Felix's Books

chapter uno

ayeee

It was an unusually cold September morning; The dew had turned to frost on the brittle grass, crunching softly under Aleah's feet as she began the walk towards the bookstore.

She couldn't wait to see Felix again. Coffee grasped tightly in her shaking hands, she found herself back on the side street where no traffic came, and no people tred. She pushed the glass door open once again, the soft ring of a bell overhead.

"Aleah!" Felix grinned at her from the counter. "You came earlier than I expected." She nodded, shivering, and hung her jacket on the coat rack.

"Yeah, I guess I did." She had been so excited, she'd forgotten that she planned to come a bit later...

"Well, I'm glad you decided to come now. It gets so quiet here..." Felix sighed and stood up. "I got something for you." His signature smile spread across his handsome face again.

"For me? I can't take anything from you, I, I..." Aleah trailed off and he pulled out a small book from his pocket.

"How did you know that I love Pablo Neruda?" She gasped, slowly reaching out for the book. It was a good weight, small but thick. She flipped it open to the first page, and an overwhelming aroma of French pastries and rosewater filled her lungs. She inhaled deeply.

"I want you to know

one thing.

You know how this is:

if I look

at the crystal moon, at the red branch

of the slow autumn at my window,

if I touch

near the fire

the impalpable ash

or the wrinkled body of the log,

everything carries me to you,

as if everything that exists,

aromas, light, metals,

were little boats

that sail

toward those isles of yours that wait for me."

Felix felt a surge of adoration towards Aleah as she whispered the words to the poem. She had a beautiful voice, perfect for poetry.

"Thank you, Felix. This is... amazing." She grinned and hugged him tightly for a moment, before thinking better of it and pulling away.

"My pleasure. Would you mind... finishing the poem?" He asked quietly. She hesitated, before opening the book again.

"Well, now,

if little by little you stop loving me

I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly

you forget me

do not look for me,

for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,

the wind of banners

that passes through my life,

and you decide

to leave me at the shore

of the heart where I have roots,

remember

that on that day,

at that hour,

I shall lift my arms

and my roots will set off

to seek another land.

But

if each day,

each hour,

you feel that you are destined for me

with implacable sweetness,

if each day a flower

climbs up to your lips to seek me,

ah my love, ah my own,

in me all that fire is repeated,

in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,

my love feeds on your love, beloved,

and as long as you live it will be in your arms

without leaving mine."

He reveled in her words, enjoying the very sound of them, the flick of the pages, the slow, beautifully exotic descriptions.

"Thank you." He whispered with a smile, of which she returned warmly.

"No, thank you. If you don't mind... I really must be going. I have an essay to finish." She reluctantly stood up and put on her coat, starting towards the door.

"Goodbye, ma belle fleur." Felix bid her a sad goodbye.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning. Bye!" Aleah braced herself for the frigid autumn air, and stepped outside.

so terrible book

but fun to write

so I must continue

for you

jack

byeeeeee

ps

poem is If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda