The Smell of Library Books

Author: Mikayla Rodriguez

When I was a kid, the library was the only place that didn’t ask me to hurry. My mom worked late, so I’d stay until closing, reading at a corner table under the yellow light.

Old books smell like dust and ink, but to me, they smelled like escape. I traveled to places I couldn’t pronounce, met people who didn’t exist, and somehow, they felt more real than the kids in my class.

Now, when I go back, the same librarian is still there. She doesn’t remember me, but that’s okay. The books do.