While on Tumblr yesterday, I got a story idea from this:
n. the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time—filled with thousands of old books you’ll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were captured.
Imagine this for a second:
What if there was a really old bookstore that had, retained in its walls, books, furniture, etc, psychic imprints of all the events that had happened in all its history as a bookstore? And what if one of the requirements for getting a job there was that you had to be super sensitive to this kind of stuff?
Like, imagine that you’re in this bookstore and you’re a regular person. The emotions and stuff from all these past events would gravitate towards the books most like them, hanging around them and sort of sticking to them while they’re in the store. You’d see a book that looks interesting, pick it up, and then immediately get this vibe of what the book is going to be like. Which would make it super easy to tell if it’s going to be a book you’ll like.
This means that someone who works at the store would be responsible for organizing and displaying the books so that they’re near where those psychic imprints originate (which would make it easier for customers to get a clear vibe), as well as keeping the negative imprints from messing with the general atmosphere of the store.
And, in areas where a bunch of really nice, calm things happened in the past, there would be a lovely sitting area where people can just read and enjoy their new books.
Of course, this all sounds far too lovely and harmonious for a story. Which means I’ll have to answer some questions:
- What if things went haywire?
- How would that happen?
- What would that look like?
- What would have caused it?
- How do you fix it?
- What if you’re psychic and you can’t?
(This is the point where I admit that I have no idea what I meant by that last question when I wrote it down last night. Hopefully, I’ll remember soon.)
Speaking of Tumblr, get some sneak peeks into future stories by discovering all my creepy obsessions checking out my story ideas tag.
Question: Would you be interested in reading a collection of short stories including this and Green Girl? Because I’m totally up for making that happen if that’s a thing you want. I’ve already got ideas for two more stories. :)
