Same with comic books, maps, and music. Due to the monumental cost of this project, the government considered books like fiction not worth recovering. They were all about maximizing efficiency, hence having only two people to a library in order to provide more room on the ship. Punishment for taking a book for yourself not only meant immediate termination of your job but incarceration as well.
I didn't have time to read through the blurb of every book there so I had to rely on the picture of the covers. I settled for one with an armored woman brandishing a sword at a menacing fire-breathing dragon. Just before I was able to tuck it under my shirt, a voice came from behind me, "Utilizing part of your benefits, I see."
My head swung around to find Lahn standing at the end of the aisle. A cold tingling sensation engulfed my body as the blood drained from my face.
"Lahn, I-"
"Fiction, huh?" He gestured to the book in my still clenched hand. "You don't strike me as an avid reader type. You looking to sell that?"
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. Being caught in the act, I hoped honesty would sway Lahn to simply tell me to put the book back. "No no. It's for my little sister. She..." I recollected my composure, "...she really likes stories of women fighting dragons for some reason. They usually help her sleep."
"So you're risking incarceration for a bedtime story?"
"Yes," I admitted. "For my sister, this story is far more valuable than any of these government issued books. Our mother was amazing at telling stories. My sister's day wasn't complete without one. After our mom died, my sister...well...its been really hard on her." I looked down at the book in my hand. "I'm terrible at telling stories but I knew where I could get plenty of good ones."
Lahn gave me a look I had difficulty reading. "I guess there's only one thing to do." He reached into his pack and, to my surprise, pulled out a book with musical notes on its cover. Sheet music. I looked back at Lahn's face to find a smirk across it. First excavation together and it already looked like we were going to get along just fine.
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