[Violate, Legal, Combatively, Graceful, Beautiful]

  I came down the stairs into the bookstore, bleary eyed, I’d been up most of the night. I had only one more chapter to read and I was determined, as determined as Gandalf. Thou shalt not pass. Nothing was going to stop me finishing this perfect book this morning. I think I might have slept for about two hours. But Lucy had proven herself more than capable. When it came to handling the customers, the phones and the video connection to ‘The Rabbit Hole’ what a great name for their bookstore. I’ll have to ask Willow next time I speak to her, who had come up with the name. Was it inspired by Alice in Wonderland or White Rabbit, one of the highlights of the Woodstock music festival. Which itself was inspired by Alice, so it might be a circular reference.

  Lucy was coming in the front door as I hit the bottom step. She had a frown on her face. Which was unusual for her.

  “We have a problem out front, Laura. She’s back.”

  No, no, no, damnit, I just want an hour's peace, just one hour's peace.

  “Who’s back?”

  “The church lady, and she brought friends.”

  I looked out the front window, true to her word. She was back and apparently going to protest the store. At first I was irked, but then it hit me this just might be a good thing. They protest, no one comes in. I get to finish the Fellowship of the Ring, win, win. They get tired if I don’t engage and they go home. No harm no foul.

  “That’s okay, Lucy, they’ll get tired and go away soon, if we don’t engage them.”

  “You just want to read and don’t want to deal with them, right.”

  Why the hell is my intern so bright? But I won’t admit it.

  “There are two ways to deal with people like that, confront them, which is exactly what they want or ignore them, as the insignificant irritants that they are. As long as they don’t interfere with me finishing the Fellowship, I’ll let them march. But observe closely the footwear of the christian mob, out front. What do you see?”

  “I see a lot of stylish heels and one pair of running shoes.”

  “Exactly, only one of those women has even an ounce of common sense. So let them march until their feet are as sore as their heads. In the meantime, I’ll be in the reading nook. Call me if the wild women set fire to the building.”

  “How much have you got left?”

  “Final chapter, it’s a heart breaking one too but, not so bad as the end of Moria. I was devastated after reading that chapter the very first time. Still my favorite male character of all time dies there.”

  “But he comes back, better, stronger.”

  “Stronger, yes, better no I don’t think so. He lost at least some of his humanity, for a powerup. Yes the story needed him to get stronger and Strider to turn from Ranger to King but there is a loss at least for me. But every writer knows, their editors drill it into their heads that characters have to grow to change that’s the whole point of the story. But the older I get, the more I read, the less I want that. Sure I want conflict and some change. Small improvements in the main character's life. I don’t want the main character, stripped bare and tortured throughout the story, to entertain the reader. I want the main character to solve a puzzle and get on with their old life. When you are young, I think you want to see life changing stuff. When you get old like me, I’d prefer to see the main character, get an extra cruller for solving a mystery or a puzzle. That’s why cozy fantasy and cozy mysteries are becoming more and more my favorite genres. Plus they are puzzles and usually are filled with libraries, librarians, bookstores, tea and cats.”

  “Why don’t we get a cat?”

  “Lucy, we can’t get a cat, a cat has to get us. They have to wander in, beaten by the world, weary and just want three square meals a day, and eighteen hours to nap in front of a blazing fire, while the heroine runs the bookstore, so the old owner can finish her favorite book.”

  “Wait, I’m the heroine?”

  “Yes, of course you are. Who else could it be? We are all just the minor characters of your story.”

  An hour later, it came to an end. It reminds me of Thoreau, the poor man who struggled under the burden of carrying all his possessions on his back, and feeling sorry for him, because he had such a weight to carry. It’d be better to get rid of some of that stuff along the way.

  Then shouldering their burdens,they set off, seeking a path

  that would bring them over the grey hills of the Emyn Muil,

  and down into the Land of Shadow.

  Now it doesn’t matter if my eidetic memory comes back or it doesn’t. Harry had given me the greatest of gifts, while doing something horrible. Next book up, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. then Walden. I was staring out at Mirror Lake, content and happy. Of course that means that something bad is just bound to happen.

  “Laura, you better come and look.”

  I told you, no rest for the wicked. Whatever it is, if Frodo was brave enough to try and face shadow alone. I was brave enough to see what the trouble was, that’s what reading does for you. It inspires you. If a small and simple hobbit can walk bravely to his doom, then so can I, too.

  “What’s the matter, Lucy?”

  “The TV news just got here.”

  “Wonderful, it’s time we got rid of our protestors. I finished the book and feel like I could take on Mordor all by myself. But I have to go up and get my coat and laptop. I’ll go armed into this battle. Could you please empty one of the book carts please.”

  “Sure, but if you plan on ramming them with the cart, it’d do more damage if it was full of books.”

  “There will be no ramming, no violence of any kind. Haven’t you read the Foundation?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, we’ll talk about it later. Just ponder this quote from the book "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."

  I went up and got the laptop and my fuzzy coat, my armor against the world. By the time that I had returned to the store, Lucy had a cart cleared and had helpfully wheeled it over to the door.

  “Can I go with you, Laura?”

  “You may, but consider this, what exactly will happen if your father or a member of his congregation see you standing against a mob of christian zealots. How that might affect your future employment at the bookstore. You fought with the harridan yesterday, let me slay the dragon today, metaphorically speaking. While you remain safely in the castle answering the phones.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t think about what my father might have to say. Okay but just wave your arm if you need help and I’ll come running.”

  “Thanks Lucy, if you please hold open the door for me.”

  I rolled the cart through the door and up the driveway toward the sidewalks where the church ladies pumped their signs up and down. While chanting “How Great is Our God”. A few were primping their hair, getting ready no doubt for their television debut. The TV reporter had on higher heels than any of the zealots. But I doubt she had any plans on grabbing a sign and joining the march. The cop car pulled up just as I was almost to the end of the driveway.

  I was pleased to see that it was Sammy, Amy’s buddy from yesterday. The reporter was interviewing the large well dressed fanatic from yesterday.

  “May I call you Karen?”

  “Yes of course Donna.”

  “What exactly is the protest about, Karen?”

  “I went into this store yesterday, and attempted to purchase a bible. I was thrown out of the store by that woman.” She pointed at me, and the camera swung my way. I waved to the camera, trying to look as grandmotherly as possible. She continued, “As I was driving home, Jesus spoke to me and said Karen, you have to go back to that store. You need to set that woman on a path to salvation. So I said yes Jesus, whatever you say.”

  “What happened when you returned, Karen?”

  “I was physically attacked by her store’s clerk, a brazen little hussy. Then the police arrived and refused to arrest the clerk. So last night at our prayer meeting we decided to let the community know the truth about this store and its owner.”

  “That must have been scary for you Karen”

  “It was Donna, I was just terrified.”

  I wanted to clap, that was quite the performance. Instead I just grinned.

  Then the camera swung my way, and Donna walked over with the microphone. I lost the grin and tried to look serious again.

  “Hi, I’m Donna Michaels with WPLT news, are you the owner?”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  I tried to make my voice as frail as possible. Now to butter up the host.

  “Yes, I am Donna and no need to introduce yourself, my friends and I watch you every night on the news, we just love you. I’m Laura by the way and this is my store ‘Genres’ that’s all we stock, genre fiction.”

  “Why thank you very much, Laura. Would you like to respond to the allegations made by Karen, first that your store discriminates against christians, secondly that you threw her out of your store and thirdly that your clerk physically attacked her.”

  “Yes, Donna, thank you very much, I really would like to respond. First I’d like to say that our store has been in business for fifty years, I worked here when I was a little girl. We do good business with the local community, as the community is seventy percent christian we wouldn’t have lasted a year if we discriminated against them. In the fifty years that I’ve worked at the store I’ve never asked a customer to leave before. She wouldn’t stop shouting so as not to disturb the other customers. I asked her not to shout. But she just kept yelling, so I asked her to leave and she refused so I told my clerk to call the police. That’s when Karen left.”

  “What about the allegations that your clerk physically assaulted this woman.”

  “She’s lying. I’m surprised, because I was always taught that it was a sin to lie. You wouldn’t expect an upright christian woman to do it, but she is.”

  “I AM NOT, THAT WOMAN WASN’T EVEN HERE, THERE IS NO WAY THAT SHE KNOWS THAT HER CLERK ISN’T THE ONE THAT IS LYING.”

  “Laura, is it true that you weren’t here for the alleged assault?”

  “NOTHING ALLEGED ABOUT IT, IT HAPPENED.”

  “Yes, Donna, it’s true. I had to go to the post office to mail out books for our sister store in Woodstock. “The Rabbit Hole” that’s the name of their store. When I got back, I found a few police vehicles here on the premises and just chaos inside. I was worried that my clerk had been injured but she was just scared. She’s young, so she’ll get over the fright. But that Karen, she lied. She falsely accused my clerk of putting her hands on her. But my girl never went from behind the counter, not until the police arrived and she felt safe again."

  “Laura, it’s admirable that you’d believe your employee, but you can’t know for sure who is lying here.”

  “Donna, look at the size of that woman.” I paused so that the camera could swing onto the large well dressed woman. I walked over to stand beside her. I held my arm to my shoulder and said, “My girl, is only sixteen, and I don’t want her on TV but she comes up to about my shoulder and she doesn’t have an extra pound on her, you are welcome to come into the store to confirm that, if you’d like Donna. Also Donna this whole thing started off when Karen, came into the store and wanted to buy a bible. Well we are a fiction only bookstore, so my clerk offered to have the bible dropped shipped to her home, at cost, we weren’t going to make a penny, as a matter of fact if Karen had simply agreed to that she’d probably be home right now, reading her bible. I refuse to make a penny on any holy text, books like those should be given away. But of course we’d be out of business if we did that, that’s why we sell them at cost.”

  I saw Anais in the crowd that had gathered, grinning.

  “Still Laura, you can’t know that Karen is lying or that your clerk is telling the truth.”

  “Yes Donna, I can, I surely can, because the good lord was smiling down on us. When Karen came back into the store screaming demanding to see me, she threatened Lucy, saying she would squash her like a bug. Lucy was scared to death, tried to tell Karen I was at the Post Office, meanwhile my clerk called the police and asked for help. Just a few minutes later, this fine officer arrived.” I pointed at Sammy, paused for the camera pan. “But you see my clerk.” The camera panned back to me. “She was on a video call to our sister store. The owner down in Woodstock, heard the whole exchange, but she is really really smart. She hit the record button, just before Karen Karen threatened to squash my girl. Officer if you and Donna would like to review the footage, I believe that Karen falsely reported an incident, that’s illegal and a down right unchristianly thing to do.”

  Sammy and Donna watched the footage.

  “Laura, can I have a copy of that footage for the news?”

  “Donna, I don’t want Lucy’s face all over TV or the internet, she is underage.”

  “Laura, we’ll blur her face, I promise.”

  Anais swiftly strided to my side, and whispered in my ear.

  “Certainly Donna, but we want it in writing.”

  “Laura, we’ll need to take your laptop in for evidence.”

  “The file is not on my laptop, officer, it’s in Dropbox, if you give me your email, I’ll send you a link. Or I can text it to you.”

  I walked over to where the church ladies were now standing, signs no longer being pumped up and down.

  “I’m sorry ladies, but if you’d like a look at the video I’ll be happy to play it for you. Also, the offer we made to your friend of course still stands for you. Bibles dropped shipped to your homes for cost as long as supplies last.”

  The women came over to watch the video as their friend threatened a clearly frightened Lucy. The one woman out there protesting in her running shoes came over to me and apologized for the protest.

  “It was nice that you came out to support your friend.”

  “More like we were bullied into attending. This was bound to happen sooner or later, Karen always seems to have issues with just about everyone who doesn’t bow down and worship the ground her and her husband tread.”

  “Well, we love our customers, but we never bow down in respect to anyone.”

  That was it for the church ladies, they wandered off in ones or two’s a couple more said they were sorry to me on their way out. Karen was in cuffs, being led to Sammy’s patrol car. I had no doubts that this wasn’t over. An entitled person can never accept that they were wrong or had made a mistake. So I’m sure we’ll see more of Karen. But we’ll go down to court and ask for orders of protection and an order asking that she not enter our property. But the Karens of the world don’t listen to the law, they only obey a higher power.

  “You handled yourself quite well, no hippie rants, no atheist rants. Why Laura?”

  “She scared Lucy, the big brute, she doesn’t belong in a church, she should be in a wrestling ring, facing other brutes. Not a sixteen year old girl.”

  “Do you want me to watch the store, you can take your intern down and get an order of protection. Just show the district attorney that video and he should be able to get you one at the arraignment.”

  “Don’t you have to work, Anais?”

  “No Laura, Bianca and I were going to survey the third floor but if you want writers here sooner rather than later, we would be better off repainting Amy’s four bedrooms first. Painters are pretty quiet, so after the bedrooms are painted, the writers could move in and the painters could paint the rest of the house.”

  “That would be great, Anais, I really want to offer Eve a spot as soon as possible. I had planned on giving her Lachlan’s room before I heard about Amy’s forced retirement. I’ll just close the store for a couple of hours, we didn’t have a single customer this morning.”

  “No, I have a better idea, Laura, just show me how this video link works, I take Lucy. to the DA’s office. Do you want to charge Karen with anything? I assume the cop arrested her for falsely reporting an incident.”

  “No, I don’t want to charge her with anything. I just want her to stay out of my store. But look, I'll just close the store, no big deal.”

  “Yes it’s a big deal, once that piece airs at noon. Everyone who is not at work, will be down at the scene of the crime. Looking over the bookstore that beat the church.”

  “Ha, very funny Anais, but I do have to stay, I have a new part timer starting today. Are you sure you don’t mind taking Lucy to see the Da, I thought you didn’t like her?”

  “First, I never said I didn’t like her, but I didn’t trust her. Second, the proof is in the pudding, she seems like she is doing a good job and is smart and dedicated. Thirdly, I saw that video, she genuinely looked scared and I don’t blame her. You're right that Karen is a brute. So even if I didn’t like her I’d take to see the assistant district attorney.”

  “Anais, you said ‘didn't trust’ not ‘don’t trust’ so you do trust her now?”

  “Yes, fine, Laura, I do trust her now. Plus I liked her idea about Project Marginalia.”

  “Good, grab one of the marginalia books and if you have to wait at the DA’s office, you can add some. I try to do one a day, but I want some more marginalia from other sources, besides Lucy and I.”

  “You always have to tell people how to spend their free time. I have my phone with me, I can just read the news or something.”

  “Why waste your time reading the news when you can read and be creative at the same time. Just look for a book that I wrote marginalia in, you’ll have exactly the opposite opinion. So just let the next reader know why I am wrong. Just don’t start a flame war analog style, politely disagree and state why.”

  “What if I agree with you?”

  “Well I suppose it’s always possible. You haven’t agreed with me before, in the last fifty years. So I supposed that sooner or later we’ll agree on something, the law of averages and all.”

  “Fine I’ll take a marginalia book, but I won’t just agree with you to agree. If I really feel that way, or your argument is so persuasive that’s the only way I’ll put in marginalia that agrees with yours”

  So Anais took Lucy down to the assistant district attorney's office, with my laptop and a marginalia book. I’d have to check later, to see if we agreed. But I have to admit that Anais was right about the store. At first it was slow but as the afternoon progressed it got busier and busier. I took a few orders on the video link. This was my first time using it except to chat with Willow yesterday. Lucy had handled all of the video sales yesterday. But after a few missteps with the first customer. I finally admitted to them it was my first time doing it, if they’d be patient with me I’d send them the books at cost. They were more than happy to comply and even ordered a few extra books.

  Lis was at the store by three as promised, I had a stack of orders but hadn’t had time to actually pull any of the books. The in store customers wanted to chat more than shop but we still wound up selling a lot of books. The running shoe lady church lady was back and she bought a couple of bibles and had them dropped shipped at cost, just like I promised. But she also picked up a handful of Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Schulz Books.

  We made so many sales that I felt guilty. I really ought to go down to the police station and bail out Karen. I may not like advertising agencies or their ads but I can’t argue that just getting your face on TV drives sales. Anais and Lucy were back by three thirty with shiny new orders of protection. Lis and Lucy quickly pulled all of the books and started packing the books that needed to be shipped out. Amy came down, supper was chili that was simmering, the baking was done so she wanted to help out.

  By four thirty Lis was off to the post office in my old beater. Anais, Amy and Bianca went over to the house to meet a painter, to get an estimate for the four bedrooms, first then the downstairs. Anais had used him before and thought he was trustworthy, so they hired him on the spot. He’d have the first bedroom completed and ready to move into by the end of the week.

  Lucy video chatted with Willow about roleplaying game books. Willow told her that she only stocked and sold Dungeons and Dragons. As a non-fiction store not much interest in games of any kind, so she wasn’t interested in stocking any more. Willow thought they’d sell better in our store, with the readers coming in for fiction we would be a better fit.

  So between Lis, Lucy and I we picked Savage Worlds, Kids on Bikes, Goblin Quest, Fudge and Star Trek Adventures along with two copies of the Mythic Game Master Emulator Second Edition. One copy for Amelie and one for the shelf. Lis and Lucy wanted the books to go onto the fantasy shelves, so they went into that section to make some space. It wasn’t until after the books arrived that I discovered that most of the games were useless if you didn’t have the right dice.

  I hate shopping, and of all the shopping there is, I hate amazon the most. But the two girls pointed out these bulk dice sets. They were cheap, and universal so I bit the bullet and ordered twenty sets of polyhedral dice. We’ll keep them behind the counter and sell them at cost to anyone who purchased an RPG book.

  We closed the store and the two girls left talking about next week’s fantasy book club meeting. I was exhausted, running on two hours of sleep. I promised myself to get to bed early. I’d read a little of my next re-read. But just a little.