Penelope, or Penny, was a brilliant librarian. She liked things quiet, tidy, and in the correct place. Every Monday morning, she started work at the local municipal library.

Penny poured a cup of tea, put on her reading glasses, and began checking the trolleys full of returned books. Everything was normal until 8:15 am.

She walked towards the back wall, where the important ‘Classic Novels’ lived. Penny stopped. She stared.

“Gary!” she shouted.

Gary, the library assistant, was watering a small plant by the window. He was a very relaxed person. “Morning, Penny. Is something the matter?”

Penny pointed a shaking finger at the empty space by the wall. “The shelf, Gary! The enormous, brown, wooden shelf! It is missing! All the classics, Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, they are gone!”

Gary slowly put down the watering can. He looked at the empty space. “Oh. That is odd,” he said.

Penny was starting to panic. “Odd? Gary, this is a crisis! Where do you think an enormous shelf could go?”

They searched everywhere. They looked behind the public computers. They looked inside the large cupboard where old magazines were kept. They even looked under Penny’s desk, which was very difficult because it was full of spare paper and old rubber bands. No shelf.

“Gary, did you see anyone moving it on Friday?” Penny asked.

Gary scratched his chin. “Hmm. Now you mention it… I did move something heavy.”

Penny’s face went red. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

Gary walked over to the main circulation desk. He knelt down and pointed underneath the counter. The desk had one broken, wobbly leg.

“The desk was very unstable,” Gary explained cheerfully. “So I took the Classics shelf. I dismantled it and used the long side plank as a brilliant prop. It fits perfectly!”

Penny stared at the sturdy wooden plank holding up her desk. The most important books in the world had been sacrificed to stop the counter from wobbling. She took a deep breath.

“Well,” she said, finally. “At least the problem is solved.”

Gary smiled. “Exactly! Now, where should we put the classics books?”

Penny sighed and went to put the kettle on. It was going to be a long week.

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Vocabulary Notes

Tidy (Adjective)
Definition: Arranged neatly and in order; having everything in its correct place.
Example: “She liked things quiet, tidy, and in the correct place.”
Another Example: Please make sure your desk is tidy before you leave the office.
Similar Words (Synonyms): neat, orderly, clean, organized.
Opposite (Antonym): messy, chaotic, untidy.

Crisis (Noun)
Definition: A time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger; a moment when an important decision must be made.
Example: “Odd? Gary, this is a crisis! Where do you think an enormous shelf could go?”
Another Example: When the main computer stopped working, the whole department was in a crisis.
Similar Words (Synonyms): emergency, disaster, catastrophe, critical situation.

Scratch (Verb)
Definition: To rub a part of your body (like your skin or head) with your fingernails or a sharp object, often to relieve an itch or when thinking.
Example: “Gary scratched his chin. ‘Hmm. Now you mention it… I did move something heavy.’”
Another Example: The dog kept scratching at the door because it wanted to come inside.
Similar Words (Synonyms): rub, graze, scrape.

Dismantle (Verb)
Definition: To take something apart; to separate it into its different pieces.
Example: “So I took the Classics shelf. I dismantled it and used the long side plank as a brilliant prop.”
Another Example: It took the workers three hours to dismantle the large stage after the concert.
Similar Words (Synonyms): take apart, disassemble, break down.
Opposite (Antonym): assemble, build, put together.

Wobble (Verb / Adjective: Wobbly)
Definition (Verb): To move unsteadily from side to side; to be unsteady or shaky.
Definition (Adjective – Wobbly): Unstable or likely to move from side to side.
Example: “The desk had one broken, wobbly leg.” / “…to stop the counter from wobbling.”
Another Example: The small boat started to wobble when a large wave hit it.
Similar Words (Synonyms): shake, rock, tremble, totter (verb); unstable, shaky, unsteady (adjective).

Story written by Gemini.

Image created by Gemini.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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