Chris’ Library Diaries: 20 Questions

Editor’s Note: I would like to introduce our latest blogger Chris Bacon. Many of you may know Chris from the Scottville branch of the Mason County Library. Chris grew up on the eastern outskirts of the village of Custer and graduated from Mason County Eastern. His blog will discuss the lighter side of life at the library and will appear on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. 

One day I was baby sitting my niece and of course she got bored rather quickly since I do not have high speed Internet access (I have dial up, but can you really call that Internet access?) Anyway, I thought I could entertain her with a game from “yore” because no way in heck was I letting her touch my laptop. The game I chose was “20 Questions.” And to make it fair and to hopefully keep her interest for at least 30 seconds I told her it was a fun place I was thinking of and if she could guess it I would take her there. She wasted no time in letting me know where she would rather be at that moment. “Is it Disney World?”

“No”.

“Land?”

“No.”

“Do they have coffee?”

“Coffee,” I said with a raised brow.

“I’m not a morning person,” she quipped.

“Yes. In the winter.”

“Iced coffee?”

“You can put snow in it.”

“Is it far away?”

“No. Right here in Mason County.”

She looked a bit skeptical. “Are there super nice and cool people working there?”

“Yes.”

“Are there movies there?”

“Yes. DVD’s,” I quickly added..

“Can you get on the Internet?”

“Yes.”

“High speed Internet,” she asked with a smirk.

Ouch. Low blow. “Yes,” I replied. “They have computers people can use.”

“Is there WiFi?”

“Yes.”

“Is there a pool?”

“No.”

“Is there a blond writer/actor/despairing guy working there who really needs to meet somebody who knows someone who knows someone in Hollywood?”

“No.” I lied. Well, not totally. I’m not despairing. More like yearning. Strongly. Okay. Despairing.

“Do they sell hamburgers?”

“No.”

“Pizza?”

“No.”

“Ice cream?”

“They give cookies away sometimes.” I think her eyes lit up a little there if I’m not mistaken.

“Is there a place I can hang out with my friends?”

“Yes, but you have to be quiet.”

“What can we do there?”

“There are board games, puzzles, and toys to play with.” I think I saw some interest bubbling.

“Do they have special events for kids?”

“Yes. They have a circus, a magic show, a picnic, and they have weekly programs for kids too.”

“Is there something there for my parents to do?”

“Yes. They can do business type stuff there. There is a fax machine, a copy machine…..”

“I don’t need to know the details just so they don’t bug me.” She rubs her chin. Pondering. “How many Washingtons is this going to set me back?”

“What,” I say furrowing my brow.

“How much does it cost,” she says, rubbing her fingers together.

“Everything is free except for the copies ($.20/each), fax(donation), and copies off the computer (first 5 free, $.10/each after that).”

She leans forward, squints, “Are you full of it?”

“What?”

“Sounds to me like you are making this place up.” She crosses her arms. “They have all this stuff and it’s free?”

“Yes,” I say taking a hesitant step back.

“Well, I give up then.” She taps her foot. “What is this magical, free, fairy land you’re talking about?”

“The Scottville Library.”

“The library? I thought they had books at the library?”

“They do. Lots and lots of them that you can check out and read at home. They even have books on cd you can listen to while you’re playing at home on your Xbox.”

“Wii. Not Xbox.” She rolls her eyes, but they stop. Lock onto mine. “You didn’t say that.”

“You never asked.” Bazinga. Got her. It’s a small victory, but I have to hoard them while I can because I’m sure in a couple of years there will be fewer and even smaller. She’s quite witty.

“Well, I got one more question I want to ask.” She rests her hands on her hips.

“Okay.” I swallow.

“Can you take me there?”

“I’d love to…..as soon as you’re potty trained.”

Disclaimer. My niece is only 15 months old. I interpreted her, “Madaodokcalkdlaljka” as words as we patiently waited for her mother to return to change her diaper.