|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:10 pm
It's been so long since he had entered a library. The last time he went, he went with his brother in order to spy on a Catalan girl who had been studying at their school for a while (his brother Alberto Jr. couldn't believe how 'unique' the girl looked.) Johannes remembers the fact that he felt strange spying on the innocent girl and decided to read to make it look like he wasn't in on the plan.
"No matter what, I will never read La Celestina again." "Santo, I think it was much better to have spent my time actually spying on her rather than reading that." "Why did I even pick that book in the first place?"
The library was impressive -- Johannes had only seen very few books in languages other Spanish (they were either in German, French or in the 'sub-languages' that existed in Spain -- Basque, Galician and Catalan.) But as could have been expected, LOTUS' library had books in what looked like every language existent in the world.
And of course, it seemed that maintaning a library at a somewhat colder temperature than usual is normal even in secret organizations. Still, Johannes didn't mind. Also, he forgot his jacket.
"Why did I leave my jacket?" " Well, I'm not going back to look for it." "A lot of time it took me to get here, which I hope was worth it because I really need something new to read."
What would he find to read?, he wondered. Maybe an adventure story set in historical times, or at sea. Perhaps a myth or legend. Johannes pondered some more on what to read while he perused the bookshelves, which were somewhat dusty and even fragile at times.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:14 pm
Abel set aside the thick leather bound book. It was a dictionary. The same one he had been reading hours ago. Now that he was done learning vocabulary for today he was going to switch to grammar. Rubbing his eyes he let out a small yawn. The room was a little chilly but reading made anyone sleepy. Even in a cold room like this. Picking up a slimmer book he traced the silver engravings with his finger. It was the same copy General Lahorie had used when he had attempted to teach Abel English. Though his copy showed signs of tear and wearing from hard use.
This one was new. The pages were crisp and carried the distinctive smell of a new book. This library was full of new books. It lacked the nostalgic feel of most typical libraries but that was fine... it was aesthetic to the eyes. Large towering shelves that required ladders to reach the top shelf. He had read of libraries like those but never seen them. Now that he was in one he was amazed and slightly disappointed at the same time.
Too many expectations. Sighing the male brushing his ashe bangs out from his eyes and returned to the volume in his lap. He had only flipped open the cover when he heard another voice inside the library. Male no doubt, and as usual he was unable to understand what they were saying.
However he did manage to pick up a few words. La Celestina was one of them, Santo, spying, and book. Of those he knew only La Celestina. A book he had read when he was a child. It was a dreadful book, one he had tried very had to forget about without avail.
Leaning his back against the book case he watched as a male walked past his aisle. Good, they wouldn't be bothering him. Yet for some reason his hand traveling his the pocket of his jacket to search for the small sketchbook that he used to 'speak' with. It was an item of comfort to him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 3:26 pm
((I'm going to assume some stuff here, so feel free to come down on me sweatdrop ))
"Gulliver's Travels...Wells...Paine...Cervantes (ehhh, no)....Camus....Freud (Freud?!)...Nabokov...Kafka...hmmm."
Walking through the aisles, Johannes was amazed at the fact that there seemed to be different types of novels, even from authors he never heard before. There were also plenty of other types of books besides than novels of course, but Johannes was looking to read for entertainment.
"Hmm, I think I will take this one, and this one for later." The books he had chosen? Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest -- the latter being chosen because Johannes wanted to know just who the author was referring to as the 'one' in the title.
Walking past various aisles, he noticed a young man sitting down against the book case. He had seen the man earlier but decided to leave him alone. Still, Johannes couldn't help but ask:
"Excuse me for interrupting, but aren't you a bit uncomfortable there?" "I'm sure a chair would suit better..." "You can read more carefully, I'm sure" exclaimed Johannes with a smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:37 am
Abel let out a soft inaudible sigh as the male spoke to him. Jesus. Do the people here not know how to leave people alone? What if he wanted to sit like this? Shoving the irritation off his face he looked at the male and contemplated how to reply to the man.
He didn't have his sketchbook or a pencil with him at current. A preemptive measure to keep himself from becoming distracted during his study time. Yet for some reason it didn't seem to be working. Here he was sitting and doing everything but studying right now at current.
How to tell him he didn't speak? Placing his fingers on his lips, moved his hand forward and made a gesture that was supposed to be similar to that of words leaving someone's mouth. He couldn't help but feel that he looked ridiculous, yet it was start. Now for the I don't speak part... ah of course. making the gesture for speaking once more he finished it off by waving his hand from side to side. Maybe he would understand maybe not.
His motions were a bit more vague than usual.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:05 pm
"...you're not hungry?..."
Yep. That's what Johannes said and thought once he saw the young man make the strange gesture with his fingers. He couldn't think of anything else at that moment.
"Um...look, if you don't want to move, that's fine." He smiled: "Do you mind if I sit here next to you?", said Johannes as he pointed next to the man. "You look somehow lonely there, that's why I suggested the chair...the chairs are at the table and since I was going to read there for a while, I thought you'd like some company"
"Then again, that seems selfish of me, I don't even know you" said Johannes as he scratched his head and shrugged timidly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:23 pm
The fact that the young man had spoken again made it as clear as daylight that the boy did not understand. He didn’t blame him. His motions had been EXCESSIVELY vague. Abel couldn’t understand what the boy said but he heard ‘sit, here, next, and you.’ Sit was to well… sit, doing what he was doing right now on the library floor, here usually denoted a place and the two last words, next and you had given the sentence away. The boy wanted to sit by him. Abel wanted to scream no but restrained himself. He smiled and nodded patting the ground beside him.
Just when Abel thought the boy had finished talking, he rambled off again. He managed to catch a few more words but they weren’t ones he could to comprehend what the boy had said. ‘Lonely, I, chair, table, read, and company.’ The cluster of words could have combined in various ways to form all sorts of sentences. For all Abel knew he could have been saying “I don’t want to sit by the chair and table because I don’t like to be lonely and instead prefer company.” Or “I think you look lonely so instead of sitting in the chair by the table I’ll sit by you and give you company.” The possibilities were endless. Unsure of what to do the male merely patted the ground beside him. To hell if he looked like a retard, he would do anything right about now to get the boy to stop speaking English.
Looking back down at the slim volume he began working on his grammar. So far the first paragraph had proven to be useful, written completely in French with sparse English here and there. Nouns, pronouns, etc. He knew those already.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 1:38 pm
Johannes could only chuckled sheepishly. The man seemed more interesting in reading his book or, he was timid. Or both. He wasn't sure by this point. All Johannes knew was that the young man didn't seem to mind Johannes sitting down next to him.
So, he sat down and proceeded --while getting comfy-- to begin reading the books he had picked out. He decided to read Kesey first, since he couldn't wait to see who was the 'one' that the title referred to. But before that, he couldn't help but wonder what the other was reading. Johannes wasn't going to obviously pounce and breathe down on the man's neck trying to figure out, so he opted to instead try and squint his eyes as to see better from his position, and not moving much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:55 am
This one was irritating. While Abel’s eyes stayed on the book he could feel the gaze of the other. Either that or he was simply being paranoid. He hoped that it wasn’t the latter. Reaching up with a slender pale hand, the male brushed aside his ash colored bangs. They were getting long. He would have to cut them soon. Speaking of which, maybe he would go ahead and cut all of it off. Winter would be over in a few more weeks and with that the approach of hot weather. Long hair, even when tied, was always a bother in hot weather. Something he had learned the hard way during his commission in the army.
Flipping the page to his book, Abel let out sigh. He could do self study all he wanted but it was obvious that he wasn’t going to get very far unless he had some help. Which was something he really didn’t want right now, there weren’t very many people he knew.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:06 pm
Well, he couldn't see anything and his eyes were beginning to hurt, so Johannes decided to keep reading his book. It started very strangely and was making no sense. Why are these people committing very secret acts, who is this Bromden? Where is this place where people can't seem to speak properly and being half-Indian helps? A slight headache that had formed thanks to squinting eyes was now becoming a normal headache and seemed to become worse along the way. He was understanding the part about a nurse, but even then the narration was too jumbled for Johannes. English words he'd never heard of...ay ay ay. Johannes had to rub his temples and forehead to see if the pain would subside a bit.
He noticed that the young man had let out a sigh. He asked while turning to look at him -- "you don't seem like you're enjoying that book."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
