Avocado and the Library
By Oculus
Based off @Carpdime’s Avocado
It was no small fact that Avocado loved reading books. Although his first exposure to language was through FluffTV, blockies and talking with his adoptive father Mark, it was during his time with his “gwampa” Harold that Avocado first learnt about books. Although Avocado had learned to read by watching the television and understanding the corresponding signals, seeing books for the first time caught him by surprise. Unlike the words of FluffTV, which would disappear after a while, the words in a book did not disappear but remain permanent. Unlike watching TV, looking at a book didn’t tire his eyes as much. And compared to building blocks there only showed one letter and took a while to make longer words with, books had longer words used in all kinds of creative ways to make interesting sentences. There seemed to be more things he could do with books than what was depicted on TV.
There were many places that Avocado visited as a foal, but the one place that he was most fond of was the library. The community library in Harold’s suburb was a fairly old library and didn’t have many fluffy-friendly amenities, but it had so many books. Avocado found that he could get lost in all the books that were on display there. Avo remembered the one time he got lost while looking for a specific book about a lost unicorn.
“Hewwo, nice whady.”
The old woman turned around, and saw our little green foal tugger at her dress. Maksing her annoyance, she fakes a smile as she asks, “Well, what do you want?”
“Miss, babbeh am wooking fow da Unicown dat fwew”
The old woman sighs. She was not cut out for attending to the foals who were coming to the library to read books. Not that children were any better, but it was still a little annoying. The old woman walked to a shelf that was marked “S”, and found the book that our little green foal was looking for.
“Here you go” she said, as she passed the picture book to Avo.
“Thanks!” said Avo in gratitude, as he took the book in mouth.
Avocado remembered all kinds of stories that were in the library. He remembered the sad story of Plumerella, the poor brown fluffy who was tormented by her adoptive family, and longed for a Prince who would rescue her. He was moved by the story about the Literal Sadbox, and the poor foal who was stuck alone by accident, until her owner returned and nursed her back to health. He learnt about love in the story of the Fisher and his mare, and how the fisher was willing to risk his life to save a seafluffy in distress. There were sad stories, but there were also happy stories. Stories like Seabreeze, who had her first foal that was an alicorn. Despite her fear, she came to slowly accept the foal, and love her dearly. There was story about the Babysitter fluffy who had to look after a baby for a day, and did a pretty good job at it. And then there were the adventure stories. Stories like the Unicorn who flew, about the unicorn Pointy, who ended up a balloon, and landed in a church far away from home. And there was the comic series called Postfluff, which was about smart fluffy named Greg and a Russian man in a mask who went on all kinds of adventures.
Upon reaching adulthood, Avocado went to live with his father and attended classes at West Celestial Academy. Yet, those memories of those stories he saw at the library remained for the year he spent with daddeh. So much so that he would often draw little stick figures and silhouettes. He had pictures of the Postfluff Russian working with Quesada and Fisher to rescue Plum. He also drew pictures of the Russian meeting up with Superfluffy, and aside from the occasional fight, the two would team up to take on Senator Sandworm. Avocado’s imagination grew as he grew older, and he delighted in coming up with new stories, while still retaining a fondness for the old stories he once knew. This imagination followed him all the way back to East Side Daycare, which Avocado returned to after his time in West Celestial Academy.
Thus, it was no surprise that one day, after telling Bonnie about his own story of the Russian and Quesada working together to save Pointy from the flying Xibalba that Bonnie asked Avo about this one character that Avo just introduced.
“Bu who am Pointy?”
“Oooh! Pointy stowy am so speshuw!”
And Avocado related to Bonnie the entire story about Pointy, the Unicorn who flew. How Pointy was a curious foal who one day got stranded on a balloon. He journeyed far and wide, until he was stranded on top of a church. The priest at this church managed to bring him down safely, and Pointy was happy!
“But, did Pointy eva gu back ta homesies? Di’ Ponity eva see mummah an’ daddeh again?”
And Avocado pondered. He remembered that there was a comic like that, about Pointy getting back to his home, but he never got a chance to read it.
~
Fortunately for Avo, Mark was paying a visit to his grandparents that weekend. Mark’s job was not too far from the suburbs, which meant that Mark would take Avo to see his adoptive grandparents on a weekly basis. And it was during one of these trips that Avo made a humble request to his grandfather.
“Oh, the library?”
“Dewe am a book Avo wants hab biggest readies, gwampa!”
“Well Avo,” trailed off Harold. He wasn’t sure how he was going to tell our little green foal what happened.
“I’m afraid the library you went to is, well, its gone.”
That came from Gwamma, who just came in with a small cup of tea for Avocado to drink.
“Gone?! Foreba sleepie?!”
Avocado was in shock. Although libraries can’t really die, the concept of “forever sleep” did apply to things that, well, ceased to be.
“Yes Avo., The library was very old.”
Feeling a bit dismayed, but knowing full well that nothing was forever, Avocado asked, “And aww da books aww foreba sweepie?”
Grandma laughed.
“Silly Avo,” she said with a reassuring tone, as she continued, “of course the books aren’t all forever sleeping. They moved the books to a new place.”
“Oh goodie! Avo wan hab bigges’ weadies!”
~
Avocado was in aw at the new library. Unlike the older library, this new library as part of a shopping centre. And, more importantly, it had a special place for fluffies to read at! Avocado often had to struggle with carrying the books with his mouth from the shelf, but here, there was a special trolley that Avo could use to retrieve the book he want, then push the cart to a special reading area. Here, the book could be mounted, and the fluffies could turn the page without damaging the books with their saliva. And best of all, this new library had even more books than the old one! Avocado could recognize the stories of the Literal Sadbox and the Fisher.
But something seemed wrong. The story of Postfluff, which he was now re-reading, didn’t seem to have a definitive end. It was a comic series, but the last scene had the Russian and Greg facing a giant monster. And then. It just ended. Avocado went to check if there was any more stories about Postfluff but apparently, there were none.
He then went to look for the “S” section, and with it, the continued adventures about Pointy. But there was none. There was only “The Unicorn who flew.”
A young and friendly librarian named Shirley noticed that our little green fluffy was staring at the shelf.
“Oh hello little fluffy. What are you looking for?”
“Fwuffy had been weadin’ abow Pointy, da unicown who fwew. But, dewe am onwy wun booksies. Abo wmemeba dewe was anudda.”
“Oh, I’m sorry little guy. I think that was one of the books we gave away. It was pretty worn, and it might be a while before we get it, if ever.”
Realizing that Avocado now couldn’t tell Bonnie about what happened next to Pointy, if Pointy ever got back home, and that the fate of Pointy was now limited to his imagination, Avocado could only manage a wistful, “Otay.”
“Cheer up little fluffy. Here’ I’ll introduce you to another book.”
As she said this, she took Avocado to the “C” section, and introduced Avocado to the adventures of Napoleon & Hipolyta.
And Avo did enjoy the new series that he was introduced to. But he was still wondering about out what happened to Pointy. Or what happened to the Russian and Greg. Even though there were so many new stories, all the old stories he knew seemed to be missing, or lacking their continuation, leaving the narrative stranded in a form of limbo.
~
The following Monday, a dismayed Avocado told Bonnie the sad news.
“Aww, dat nu amm guud.”
“Aww da stowies, maybe aww gone.”
It was a mild lamentation. Not terribly sorrowful, but as Avocado treasured a good narrative, the loss of storybook, especially from foalhood, affecting him a little. But Bonnie was interested about the library. Bonnie had only ever been to the old library, but had not gotten a chance to go to the new library.
Tring to cheer her friend up, Bonnie placed her hoof on Avo’s shoulder and with a reassuring tone, suggested, “Mebbe dey might bring da owd books some bwite time.”
Avocado could only nod in hope.
~
But it was not all that bad.
About a few weeks later, Avocado decided to return to the library, but was surprised to see that there was a large crowd of children and fluffies. Some of them were lining up in front of a table. Avocado squinted his eyes a little, and, he saw a man dressed like the Russian! Next to this man was a placard that announced “Postfluff is back!!”
Avocado’s eyes brightened, as he ran up to Shirley, who was keeping her eye on the line.
“Yes Avo,” she said, “That there is the author of Postfluff. He didn’t finish his comic, but came back recently, and is now releasing a new volume of his comic!”
An ecstatic Avocado ran back to Mark, his eyes wide open as he expressed his jubilation.
“Oooh, ooh daddeh! Avo wan buy da nyu Postfwuff book!”
Mark smiled. Avocado had been working a bit hard at his job lately, and had provided a bit of extra income lately. It was definitely more than enough to cover even this limited edition comic.
“Sure Avo. Lets go get that comic.”
The wait was quite long, as there many children, fluffies, and children with fluffies that were waiting in line to purchase a copy of the new Postfluff book, which was now autographed by the author Mutagen himself. But Avocadow as ecstatic. Having not read a continuation to Postfluff in so long a time, and being limited to only his imagination, there seemed to be something magical about reading a story by the original person who made the book. The forever time that he was in the line felt like mere secondies, and within moments, he was on the table, smiling at the author Mutagen.
“Hey there little guy,” said Mutagen, talking through his gas mask. “Whats your name?”
“Abo!”
“It’s Avocado,” explained Mark, understand out little green fluffy’s excitement.
Though wearing a mask, Mutagen let out a hearty laugh, as he said “Sure then Avocado.”
The gloves he was wearing was of little hindrance to him, as Mutagen left his unique mark on the book meant for Avocado.
“I hope you have fun reading it.”
And Avocado definitely did. That cliffhanger with the giant monster was restored, and a new pretty mare was introduced as well! She was a bit annoying to Greg, but she ended up being a potential ally!
And that night, before he retreated to his little pet bed, Avocado drew a new picture, this time of the Russian, Greg, and Usewess, the newest member of their party. And though it took him many secondies to draw this, he was happy with the result.
~
In memory of those who have not returned,
And dedicated to those who did
