A Literary Christmas

"So you want a story I will tell you one"

Once upon a time an exhausted young lady wandered into a mall to engage in some retail therapy.As she went about her window shopping she went into a bookstore in pursuit of a classic novel her meagre student allowance could afford and then she saw it. A brand new blue paper back. But what struck her the most were the writings on the cover. 'And The Mountains Echoed, ' by the author of the critically acclaimed novels 'The Kite Runner' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns.' She smiled. She stared. She sighed. She swore she would marry anyone who bought her that book for her birthday.
So every so often she would pass by the bookshop and dream about the day she would get lost in those four hundred pages.

Long story short, she did. And it was worth the wait. Khaled Hosseini hypnotized her with every carefully chosen word. He has a gift, no wonder she a bit too boldly admits he is her favourite author. (She did this even in front of those bookshop attendants who looked at her like she was from an alien planet.) In the five days it took to finish the book, she was lost. Lost in time, as his story spanned decades. Lost in space,  because this time he didn't limit his setting to Afghanistan. This time, he took her to The Island of Tinos in Greece, San Francisco, Paris, even Kenya.  She didn't just read a best seller this time. No. She read a work of art.  And it was the best Christmas Gift anyone could have given her.

Sadly, I don't switch between first person and third person as gracefully as Khaled does. But I couldn't end this piece without adding a personal touch. I had a lovely Christmas thanks to that book. 
And as I dread the new year and the change it often brings, I am grateful for those things whose beauty remains unchangeable like that feeling you get when you read a great piece of writing. Cheers to all the great writers out there. Thank you for your timeless talent.

And lastly a Happy belated Christmas loved ones and have a beautiful blessed new year.