They all came tumbling down (Open)

[Marnie Sullivan]

It was quiet in the library. It wasn't much of one - just a little room in the center, smaller than the lobby and the room they'd hosted the holiday party in. But it had books, quiet, and a place to sit, and that's all that Marnie wanted in a library, really.

She'd visited several times over the summer, when she didn't have a shift at her new job. It's where she spent Pride while the parade marched itself through downtown. Going to Pride with her Aunt Roz, that was one thing. Going alone was a different beast. The parade, the parties, the smiles everyone shared like candy tossed from the floats - they didn't feel like they were hers to claim yet. Maybe they never would.

The library was different. Marnie carved herself a space here in the quiet, when she didn't want to sit at home and didn't know where else to go.

The sun sinking into the window across the room splashed its glare over her eyes. Shielding her face with one hand, Marnie checked the clock on her phone with the other. She'd better clear out; there was a meeting due to start soon here, and she tried to time her visits to be out of their way. She stood and stretched with a satisfied groan, arms long above her head; she'd been sitting quite a while.

Sometimes Marnie brought books from home, sometimes she borrowed one from the shelves here. Today was one of those days. She was nearly finished, and was debating taking it home when her shoe smacked against the table leg and she felt her leg twist under her. With a yelp, Marnie reached out for purchase on something, anything, and her hands caught one of the shelves. Books spilled over her before pelting to the floor; Marnie and the shelf soon followed with a crash and a "no no no no!" 

Quickly Marnie shoved the shelf off herself and staggered to her feet. She needed to clean this up before someone came to investigate the noise.

[Adam Deulane]

"EEEEEEK!"

A woman stood in the doorway, eyes agape and limbs rigid as if she'd just walked in on puddles of blood. It was Martha.

No one really knew what Martha's deal was. She came to the LGBT center about once a week, never participated in any events and spoke only in rare, torrential outbursts that had nothing to do with LGBT issues. Martha was, as usual, impeccably groomed and wearing a Canadian flag pin. She was also red-faced with anger.

"What have you done?!" the woman demanded, sweeping into the room and waving her hands over the splattered books as if she hoped to return them to the shelves by telepathy. "Do you have any--I can't believe they would allow--as if you can find quality books on botany just anywhere--and what would Mr. Gore say--" Martha turned her bright black eyes on Marnie. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

[Marnie Sullivan]

The clamor had done its dirty work, and soon a woman came shrieking in to both witness and amplify the chaos. Marnie's knee throbbed where it had smacked into the floor, and an angry bump was already forming where the corner of a particularly heavy hardcover had met the back of her head.

"I'm sorry!" Marnie wailed. As she scrambled to scoop the fallen books into her arms, just as many would spill back out. There was no thought yet of getting them back in order; she just wanted them off the floor. "I'll fix it, I swear, I'm sorry!"

This was it, she was going to get kicked out of the library, no, the whole center forever, the lady screeching at her was probably the librarian or an administrator, or maybe this Mr. Gore person was, but either way they could and would have Marnie banned for life, she was sure of it!