#30 Hunt

#30 Hunt

Dear diary,

Wow, today was so awesome, I can't even begin to describe its awesomeness. I... just...

...

Sorry, got overexcited and had to have a cold shower. Better now. So, anyway, I got a call at 5am this morning. I'd fallen asleep while reading last night, so I hadn't silenced my phone. The loud blaring tone shook me right out of my sleep, and I quickly answered it before the noise woke my parents. I must've answered with a really gruffly, because Talia's voice on the other end sounded affronted. She apologised for calling so early, but she said she'd be over to pick me up in two minutes. When I asked what was going on, I was handed over to Goldie who said just two words: "Book Hunting".

By the time they arrived at my house I was fully read and had made them coffee and pancakes. Talia was alarmed I'd gotten ready so quickly, but nothing comes between me and a good book sale. We drove along the foggy roads for an unbearably long thirty-five minutes, before stopping out the front of a small warehouse in the outer suburbs. We got out of the car and joined the queue that had begun to form at the front door. Apparently this particular book sale was a big event for bibliophiles.

Goldie took out a sheet of parchment and prized off the wax seal. She unfurled the largest list of newly released books I've ever seen on a single sheet - it stretched twice the length of mine and Talia's armspans put together. She explained to us that as the Acquisitions Librarian, it was her duty to attend these book sales once a year to obtain as many new titles as possible. She said this with more than just a touch of pride in her voice, calm and confident. Our job, Goldie explained, gesturing to Talia and I, was to ensure that we did not miss out on a single item on her list. There was no margin for error. We all nodded grimly, and turned to face our task.

The doors opened at 6am and we surged in on a crashing wave of librarians, devoted fans of popular authors, generalist book collectors and confused morning joggers who had been swept up in the tide. I lost sight of Talia and Goldie almost immediately. A woman landed on top of me, and when we untangled I saw she was wearing a Nancy Pearl Is God T-shirt. She ducked left and I swung right, running towards the FICTION: A-D section. It was sheer pandemonium in that store, with people yelling and shouting to be heard over the din of the raucous crowd. And I loved every minute of it.

I held one third of Goldie's list in my hands. I swindled my way through the human traffic and gathered up in my arms every book I could find. I ran smack into Talia, who was holding two baskets in her hands. She passed me one and as I was about to thank her I was nudged forward. Our bodies pressed together for a few exhilarating seconds before we were pushed apart by the pulsating throng of people.

At one point, just as I'd collected all seven required texts on geography, the crowd parted right in front of me and I caught a glimpse of Goldie. She was standing in an open circle - quite rare in a tightly packed space - and was surrounded by brilliant light. The first rays of morning light were filtering in through the slatted windows, and each was catching a different piece of her elaborate gold jewellery. The effect was one of dazzling luminescence which inspired awe as much as burnt out your eye sockets. This allowed Goldie to move around the sunlit parts of the warehouse unchallenged by the mob, as she only got brighter the closer you went.

By 11am the three of us were sitting inside a cafe having brunch. I had a lack eye from the Nancy Pearl fanatic and Talia cradled an arm that had been badly bruised by a careless man wielding an atlas or four, but Goldie remained unscathed. She tended to ours wounds like an army nurse. We'd all reached our respective quotas, so it had been worth the hardship. Goldie prepared a makeshift cast for Talia's arm, and as I helped her to put it on she smiled slightly at me. That just made the day even better.

-Jay