DUE: 14 JULY 1953<\/strong><\/p>\nShe found it while clearing her grandmother’s cupboard.<\/p>\n
The book itself was ordinary: a collection of adventure stories with a faded green cover.<\/p>\n
Inside was a library stamp from a school that still existed.<\/p>\n
So Mira returned it.<\/p>\n
The new librarian laughed when she saw the date.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis might be our record.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened the old borrowing register.<\/p>\n
Her smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
The librarian turned the book towards Mira.<\/p>\n
On the first page was a handwritten name.<\/p>\n
Leela Raman. Class VII.<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cMy grandmother,\u201d Mira whispered.<\/p>\n
The librarian disappeared into the archive room.<\/p>\n
She returned carrying a thin folder.<\/p>\n
Inside was a black-and-white photograph of the school’s first library committee.<\/p>\n
Seven children stood beside a wooden cupboard filled with books.<\/p>\n
Mira recognised her grandmother immediately.<\/p>\n
Below the photograph was a note:<\/p>\n
Student librarian Leela Raman proposed that children be allowed to take books home. Approved as a trial for one month.<\/strong><\/p>\nMira stared at the green book.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she was the first?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first student to borrow one overnight,\u201d said the librarian.<\/p>\n
Mira smiled.<\/p>\n
Her grandmother had spent years telling everyone to return books on time.<\/p>\n
Apparently, she had been avoiding one particular conversation.<\/p>\n
The librarian stamped the book once more.<\/p>\n
RETURNED<\/strong><\/p>\nSeventy-three years late.<\/p>\n
Exactly on time for the story to be discovered.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The library book was seventy-three years overdue. Mira knew because the return slip was still inside. DUE: 14 JULY 1953 She found it while clearing her grandmother’s cupboard. The book itself was ordinary: a collection of adventure stories with a faded green cover. Inside was a library stamp from a school that still existed. So<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[604],"tags":[637,616,631,622,617,620],"class_list":["post-4793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative-studio","tag-arts","tag-book-reviews","tag-creative-writing","tag-fiction","tag-literature","tag-personal","enable-dropcap","disable-2-columns"],"yoast_head":"\n
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