She stared at the dwindling collection of books that made up her to-be-read list; her escape from lockdown, the only thing keeping her sane.
Her hair sat unevenly just above her shoulders. They’d kept promising her that lockdown would end soon, but it hadn’t come fast enough to prevent her watching three hours of YouTube videos on home haircuts and hacking her haven’t-seen-a-hairdresser-in-twelve-months locks off herself.
The result was that the ends were rather uneven, and she cried a little every time she glimpsed her hair in the mirror. Those three hours would have been better spent on her TBR list.
The dog was pacing the floor, its lead in its mouth. She sighed and pushed the pile of books aside. Together they walked along the canal, the exact same path they’d trudged every day since lockdown began. The dog didn’t seem to mind. She longed for pastures new.
She paused outside the canal-side pub. In pre-lockdown times, she’d have stopped for a coffee and a chat before heading home. Now the doors are shut, the windows dark.
After lockdown ends, she promises herself she’ll eat there every day; even if the new rules means she has to sit outside, even if it is cold in Wales in April, even if it does rain. But now there was nothing for it but to return to her books.
As she sat down, a notification on her laptop caught her eye. A book sale!
Eagerly, she clicks through. There are science fiction books, horror books, books on magical realism, paranormal, fantasy and dystopian titles. So many wonderful books. In just a few clicks, the books are hers. For less than the price of the coffee-she-can’t-buy, they will assure her sanity for a few hours more.
So, if you’re like me and you need a new reading fix to keep you sane, check out the awesome stories on sale until the end of the week. It includes my own Ninetyfive percent Human.
The End
PS. One part of this story is made up. Can you figure out which? Let me know in the comments below.