~April

***

She slowly slid her finger along the book spines, each cool to the touch as she walked down the aisle. Her gaze fell to a stain on the worn carpet and she stopped abruptly. Without looking, she grabbed the book her finger rested on and quickly took a seat at a table near the window. She looked down to view her prize and had to shift to shield it from the glare of the sun.

Catherine loved this Saturday morning ritual at the Phoenix Public Library. Always a hopeless romantic, the idea of serendipity excited and fascinated her. Even though her method wasn’t entirely serendipitous, she still found it thrilling. This week she had grabbed a lushly green book, and upon closer inspection she found that it was actually a tree on the cover with green foliage. She smiled as she read the title: Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver.

She was still smiling as she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned towards the window and watched as something that glinted in the sun fell off the nearby canyon. Her smile faded and she shuddered, witnessing its slow descent.