-What's the door like?
-Incredibly high and heavy. Makes a creaky noise. The doorhandle is hard to reach but I manage to open it and enter.
-What's inside?
-Windows along the opposite wall. Bookshelves up to the ceiling. Ladders. Tables in the middle. An old, white bearded man sitting and reading. Probably reading chemistry or a book of magic spells. He looks a bit out of Harry Potter. He also turns toward me as I enter. I think he is annoyed.
-What are you doing now?
-I walk around quietly. Not even looking at the old man, he scares me. I stroke the backs of the books as I pass them. I try to skim the titles but none is visible. I finally take down one. Green. Hardback. Faded. Smells like a friendly old book.
-What is it?
-The Red and the Black. Strange, I have read it and I didn't really like it.
-What are you doing with it then?
-I think I'll just sit down opposite the old man and leaf it through. Maybe I want to be reminded of the protagonist's name. Or something about the story. I've completely forgotten it. I really didn't enjoy this book.
-Have you found anything?
-Yes, a picture.
-Of what?
-A black and white drawing. Of a young woman. Screaming.
-What's she like?
-Sad. Dark circles under her eyes. Like she has been wide awake for a lot of nights. She is screaming into nothing. There is no one to listen to her. She is screaming her anger.
-What's she wearing?
-A robe with a hood.
-Who is she?
-I'm a bit confused. But I really think she is the woman from The Scarlet Letter.
-Why is she sad?
-Because she has to wear a badge of shame. Something that her village forces her to wear. Something that excludes her from society and reminds everyone of her sins. She is sad because she doesn't think she committed a sin but still, she agrees with the decision of her village. She is tortured because she is confused. She feels guilty for something she doesn't think was a sin.
-Can anyone hear her scream?
-No, she lives out in the bushes. Far from the village.
-Can she do something about her relationship with the villagers?
-Well, she could go to church I suppose. And show how much she repents. The villagers might accept her then. But the truth is she doesn't want to do it. She is not a lier and she does not repent.
-What could she do then?
-Maybe move three villages away?
-Would there be anyone who accepts her there?
-She would not have to wear the badge to start with. And she would tell the truth. Nothing but the truth. And she would only tell those she trusts. Not to the whole village. The ones she trusts would accept her, together with her past.
-Where would she live?
-She would buy a small house. Inside the village but not in the centre. She has savings you see. She would put plants in the windowsill and stick a paper windmill in the pot.
-Wouldn't there be anyone who doesn't want her there?
-Yes, of course. The ones who pick up the gossip from the neighbour village and who think themselves perfect. But no one is loved by everyone, right?
-That's right... What now?
-I close the book. I smile. Feels like I found what I came here for. I put the book back on the shelf. I nod at the old man who looks annoyed at me for smiling and nodding. I walk back to the door.
-Do you leave?
-Yes. And I don't worry about the old guy. I slam the door. Just a little. Just to give him a real reason to be annoyed.
-Incredibly high and heavy. Makes a creaky noise. The doorhandle is hard to reach but I manage to open it and enter.
-What's inside?
-Windows along the opposite wall. Bookshelves up to the ceiling. Ladders. Tables in the middle. An old, white bearded man sitting and reading. Probably reading chemistry or a book of magic spells. He looks a bit out of Harry Potter. He also turns toward me as I enter. I think he is annoyed.
-What are you doing now?
-I walk around quietly. Not even looking at the old man, he scares me. I stroke the backs of the books as I pass them. I try to skim the titles but none is visible. I finally take down one. Green. Hardback. Faded. Smells like a friendly old book.
-What is it?
-The Red and the Black. Strange, I have read it and I didn't really like it.
-What are you doing with it then?
-I think I'll just sit down opposite the old man and leaf it through. Maybe I want to be reminded of the protagonist's name. Or something about the story. I've completely forgotten it. I really didn't enjoy this book.
-Have you found anything?
-Yes, a picture.
-Of what?
-A black and white drawing. Of a young woman. Screaming.
-What's she like?
-Sad. Dark circles under her eyes. Like she has been wide awake for a lot of nights. She is screaming into nothing. There is no one to listen to her. She is screaming her anger.
-What's she wearing?
-A robe with a hood.
-Who is she?
-I'm a bit confused. But I really think she is the woman from The Scarlet Letter.
-Why is she sad?
-Because she has to wear a badge of shame. Something that her village forces her to wear. Something that excludes her from society and reminds everyone of her sins. She is sad because she doesn't think she committed a sin but still, she agrees with the decision of her village. She is tortured because she is confused. She feels guilty for something she doesn't think was a sin.
-Can anyone hear her scream?
-No, she lives out in the bushes. Far from the village.
-Can she do something about her relationship with the villagers?
-Well, she could go to church I suppose. And show how much she repents. The villagers might accept her then. But the truth is she doesn't want to do it. She is not a lier and she does not repent.
-What could she do then?
-Maybe move three villages away?
-Would there be anyone who accepts her there?
-She would not have to wear the badge to start with. And she would tell the truth. Nothing but the truth. And she would only tell those she trusts. Not to the whole village. The ones she trusts would accept her, together with her past.
-Where would she live?
-She would buy a small house. Inside the village but not in the centre. She has savings you see. She would put plants in the windowsill and stick a paper windmill in the pot.
-Wouldn't there be anyone who doesn't want her there?
-Yes, of course. The ones who pick up the gossip from the neighbour village and who think themselves perfect. But no one is loved by everyone, right?
-That's right... What now?
-I close the book. I smile. Feels like I found what I came here for. I put the book back on the shelf. I nod at the old man who looks annoyed at me for smiling and nodding. I walk back to the door.
-Do you leave?
-Yes. And I don't worry about the old guy. I slam the door. Just a little. Just to give him a real reason to be annoyed.
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