'A long time ago, through thick green grass and large, pretty trees, stood a grey castle on high ends. Within the castle, their was a king and his daughter, the princess. She was a beautiful girl: long dark hair with dresses that shined like the sun. The princess had a light smile that often showed her kind heart.'
"Wait! Miss Lin!" A child called, catching my attention. He pointed to my finger that held onto the picture book. "I can't see the princess!"
I gasped. "Oops, I'm sorry." Quickly, I removed my finger off the drawing of the princess. "Okay, moving on." I flipped the page to continue with my story.
'One day, when the sun was slowly starting to rise, the princess met with her father. She sat in front of his throne and made sure he was listening well.'
"'Father'," I voiced the princess. "'Please allow me to marry General On Dal'."
'The king had been upset at her request. He had wanted her to marry into the Ko family, where she would surely benefit with happiness.'
"What's benfet?" Another child asked me, cocking his head to the side in confusion.
I paused my story telling and smiled. "Benefit? It means she will have good luck."
The kid looked at me funny. "But she doesn't want Ko!"
Nodding my head, I looked to the picture book. "That's true. Here, would you like for me to tell you what happens next?" I watched them eagerly get closer as I flipped the book page again.
'The princess had not wanted Ko, but loved General On Dal instead. She told her father, but he refused to listen.'
"'The Ko family is good,' he insisted, wishing his daughter would give up on love."
"Lee Mi! Dong Keong! Let's go home now."
I watched the two children get up from their spots. Other parents started to take their child as well, leaving the reading space empty, besides myself. I closed the book I was reading and stood up.
"Looks like that's it for today," I mumbled, turning the library sign over to show it was closed.
It was a dreary Monday. The storm outside was blowing harshly on the trees and buildings. Rain pelted down on the library roof, giving off a calming feeling. People piled in and rushed out of the building for protection from the storm.
For me, it was hours of waiting for another group of kids waiting to be told a story. I loved the feelings recieved by the excited children when I read them a book. They would sit before me with lost expressions as they stared at the picture book in my hands.
It wasn't often that I had a large group to read to. Very few people left their child alone. Most of the time, the kids were too engrossed with the toys or the play computers. I was left sitting in the kid section of the library, reading my own fiction books.
Story-telling was outdated. It was something you didn't usually see anymore. But it was something I loved dearly.
"Excuse me?"
Startled, I looked up from my book. "Ah, yes?" I eyed the boy who stood before me, looking at the reading room carefully. He had a small smile on his face as he soaked up the atmosphere and appearance.
"When is the next story time?"
I looked to both his sides for a child, but I came up empty. "In twenty minutes, if there is more kids."
"I wanted to hear the rest of the story," he explains, taking a step closer. "If I bring some kids, would that be fine?"
A grown teenager wanting to be read a child's book?
I nodded. "Yes, that would be fine."
I think.
He grinned. "I'm Moonbin. I will be back with some kids." He left the area, heading straight out of the library and into the storm.
I watched him from my spot. "Strange," I whispered to myself. I didn't believe he was truly going to come back, so I occupied myself until the next story-telling started. It wasn't long before I was interrupted again.
"I'm back!"
Removing my focus from my book, I looked up to the boy who came earlier. Sure enough, he brought back other people.
His age.
"Um." I was surprised to see six male teens standing before me, prepared to listen to a baby's story. "Okay, then."
Moonbin was the first to sit in front of me on the bright green carpet. The others followed closely, all sitting together and waiting patiently for me to read aloud. "Let's begin."
I bit my lip. "Do I start from the beginning or where I left off?"
A brown haired boy spoke up first. "Left off!" He smiled at me. "I'm Rocky--Rocky Swag."
I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. The situation was not settling well with me. "Alright." I popped open the book from earlier, awkwardly turning it towards the boys so they could see the pictures.
'The king was not allowing the marriage the princesd requested. His mind became set, and the longer she insisted, the more his anger started to bloom.'
"'You marry General Ko or you leave this palace!' The king demanded." I read carefully, being cautious for any mistakes. My eyes kept wandering, though, from the book to the strange boys on the floor.
'So the princess left. She packed her bags and arrived to General On Dal, the love she cherished. The General insisted he was not a good match for the beautiful princess. But after awhile of convincing, he agreed to give the princess his heart and marry her.'
"The end," I stated, closing the book quickly.
Moonbin did not seem pleased. "What happened to the death of General On Dal? What about the casket?"
I shook my head. "It's a kid's book. It's bad enough that it teaches kids to rebel, adding death to it would be too much."
I eyed the boys. "What are grown adults doing in the child section of a library anyway?"
"He has a crush on you, so he told us to come finish the story." A short, quiet looking boy pointed to Moonbin.
"Eh?" I maneuvered my eyes onto the friend who met me first. "Crush? On me?"
"We are here to ask you on a date," another one piped up.
Moonbin shyly smiled at me. "How about a coffee date? When the storm clears up?"
I was shocked at the situation. Six males came to me wanting to be read a story, asking me to date one of them. Who would have thought I would get a date by reading a book?
Shrugging my shoulders, I agreed. "Sure, why not." I looked around the library to see some staring eyes. "By the way, who are you guys?"
