To Whomever...
1
To whomever is reading this,
I want to tell you a story. Not just any story--if it were, you could just look up the next chapter or buy a book with the story. No, I want to tell you a unique story, never put on paper before. I want to tell you my story.
That all being said, you probably don't know who I am, what I’m talking about or why you’re even bothering reading this letter. Let’s start with the beginning. You can call me Sam, since this is private, and I don't want you to know it's me, if you knew the physical me. I am 17 years old, and I just started my final year of high-school .
All my life, I have had friends. Sometimes plenty, sometimes only a few. Sometimes it felt like I had only one, but friends nonetheless. Problem was, I never felt like I could talk to them about secrets, or about problems I had.
I didn’t want to tell any stranger this story, so I want to see if we could become friends first. That’s why this first letter is only to introduce myself. I didn't want to do it in a way that felt cheesy and overdone,like a typical online dating profile that claims my name is Sam, I am an aquarius and I like long romantic walks on the beach. Partly because of those 3 things, none are actually true, but also because I wanted something more heartfelt, more personal. To achieve that, I am writing this letter without editing it. Without really thinking about any coherent direction to take it in. That's why the letter feels like a mess, and I am sorry. The next one will be more structured than this one. However, I do think that, if you are checking out this book and thinking about replying, you can at least figure out some things about me without me having to say it, like the fact that I like to read. The rest I will let you figure out for yourself, or I’ll let you ask it, if you actually reply.
Read on,
Sam.
P.S. Leave your response, if you do want to reply, in the next book the author wrote and I will check regularly if it's there.
After looking at the paper, checking for spelling mistakes, Tony folded the letter. He left it on his desk for the next day. After school, he would go to the bookstore to leave the letter in Animal Farm, to maybe get read by someone who would listen,who he could talk to. Thinking about all that could happen, Tony went to sleep.
By the next day, however, he was having second thoughts. Anyone could find his letter. It could be a 10 year old girl, looking for a present for her older cousin. Maybe it would be a 40 year old man, wanting to read a book. There was only one way to find out, even though it made his heart beat out of his chest. He had used used a fake, unisex name for a reason. The reader couldn’t trace it back to him.
Tony put the letter in his backpack. This was really happening, and he would not hesitate.
When Tony arrived at school, Oliver was already waiting for him. Since their first year together at school, Oliver had been a constant in Tony’s life. They had nearly every class together, sat together at lunch, and generally just had a lot of fun together. Tony and Oliver had the kind of friendship that made people wonder if they were gay or just really good friends. However, Tony had not told Oliver about his plans with the letter, and wasn’t planning to. This was something he needed to do alone.
School felt like it was over in a flash, and the hands of the clock couldn’t move fast enough, which was one of the first times that had happened in six years. Tony’s heart quickened at the simple thought of what he was about to do..
This was not like meeting someone on the internet, where you at least have a bit of an idea who the person talking to you is. Tony would know only one thing about the person, and that was that at one point, they checked out Animal Farm in the bookstore.
After saying Oliver goodbye for the weekend, Tony cycled to the bookstore and found their copy of Animal Farm. He put the letter at the end of the book and put it back on the shelf without anyone noticing. Tony went home. He would wait a few days, he decided, but he’d be back soon enough, hopefully finding a different letter in the pages of 1984.
2
Damian woke up and turned around. Waking up was one thing, but actually getting up from bed was a whole different kind of challenge. He’d been up too late, reading a book, and had to get up too early, to go to school. It happened all the time, and he knew it was stupid, but he did it anyway.
In the end he managed and put on some clothes. Damian was bored already with today, not knowing what would happen later.
When he got to school, Jessica, his girlfriend, was waiting for him.. They had a few classes together, none of which were today, but they could hang out before class, which they did almost every day.
“So how was your day yesterday?” She asked, sidling up next to him as they continued walking.
“It was good until you left. Then it just became a bore. I had nothing to read, so I just watched Youtube videos for a few hours.”
“Awww, couldn’t Damian entertain himself when I was gone?” Jessica asked teasingly.
“Well, you’re hard to compete with, even when we just play some Monopoly,” Damian replied just before the bell rang.
“See you later” they both said in sync and laughed, as they walked towards their classes.
For Damian, who was already tired from sleeping too little, math was exhausting. Their teacher, miss Forrest droned on about derivatives and whatnot and he felt himself being distracted by something as silly as someone picking up a pen, or the second hand of the clock ticking the time away. He hadn’t been that tired for quite some time, and since Damian didn’t drink coffee, he stayed tired, without any caffeine boost.
After a tiring day at school, Damian found himself at the local bookstore. He usually went there once a week, to just be there. There was something about books that could calm him, no matter what, and he enjoyed it. Most of the time he just sat down, picking a few books from the shelves to look through, sometimes buying one or two. Today was no different in that aspect, however, instead of his usual Young Adult books--like Harry Potter--he was going to begin reading some actual literature.He scanned the aisles, plucking out a few books that looked interesting, and sat down. Lord of the Flies looked fun, as did Cat’s Cradle.
While they looked fun at best, there was one book that stood out. Animal Farm was a book Damian had heard his teacher talk about, and it had sounded very interesting then. Now, holding the book, and having read a few pages, it was confirmed to him that it was. Pushing aside the others, Damian decided to buy Animal Farm and come back for the rest later.
He had just walked out of the bookstore when a woman called out “Hey, you dropped something!” She handed him a folded piece of paper.
Damian took it, and looked at it. He didn’t recognise it, but maybe it was something that came with the book. He thanked the woman, and went home.
When he got there, he took the piece of paper from the book, and opened it. It was a letter, not addressed to anyone in particular. He read the letter and was immediately drawn to the idea. Writing someone he didn’t know, about their own personal lives? Not only that, the concept of putting a letter in a book appealed to him, it was also the fact that this “Sam” was his age, and that he wanted to become friends--which was good for Damian, considering he didn’t have many. He wondered how long the letter had been there. Maybe the letter had been in there for over a month, and that it was too late, Sam having already graduated. After thinking about it, he decided to take the risk of being too late, and started writing his own letter.
Sam,
I found your letter earlier today (September 6th), when I bought the book it was in, and decided (as you can see) to reply. My name is not Alex, but you can call me that, for the sake of anonymity. I am also 17 years old and would love to get to know you. I assume you like reading as well, since you put your letter in a book, and not just any book, but a literary one as well. I’ve read a lot of books in my life, and am always in the mood for a story.
I, sadly, don’t know a better way than the online profile to introduce myself, so I have to use that. I like reading books and comics, watching films, and just stories in general. I don’t really like sports. I am also in my last year of high-school. I too have a story I would like to tell someone, but never found anyone to tell it to, so I hope you would also listen to me.
I think this is a good start for now, and await your response in Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.
Alex, signing out.
After checking his letter for mistakes, Damian folded it and put it on his desk. He thought about the next book the author wrote, but realised he had no clue. Damian did the only sensible thing. He googled it. It turned out it was the most famous book George Orwell had ever written, 1984. He stored the thought, and grabbed Animal Farm, flipping the book to the first page. Yet, for as good as the book was, he couldn’t forget about the letter. It was late evening when he texted Jessica about what he had done..
So I was in the bookstore...
Again?
Yeah, you know I love it there.
Okay, true. So what happened there?
Well, I bought Animal Farm, and there was a letter inside it.
What did it say?
That the writer, Sam, wanted to tell their story, but didn’t know who to tell it to, so they put a letter in a book, trying to find contact with anyone.
That’s kinda sad
What?
That he doesn’t have anyone to talk to.
Yeah….
So what are you going to do?
I am gonna reply, and try to be their friend.
That’s so sweet of you. Anyways, gtg, see you later?
Tomorrow at school ;)
Damian put his phone away and went to sleep, or at least tried to, thinking about what could happen.
When he woke up, Damian was having second thoughts. Realising he didn’t have time that afternoon due to his mother wanting to go shopping with him, Damian decided to go by the bookstore that morning, since he had a free period anyways. He got dressed, had breakfast, and went by the bookstore. He put his letter in the back of their copy of 1984 and left for school.