Amanda loved homework. It's all she thought about. She obsessed over it. She had posters of homework on her bedroom walls. She did homework in her sleep. She ate, drank, breathed homework. Homework was her life.
Amanda spent every second at school daydreaming about all the homework she could be doing when she got home.
Every evening, Amanda's mother had to pull her away from her desk to get her outside to play. It was no use. Amanda tried everything: sports, video games, texting a boy in her class, etc. but sadly nothing compared to her love of homework.
Amanda couldn't stay away. She started with her math book. Most other kids dreaded math. Amanda made up her own lesson plans and rigorously adhered to them.
Other girls liked horses, or basketball, or going to the ren faire and getting a big slab of mutton on a stick. Not Amanda, however, Amanda loved homework.
"Oh, homework," Amanda sighed, "I wish I had more of you. Why do teachers always go so easy on us?"
One day, Amanda asked her math teacher, Ms. Hoss, a question: "Teacher?" Amanda asked.
"Yes, Amanda," replied Ms. Hoss.
"Why don't you give us more homework? I mean, I've heard other kids complain about homework. I think we could all use a little more."
"Well, Amanda. If you need something to do you could always read a book."
"But Ms. Hoss, I've tried books and it seems to me that unless they're assigned for homework.."
Ms. Hoss stopped her, "Let me guess, you don't want to read them unless they are assigned."
"Why...yes."
"Ok, Amanda. I hereby assign you to read every single book in the library."
"Oh, Ms. Hoss!" Amanda screamed in delight, "I will! I will! I will!" Amanda gave Ms. Hoss a big hug and skipped joyfully off to the library.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yes, hello. I'm Amanda and I've been assigned to read every book in this library by my teacher, Ms. Hoss. Perhaps you've heard of her?"
"Yes...I'm familiar with Ms. Hoss," said the librarian, "every book in the library...well you can start with this one." The librarian's hand hovered over the shelf. She grabbed a book. It was entitled, "The Trouble with Being Born" by Romanian philosopher and essayist, Emil Cioran.
"Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" said Amanda, "May I lock myself in the library all night reading?"
The librarian sighed. "I guess."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The librarian went home.
The librarian made a stew.
The librarian thought about her adult son.
She slept.
The librarian woke up.
The librarian scraped ice off her windshield.
She went to work.
She unlocked the library door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ah, Amanda," said the librarian, "How was last night?"
Amanda quivered. "I read...I read every book." She held up the book the librarian gave her yesterday. Amanda gathered herself. "I have always lived with the awareness of the impossibility of living," said Amanda. "And what has made my life endurable is the curiosity as to how I would get from one minute, one day, one year to the next."
"uh, ok..."
"For me, the stepping stones, the glue holding my world together...was homework." Amanda took a breath. "Now, I realize that life has no intrinsic meaning or value. A single human, such as myself or even the entire human species as a whole is resolutely insignificant. Without purpose, I am nothing. A speck. An ant. My work as a pursuant of homework is entirely...trivial."
Amanda began to sob. The librarian rushed over to Amanda's side. The librarian rubbed her back.
"Amanda," said the librarian. "When you read all these books last night did you happen to read Animorphs Book #31?"
"Why...yes," Amanda replied.
"And Amanda, do you remember when Jake's father was at risk of being infested?"
"Yes, Jake panicked. He freaked out."
"Yes, Jake in his panic, expected Marco to lecture him on the importance of staying clearheaded and rational, instead of doing something stupid and reckless. Do you remember what Marco told Jake?"
"Uh, yes. He said. 'You're not alone, man. You're not alone.'"
"Exactly! Exactly, Amanda! See, we're all going through this dark, confusing world together. We need each other. Every librarian needs a reader. Every reader needs a librarian. No matter how grim the world gets, no matter how meaningless it may be in the end, we can't go it alone."
"I see," said Amanda. She wiped her eyes.
"This knowledge that surrounds us," the librarian motioned to the shelves. "All of it. All of the knowledge in the entire world is useless, unless you share it with someone."
"Ms. Librarian."
"Yes, Amanda."
"I don't think I like homework as much now."
"That's probably fine."
THE END
No comments:
Post a Comment