“I don’t really need money,” Douglas replied with a slight tilt of his head, blissfully unaware of his privileged lifestyle. Her reaction to his suggestion caught him off guard, stuck starring at her with a puzzled look until she grabbed him to guide him to another aisle. He was curious, though, and listened to her ramble on after book after book until she finally paused to take a breath - and give her name. “Maybe they should hire you,” Douglas said, impressed by her extensive knowledge of fantasy novels. “I said I help the librarian, but I don’t necessarily handle the books. I just put them away if I’m killing some time,” he said, a nervous chuckle, “I think I probably have a thousand questions about everything you just told me, but it’s nice to meet you Sabine. I thought I’d try to help - but I guess I really needed your help. So you read these… for what? What do they help you to do?”
“well that’s... good for you.” sab said, knitting her brows at him. “if you don’t need money why don’t you let someone who does need money do this job instead?” she asked simply. sab wondered if this guy was completely fucking with her or if he really was just ignorant, but not purposefully so. she smiled a little and shrugged. “i wouldn’t mind working here but i’ve got a job and way too much on my plate as it is.” sab knit her brows and looked at him again, confused. “so... why help... with books, if you don’t read most books? or have knowledge of most popular books? doesn’t sound like books interest you that much other than the science stuff, which is fine, but. i mean, like i said, why help if you don’t read or know about most well-known books?” it’s a sincere question. “just because you wanna help? to kill time, as you said? like you’re bored? why don’t you try and read a story?” sabine gaped at his last question. “what do they help me to do? they... they’re stories. look,” she sighed. “you recommended me the art of war by sun tzu which if i’m correct is not a story. and then some botany books. this is a public library, people aren’t always coming here for something practical and technical. most people come for a story to read. stories are how we learn about humanity, even if it’s fantasy. you get to learn about the good people can do and the bad that they can do and how each story is vastly different from the one other one. you’ll see how love and hate and desire and fear and excitement all are portrayed in a gripping novel that has you at the edge of your seat. you meat characters, who are not real, but are so well written that you feel and sympathize for them and for their journey. you won’t get that in the books you just suggested to me. the life lessons for growth and sympathy and inspiration that comes from these books are what they help me achieve in life. they’re fun. they’re sad. they stay with me forever. and there’s different interpretations for many books too and that’s always fun, too, to just open your mind to other like meanings of what you just read. it’s like, what you learn in school to do, minus all the writing. in a story, you learn things, about life, about different kinds of lives, that math and science or anything practical can’t teach you”
sabine sighed out deeply. “here’s an example.” she hurried to a book she saw. “this book is called sadie and i read it. it was hard to read. deals with the story of a girl who goes missing and what happened to her is open-ended but also it leaves you with the assumption that she did not end up surviving. and it’s tragic, it teaches its readers lessons and makes them aware that things like this happens. but, it’s very well told. it’s a story.” sab placed the book back in its spot on the shelf. “and that’s realistic fiction, not even fantasy, but. you know. every genre has a good story. like!” she was getting excited. “you like botany or uh, uh, military? or um... anything with science? right there’s science fiction, but also...” she grabbed his hand and sprinted around, looking at the shelves and grabbed ‘the poppy war’. “this book, has a story, but has elements of what you seem to enjoy. because, the art of war is... basically a military thing about weapons and stuff right? or strategy? but! ok? this is a book that’s a bit fantasy and is basked off of the sino-japanese war and it has a story. i think...” sabine grinned brightly. “you would enjoy it.”