Closed. The sign seemed to mock me as I stood there, trying to see if there was something I missed. This place couldn’t be closed. This couldn’t be real. I read over it one more time. “Due to the lack of use, this building is CLOSED INDEFINITELY, or until further notice.” A few more times it repeated itself in my head until I realized the horrifying truth of the situation. This was really happening. My one freedom from reality was taken from me. The library was gone. Peering into the lobby through the glass double doors, I saw the books sitting there, just beyond my reach. The shelves were as full as always, hundreds of thousands of novels, millions of pages of knowledge and mystery, excitement and freedom, calm and romance. Closed. Gone. Just too far away. Everything started to sink in. I had always liked how quiet it was in there, perfect for diving into a fantasy realm. I guess I never thought about how I was their only patron. I never thought about the impact that had, and now it was all gone. The damage was done. Thinking back on it, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen cars in the parking lot, save for mine and the librarian’s. I took a step back to take it all in. The doors, showing me my haven yet keeping me away from it. The sign which, despite my prayers, hadn’t changed. The brown brick walls guarding the books’ home. I tilted my head up to look at the cloudless blue sky, and I swore I could see flames. Invisible tendrils of fire licked the heavens, growing bigger and stronger with every second. The inferno, burning with ignorance, enveloped the unnaturally silent building. My face grew hotter and hotter at the sight of them until, finally, I couldn’t bear to look at it any longer. My head fell and my whole body visibly drooped, like a wilting flower. My shoulders shook as I wept. At some point I noticed that I wasn’t even standing any more, feeling the hard pavement under my knees. I don’t know how long I sat there, but when I finally stopped, the sun had fallen low in the sky. I realized that I should probably go home, my parents would’ve been waiting for me. At my car I paused, looking back at the tragedy. The sky was darker, and the cooler lighting made it seem like a burnt up lump of coal. I thought of the future, the ramifications this would have. You don’t need to burn books to destroy a culture. You just need to get people to stop reading them.

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