A visit to the bookstore
It is almost 6:30pm in the evening. Hundreds of books are neatly piled arranged on the wooden shelves around me. There are books of every genre, colour and size at the Crosswords Bookstore. A young boy about nine years old is sitting a few feet away from me and is flipping pages through a thick mystery book. On the right side there are a bunch of teenage girls talking and taking selfies with their phones. They all have large smiles plastered on their faces. Their laughter echo’s through the bookshop.
Children are walking by the shelves wondering what books to choose. Ahead on the corner, there is a large dark green Christmas tree filled with colourful ornaments. I can feel the Christmas spirit in the air. Everyone seems to be in a cheerful and merry mood. A small girl who is wearing a plum purple shirt is chasing a boy her age in circles. They are making fun and betting on who will win their game.
A sales girl is arranging the Harry Potter Series while attending to an extremely tall man. On the left side corner there is a girl who is older than me. She seems to be in her own little world. She’s staring at the ceiling while tapping her pen lightly on the floor. Far ahead near the children’s bookshelf a mother is reading a book out loud to her children, a son and daughter. The daughter seems to be enjoying the book whereas the son seems distracted and disinterested.
A teenage boy is sitting down with his literature books sprawled on the deep maroon rug. He is frantically trying to complete his homework while looking through his books for his answers. The atmosphere is somewhat calm and filled with laughter.
Everyone is in their small world and seems content. There also seems to be a thirst for knowledge in the air. At last before its time to leave I see a man carrying dozens of books in his hands. His son seems to be trying to help but all the books fall on the floor. They both laugh and snort at their silliness!
Contributor: Kavya Mehta
About our Writing Program Student
Kavya Mehta is a 13-year-old girl 7th grader from Mumbai who loves reading, writing stories and listening to music. She also loves learning new languages and knowing about the countries of the world. Kavya takes a keen interest in reading about mental health, she plays the violin and enjoys spending time with cats and dogs!
