Books, Old and New!
Mentaros was filled with books. Well, maybe not filled with books, but it came fairly close. The walls were filled with shelves that reached the ceiling, and shorter shelves were used to create aisles within the single room shop. Where the shelves were filled properly, more books were stacked on top, maximising the capacity of the cedar bookshelves. A small glass cabinet shaped like a 'U' was up against a wall, with shelves either side, and was filled with fountain pens and other stationary with an old-fashioned register sitting on one of the cabinets. There was also small stacks of book on the top of the cabinets, partially obscuring the person sitting behind them.
The small bell attached to the door rang cheerfully as two people entered the cluttered shop. The man stopped for a moment and surveyed his surroundings. His companion continued on through the piles of books, making detours so as to not knock over any piles that were on the floor. she turned back to see the man staring, stunned and smiled to herself. Mentaros was intimidating for people new to its charms. Luckily for the man, the woman visited the shop often, and knew where everything is. She stood in front of the glass cabinets and looked at the employee sitting there.
The woman behind the counter was rocking on the back legs of a wooden chair and reading a book, seemingly oblivious of anything else that was going on. Even when her name was called out, she calmly turned the page and continued reading. After a few goes, the man tugged on his companion's sleeve and pointed at a sign leaning against a stack of books.
'If the person behind the counter is ignoring you, please ring the bell.' It stated, with 'the management' written below the message. The man looked a his friend expectantly.
"Amy, can I ring the bell?" He asked, eyebrows raised. Amy sighed and nodded, pointing at the bell sitting next to the sign. He pressed it cheerfully, smiling at the loud ring that issued from the contraption. Seeing no reaction from the girl, he rang it again. And again. After a while it became constant ringing, and the woman (without looking up from her book) leaned forward and moved the bell. The man reached forward, picked up the bell and proceeded to continue ringing it. The woman reading looked up and scowled at him, while he smiled broadly back.
"Will you stop that infernal noise!" She exclaimed, sitting up properly and shoving a bookmark fiercely in to mark her place. She pushed her glasses up her nose and grabbed the bell off him. He reached for it, but Amy grabbed his arm to stop him.
"That's enough Mikha." She muttered. Mikha pouted, but left the bell alone. "Lou, do you have those books I was asking about?" Amy caught the woman's attention just as she was about to return to reading. Lou frowned and pushed her glasses up her nose again.
"Do I know you?" She asked, laughing at Amy's reaction. "I kid! They should be on the shelves with the other orders." She pointed at some shelves at the other end of the shop and went back to reading. Amy rolled her eyes as she walked through the shop.
"Thank you Captain Obvious" she muttered, stopping in front of the shelves with a sign saying 'Customer Orders'. Rummaging through the parcels wrapped in brown paper, she grumbled incoherently. Mikha wandered about aimlessly, stopping to look at a book on wildlife. His eyes widened as he read a page, and started laughing to himself. He looked at the price tag, checked his wallet and walked over to Amy, still chuckling.
"Find what you were looking for?" He asked, grinning. She glared back at him and shook her head. She stormed over to Lou and thumped the cabinet angrily.
"Lou, it's been three weeks now, and I still haven't got those books!" She exclaimed. Lou looked up lazily and pushed over the phone, familiar with Amy's routine. Amy grabbed the phone and dialled angrily, tapping the glass impatiently. Meanwhile Mikha leaned around Amy and bought the wildlife book he'd been looking at earlier. Amy stood straighter as she glared into the phone's receiver. "Hello Mena? Yeah it's Amy. Will you hurry up with my Goddamn books already?!" She complained into the phone while Mikha watched on, intrigued. He turned to Lou, who was trying to find her page.
"Is she always like this?" He asked, sneaking a glance at the grumbling Amy. Lou sighed and tried to make herself heard over the noise.
"Mena's not the most reliable of suppliers, and the books Amy wants aren't that common. It's happened before." She gave up trying to find her page and threw the book on to the cabinet dejectedly. "It seems to be becoming a ritual!" She exclaimed, raising her voice over Amy's. Amy slammed the receiver into the cradle of the phone and took a few deep breaths before turning back to the other occupants of the shop, who were looking at her skeptically. She smiled broadly at the two of them, making Mikha turn to Lou.
"You know, even after all these years I still am not used to her mood swings." He commented, laughing as Lou's confused expression and whining when Amy hit him on the arm. "Heeeeeey..." Lou shook her head and picked up her book, flicking through the pages once more.
The small bell attached to the door rang cheerfully as two people entered the cluttered shop. The man stopped for a moment and surveyed his surroundings. His companion continued on through the piles of books, making detours so as to not knock over any piles that were on the floor. she turned back to see the man staring, stunned and smiled to herself. Mentaros was intimidating for people new to its charms. Luckily for the man, the woman visited the shop often, and knew where everything is. She stood in front of the glass cabinets and looked at the employee sitting there.
The woman behind the counter was rocking on the back legs of a wooden chair and reading a book, seemingly oblivious of anything else that was going on. Even when her name was called out, she calmly turned the page and continued reading. After a few goes, the man tugged on his companion's sleeve and pointed at a sign leaning against a stack of books.
'If the person behind the counter is ignoring you, please ring the bell.' It stated, with 'the management' written below the message. The man looked a his friend expectantly.
"Amy, can I ring the bell?" He asked, eyebrows raised. Amy sighed and nodded, pointing at the bell sitting next to the sign. He pressed it cheerfully, smiling at the loud ring that issued from the contraption. Seeing no reaction from the girl, he rang it again. And again. After a while it became constant ringing, and the woman (without looking up from her book) leaned forward and moved the bell. The man reached forward, picked up the bell and proceeded to continue ringing it. The woman reading looked up and scowled at him, while he smiled broadly back.
"Will you stop that infernal noise!" She exclaimed, sitting up properly and shoving a bookmark fiercely in to mark her place. She pushed her glasses up her nose and grabbed the bell off him. He reached for it, but Amy grabbed his arm to stop him.
"That's enough Mikha." She muttered. Mikha pouted, but left the bell alone. "Lou, do you have those books I was asking about?" Amy caught the woman's attention just as she was about to return to reading. Lou frowned and pushed her glasses up her nose again.
"Do I know you?" She asked, laughing at Amy's reaction. "I kid! They should be on the shelves with the other orders." She pointed at some shelves at the other end of the shop and went back to reading. Amy rolled her eyes as she walked through the shop.
"Thank you Captain Obvious" she muttered, stopping in front of the shelves with a sign saying 'Customer Orders'. Rummaging through the parcels wrapped in brown paper, she grumbled incoherently. Mikha wandered about aimlessly, stopping to look at a book on wildlife. His eyes widened as he read a page, and started laughing to himself. He looked at the price tag, checked his wallet and walked over to Amy, still chuckling.
"Find what you were looking for?" He asked, grinning. She glared back at him and shook her head. She stormed over to Lou and thumped the cabinet angrily.
"Lou, it's been three weeks now, and I still haven't got those books!" She exclaimed. Lou looked up lazily and pushed over the phone, familiar with Amy's routine. Amy grabbed the phone and dialled angrily, tapping the glass impatiently. Meanwhile Mikha leaned around Amy and bought the wildlife book he'd been looking at earlier. Amy stood straighter as she glared into the phone's receiver. "Hello Mena? Yeah it's Amy. Will you hurry up with my Goddamn books already?!" She complained into the phone while Mikha watched on, intrigued. He turned to Lou, who was trying to find her page.
"Is she always like this?" He asked, sneaking a glance at the grumbling Amy. Lou sighed and tried to make herself heard over the noise.
"Mena's not the most reliable of suppliers, and the books Amy wants aren't that common. It's happened before." She gave up trying to find her page and threw the book on to the cabinet dejectedly. "It seems to be becoming a ritual!" She exclaimed, raising her voice over Amy's. Amy slammed the receiver into the cradle of the phone and took a few deep breaths before turning back to the other occupants of the shop, who were looking at her skeptically. She smiled broadly at the two of them, making Mikha turn to Lou.
"You know, even after all these years I still am not used to her mood swings." He commented, laughing as Lou's confused expression and whining when Amy hit him on the arm. "Heeeeeey..." Lou shook her head and picked up her book, flicking through the pages once more.