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The Book Thief
#WritcoStoryPrompt
Write a short story using at least three from the five prompts given:
An empty suitcase full of memories.
The messages added salt to wounds.
The car accelerated before the signal turned green.
A wardrobe full of clothes that still had their tags on.
A dust free bookcase could hide a lot of lies.
Zara loved books more than anything else in the world. She spent most of her free time reading novels, biographies, histories, and anything else she could get her hands on. She dreamed of having a library of her own someday, filled with books from floor to ceiling.
But Zara had a problem. She was poor. She lived in a small apartment with her mother, who worked as a maid for a wealthy family. They barely had enough money to pay the rent and buy food, let alone buy books. Zara had to rely on the public library for her reading needs, but even that was not enough. She wanted to own books, not just borrow them.
That's why she started stealing books. She would sneak into the mansion where her mother worked, and take one or two books from their huge bookcase. She would hide them in her backpack, and bring them home. She would read them over and over again, until she knew them by heart. Then she would return them to the mansion, and take another pair.
She thought she was clever. She thought no one would notice. She thought she was doing no harm. She was wrong.
One day, as she was about to leave the mansion with two books in her backpack, she heard a voice behind her.
"Hey, you! Stop right there!"
She turned around and saw a man standing in the doorway. He was tall and handsome, with dark hair and blue eyes. He wore a suit and tie, and looked very angry.
He was the son of the family that owned the mansion. His name was Aryan.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, walking towards her.
"I-I'm sorry, sir," Zara stammered. "I was just leaving."
"Leaving with what?" he asked, grabbing her backpack and opening it. He saw the two books inside and his eyes widened.
"These are my books!" he exclaimed. "You stole them!"
Zara felt a surge of fear and shame. She tried to explain.
"Please, sir, I didn't mean to steal them. I just wanted to read them. I love books so much, but I can't afford them. I always return them after I read them. Please don't be angry."
Aryan looked at her incredulously.
"You return them? How do you do that? How do you get in here?"
Zara hesitated. She didn't want to implicate her mother.
"I-I have a key," she lied.
"A key? Where did you get it?"
"I-I found it."
"Found it? Where?"
Zara realized she had trapped herself in a web of lies. She didn't know what to say.
Aryan shook his head.
"You're lying," he said coldly. "You're a thief and a liar. You've been stealing my books for months, haven't you? How many have you taken?"
Zara felt tears in her eyes.
"I don't know," she whispered.
Aryan opened his mouth to say something more, but then he stopped. He looked at the bookcase behind him, and noticed something odd.
The bookcase was dust free.
He walked over to it and ran his finger along the shelves. There was no trace of dust anywhere.
He frowned.
"That's strange," he muttered. "This bookcase hasn't been cleaned in ages. It should be covered in dust."
He looked at Zara again, and his expression changed.
He realized the truth.
"You've been cleaning it," he said softly.
Zara nodded slowly.
"Yes," she admitted.
"Why?"
Zara shrugged.
"I don't know," she said. "I guess I felt guilty for taking your books. I wanted to do something nice for you."
Aryan stared at her for a long time. He felt a mix of emotions: anger, confusion, curiosity, admiration.
He didn't know what to do with her.
He decided to do something unexpected.
He smiled.
"Come with me," he said, taking her hand.
He led her to another room in the mansion: his study.
It was a cozy room with a fireplace, a desk, a sofa, and a wall full of books.
He gestured to the books and said:
"These are my personal books. They are not for anyone else to see or touch."
He paused and added:
"Except you."
Zara looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He smiled again and said:
"I mean you can borrow any book you want from here. You can take as many as you like, and keep them as long as you need. You don't have to steal them or return them or clean anything."
Zara couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Really?" she asked.
"Really," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
He shrugged and said:
"I don't know. I guess I like you. I like that you love books as much as I do. I like that you have a passion for reading. I like that you have a sense of gratitude and kindness. You're different from anyone else I know."
He paused and added:
"And maybe I want to get to know you better."
Zara felt a warm feeling in her chest.
She smiled and said:
"Thank you."
He nodded and said:
"You're welcome."
They looked at each other and felt a connection.
They didn't know what the future would bring, but they knew they had found something special.
They had found each other.
**The End**
**Moral Lesson:** Honesty is the best policy. Lies can only lead to trouble, but truth can lead to happiness.
© JR2k6
13sep23
Write a short story using at least three from the five prompts given:
An empty suitcase full of memories.
The messages added salt to wounds.
The car accelerated before the signal turned green.
A wardrobe full of clothes that still had their tags on.
A dust free bookcase could hide a lot of lies.
Zara loved books more than anything else in the world. She spent most of her free time reading novels, biographies, histories, and anything else she could get her hands on. She dreamed of having a library of her own someday, filled with books from floor to ceiling.
But Zara had a problem. She was poor. She lived in a small apartment with her mother, who worked as a maid for a wealthy family. They barely had enough money to pay the rent and buy food, let alone buy books. Zara had to rely on the public library for her reading needs, but even that was not enough. She wanted to own books, not just borrow them.
That's why she started stealing books. She would sneak into the mansion where her mother worked, and take one or two books from their huge bookcase. She would hide them in her backpack, and bring them home. She would read them over and over again, until she knew them by heart. Then she would return them to the mansion, and take another pair.
She thought she was clever. She thought no one would notice. She thought she was doing no harm. She was wrong.
One day, as she was about to leave the mansion with two books in her backpack, she heard a voice behind her.
"Hey, you! Stop right there!"
She turned around and saw a man standing in the doorway. He was tall and handsome, with dark hair and blue eyes. He wore a suit and tie, and looked very angry.
He was the son of the family that owned the mansion. His name was Aryan.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, walking towards her.
"I-I'm sorry, sir," Zara stammered. "I was just leaving."
"Leaving with what?" he asked, grabbing her backpack and opening it. He saw the two books inside and his eyes widened.
"These are my books!" he exclaimed. "You stole them!"
Zara felt a surge of fear and shame. She tried to explain.
"Please, sir, I didn't mean to steal them. I just wanted to read them. I love books so much, but I can't afford them. I always return them after I read them. Please don't be angry."
Aryan looked at her incredulously.
"You return them? How do you do that? How do you get in here?"
Zara hesitated. She didn't want to implicate her mother.
"I-I have a key," she lied.
"A key? Where did you get it?"
"I-I found it."
"Found it? Where?"
Zara realized she had trapped herself in a web of lies. She didn't know what to say.
Aryan shook his head.
"You're lying," he said coldly. "You're a thief and a liar. You've been stealing my books for months, haven't you? How many have you taken?"
Zara felt tears in her eyes.
"I don't know," she whispered.
Aryan opened his mouth to say something more, but then he stopped. He looked at the bookcase behind him, and noticed something odd.
The bookcase was dust free.
He walked over to it and ran his finger along the shelves. There was no trace of dust anywhere.
He frowned.
"That's strange," he muttered. "This bookcase hasn't been cleaned in ages. It should be covered in dust."
He looked at Zara again, and his expression changed.
He realized the truth.
"You've been cleaning it," he said softly.
Zara nodded slowly.
"Yes," she admitted.
"Why?"
Zara shrugged.
"I don't know," she said. "I guess I felt guilty for taking your books. I wanted to do something nice for you."
Aryan stared at her for a long time. He felt a mix of emotions: anger, confusion, curiosity, admiration.
He didn't know what to do with her.
He decided to do something unexpected.
He smiled.
"Come with me," he said, taking her hand.
He led her to another room in the mansion: his study.
It was a cozy room with a fireplace, a desk, a sofa, and a wall full of books.
He gestured to the books and said:
"These are my personal books. They are not for anyone else to see or touch."
He paused and added:
"Except you."
Zara looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He smiled again and said:
"I mean you can borrow any book you want from here. You can take as many as you like, and keep them as long as you need. You don't have to steal them or return them or clean anything."
Zara couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Really?" she asked.
"Really," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
He shrugged and said:
"I don't know. I guess I like you. I like that you love books as much as I do. I like that you have a passion for reading. I like that you have a sense of gratitude and kindness. You're different from anyone else I know."
He paused and added:
"And maybe I want to get to know you better."
Zara felt a warm feeling in her chest.
She smiled and said:
"Thank you."
He nodded and said:
"You're welcome."
They looked at each other and felt a connection.
They didn't know what the future would bring, but they knew they had found something special.
They had found each other.
**The End**
**Moral Lesson:** Honesty is the best policy. Lies can only lead to trouble, but truth can lead to happiness.
© JR2k6
13sep23
