An Overdue Library Book That Costs A Vacation

A tiny, slimy sand flea dug its way up from the shell filled sand and crawled back under the cloud white coral before a big wave came crashing down.

I dug my feet in the warm white sand and plopped down on my frilled blue towel. A gust of wind blew sand in my face so I put on my sunglasses and pushed my blond curls out of my sky blue eyes.

My oversized black backpack that was surprisingly full, overflowed as I tried to pry my book out of the bottom of the backpack.

The cover was damaged from being under all the beach towels, sunscreen, water and drinks, and lots of snacks, but the pages smelled good as new because I hadn’t opened this book in a while.

I opened the book to my pink My Little Pony bookmark. I don’t even remember where this was from so I laughed to myself at the Rainbow Dash on the front.

It sat on my bookshelf for years, though it was still in my reading level. I wasn’t very good at reading, but it was my most fun hobby. I don’t even remember when I got the book, so I decided to start over.

I slowly opened the hardcover of the book and gasped. Apparently, this book wasn’t mine. The stamp inside the book read:

This book belongs to the riverwood library

I had always turned in a book on time, occasionally one was a day late. This one was a whole different story. It was FOUR AND A QUARTER YEARS LATE!!!

When is the seven hour flight back to Riverwood? What time does the library close? Will the fine for the book be like three trillion dollars? A million questions filled my head, as I was very overwhelmed.

I packed up all the beach stuff in my oversized backpack and ran back to my blue Toyota to get back to the fancy beach hotel.

I pulled up to the intricately carved crystal beach hotel and gave my car to the Valet.

“Is there any way I could cancel my hotel right now?” I asked the employee at the counter.

“Are you sure ma’am? Once you do this action it cannot be undone. Y’know, these rooms cost a whole lotta moolah. I suggest-”

“YES!” I barked at the man.

“Okay, I’m going to ask you to go get your stuff now so your room can be cleaned. Goodbye ma’am.”

Good riddings, I thought to myself.

I raced out the door with two suitcases and put them into my car.

For some stupid reason, my car wouldn’t start.

“Come on, come on, come on!!” I honked the horn. My car was out of gas.

“UGGHHH!” I moaned as I slammed the door on my car and went to my trunk where the bags were.

I decided to take one suitcase and run to the airport, because if I took two, I don’t think I would make it overnight. 

I started to run on the highway, something very, very illegal. I walked in the lush green bushes so nobody would see me.

Fifteen minutes felt like hours in the lush green bushes of Puerto Rico, but suddenly the airport came into view.

I started to pick up the pace to a jog, careful not to trip over my suitcase.

I ran across the big asphalt parking lot being careful not to get hit by one of the big cars that was driving around. I think I came very close to dying because of a lime green sports car that was showing off in the parking lot.

I set foot on the tiled floor of the airport and started to run all the way through the long halls.

I bumped into a man and made his briefcase fall which sent millions of pieces of paper flying over the ground. But, I didn’t have time to help him so I made a run for it.

There were so many terminals in this airport it got confusing. Left-no right. No- it’s left. UGH!

I went up the escalator and found a flight going back to Riverwood. I immediately got in the line and waited.

“Hello. How may I be of service to you today?” The friendly flight attendant asked.

“Is there any way I could get on the flight back to Riverwood?” I asked between pants.

“No, I’m afraid not.” The woman frowned. “I could get you on a flight for tomorrow.”

“No-no it’s okay. Are you sure there isn’t any way I could get on this flight?”

“No- Well unless you want to pay seven thousand dollars.”

A tiny spark of hope flared inside of me, along with a voice telling me ‘No way, Josè!’.

“I’ll take it.” I handed the woman my credit card and she gave me a ticket.

“The plane takes off in fifteen minutes.”

I nodded and to pass the time, went to Starbucks to get a coffee.

I sat in one of the blue metal chairs, and sipped my coffee with a book in my hand.

Two kids were running around and they swiftly passed me, knocking the coffee out of my hands and onto my lap.

THE BOOK WAS COVERED!

“Those little rascals BETTER pay.” I mumbled under my breath.

First class was getting on first, so I went with them and sat in a comfortable chair for a nap.

Finally, Riverwood came into view with the big city and- actually I couldn’t see the library from so high up in the air.

The plane landed with a SCREECH! and I got off the plane with my purple suitcase rolling behind me in the jetbridge.

Driving around the city was easy except for the fact that I hadn’t been to the library in years.

I pulled into a parking lot, but when my eyes caught the library, I gasped.

The Riverwood Library had been completely demolished down to the foundation. I wasted a fancy vacation for a worthless book.