Your Daily Awesome

As we arrived, the chunky, braided proprietor—Bill—was seated in a folding chair in the sweltering outdoors, smoking a cigarette and leisurely reading through the new edition of the gripping Southwestern Bell Oklahoma City Area Telephone Directory. Our hunt was neither deterred nor derailed by the “CLOSED” sign leaning against the establishment’s front, as Joe had been tipped prior by his educator that rumor had it Bill’s Yesterday Books is never officially “open.” Rather, the treasury of literature reportedly had been classified by crime-busting city officials as a “fire hazard,” exposing Bill to the potential of touch liability issues, steep consequences and monetary fines.

We would soon discover why.

… It’s a whole damn house with no living space whatsoever. Books are literally (and pat yourself on the back, dear reader, if you caught that pun) piled to the ceilings, but not on shelves, with a foot-wide pathway rudely carved through the rubble that one must shimmy through sideways in order to travel. The place is so overflowing with reading material that the path itself is comprised of volumes. It is near impossible to see the walls. And a window? Forget about it. There isn’t enough sunlight to discourage insects from forming veritable kingdoms in there. With careful balance and a reliable pair of mountain boots, the home is navigable, but it’s a one-way trail, and friend, there ain’t no passing once inside.

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