Saturday Snippet: Black and White Pages
1:00 AM
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“I don’t
understand how you can read all the time. The pages are flat, lifeless, and in
black and white. Life, real life outside of the pages of a book, has color and
shape that no page ever captured.”
“They are
only flat and lifeless because you want them to be,” Fredrick said, running his
hands over the cover of the book he held. “Pride
and Prejudice is hardly a lifeless story. I read it myself.” He cleared his
throat. “Don’t tell my brother. John says it’s a feminine book, and hated it
when your sister made him read part of it.”
“I don’t
make books lifeless,” Emmeline protested, snatching her book away from him and
letting it fall open on her lap. “Look, it’s flat, no color, no people that
stand up and are real. I would much rather just sit at the diner at the corner
of Main Street and watch people go walk about. Observing people or talking with
friends is much more interesting than reading black words on white paper.”
“You’re the one making it so,” Fredrick
repeated. “You’ve so much imagination when it comes to parties and matchmaking.
Put that same effort into your books and you’ll see them for what they were
meant to be. The black and white words will quickly change to living people and
events that will sweep you away in their tide. Perhaps you ought to try
something modern.”
Emmeline
gave an impatient sigh. “Please, do not recommend Magnificent Obsession again. It didn’t take me but five pages to
find vulgar speech and a confusing number of people trying to speak all at
once.”
“I was
actually going to suggest that author your mother loved so much. Remember that
book that you read while you were sick? The
Obsession of Victorian?”
“It was The Obsession of Victorian Gracen by
Grace Livingston Hill, and it was good, but I’m just not into reading. Wouldn’t
you rather play a game?”
He smiled
and stood. “I’ll get the checkerboard.”
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