#igor zinenko

While the streets were crowded with crazy people, I preferred to stay at home.

There were reruns on TV all the time, the internet was surprisingly empty, so I flicked dust from the books, which I just stored in the bookcase planning to read them someday. Well, the day has come.

The books on the shelves were very different and sometimes very strange. I got them at my birthday, at the Christmas day, at the Independence day, at the Groundhog Day, at the St. Valentine’s day, at the Blessing All the Bicycles day etc. (we can make up some funny books and covers for this part).

(Henry chose the book and sat at the couch stretching his legs at full length and took a sip from the cup)

It’s funny I never was a big fan of reading but when the only thing that you have in your life is that one that you grab right before the jump, you understand that the most valuable thing in the world is knowledge.

So I decided not to leave my apartment. Everything I needed was in the books. Thanks to them, I could live multitude lives without being disturbed by the fact that real life leaded nowhere. (at that moment we see how many books he has already read. The books from one pile have come to the other)

However, I was never able to follow the plan (we hear the wristwatch alarm and Henry jumps to a subway. Henry looks at his wristwatche, 4:42 pm). Against my will, I turned out to be in the Monday back home trip.

Remember I said that the only thing that you can take with you through the jump is that one that you grab at the last moment. Well it is very useful when this thing is book. So I could read anytime and everywhere.

(At that moment we can put a few jokes about places where he could read and people around him. E.g. We see the girl on the bench with a boy. And she says to different guys that he’s the first one in her life. We see happy people coming to the birthday party for the first time and then we see less and less of them coming every jump back. We see a child who loses his first milk-tooth for 100 times and so on)

When I have read all my books, I started to visit the local library.

(We see Henry reading in the library and then the abovementioned robber run in)

- Don’t move, it’s a robbery. Oh, man, is it library? Where’s the bank? – he asks Henry. - Across the street. - Thanks, man. 

Narrator’s voice

I spent in the library more than a year. To be more precise, I spent there 500 days of summer. (we see in the book animation like in the movie and then Henry drive away the birds with his hand from the book)

Living the life surrounded with books I’ve almost forgotten about my real life. (We hear the wristwatch beeping and see how Henry jumps to the Friday night. Henry glanced at the newspaper on the bar counter to find out the day he turned out to be. That day he went to the bar with his friends Charlie).

- Hey, man, - said Charlie. – I haven’t seen you for a while. How you spend your time?

- I found a new hobby, - said Henry and then showed the book he hold in his hands before the jump.

- You always was the wildest one, - smiled his friend.

- And how are you?

- Tomorrow I’m going to the delivery room… again.

- Is it boy?

- Yes.

- Congratulations.

- Thanks, pal.

- Let’s raise our glasses for it. Cheers.

- Cheers.

(fade out)

(The next morning Henry again in the library)

(Narrator’s voice)

You know, luck is the mixture of time and possibility brewed in the right place. So many books later I was in that place because I was lucky to find the thing I was never looking for.

(We see an old woman bringing him a few books and putting them on the table in front of Henry):

- They are the last ones, - said librarian.

- Thanks, miss Johnson.

- You’re welcome.

(Henry closes his book, puts aside and looks through the brought ones. He finds a torn page inside a book):

- How did you get here?

(He glance over the page to find out from what book it was torn off. It is the page with contents. His eyes stopped at the chapter called ‘Fairy tale of frozen future’ page 246. Then he turned the page and read the title of the book “The fairy tales of the peoples across the world. Volume 366. Outskirts of New Zealand”)

That could be it, - thought Henry. – That could be the key to the normal future. The key, I’m sure a lot of people was looking for all that time.

(Henry hastily sprang up to his feet and ran to the “New Zealand” section).

- Fairy tales, fairy tales, - he mumbled.

(The wristwatch beeped warning him about the approaching jump. He looked at the watches. It was left a few minutes but there was no such a book. Than he ran to the librarian table)

- I’m sorry, - he was breathing heavily. – Why I can’t find “New Zealand fairy tales” at the “New Zealand” section.

- That’s because you should look them at the “Children” section.

- Thanks.

(The old librarian looked at the running away Henry surprised. He turned around the corner and run into a girl that drop the books on the floor. Henry apologized and started to pick up the books from the floor. That moment his watches beeped again, the library disappeared and he found himself on the street. He almost got hit by the car).

- Hey, watch yourself, - yelled driver.