The Library of THINGS

Meeting Kyle again after all these years would teach her more than one valuable lesson

Emma peeked around the open door of the large shipping container, one of several lined up behind the church hall. ‘Excuse me is this the…’ she stopped, distracted by the mountain of clutter piled everywhere.

‘The Library of Things? Yes.’ A man, standing in the middle of the disarray turned to her with a wide smile. ‘Welcome. Wait… Emma Smith?’ His smile broadened. ‘We went to school together!’

‘Kyle Brenner?’ Emma returned his smile.

‘Come in,’ Kyle ushered her inside. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘I made an online booking,’ she said. ‘A chocolate fountain and a disco ball.’

‘Of course.’ Kyle frowned. ‘They’re here. Somewhere.’

Emma spun in a slow circle, surveying all the clutter. ‘You really just lend all this stuff to people?

‘We really do,’ Kyle said. ‘For a small fee. All the items are donated, including the shipping containers. And the church lets us work from here rent free.’ As he was talking, he began to move things, look under things, clamber over things. ‘And all the staff are volunteers, of course.’

Emma watched his mad search. ‘Do you have a system?’ she asked eventually.

‘Not really. My job is to catalogue everything and set one up. Ah!’ He pounced on a boxed chocolate fountain. ‘Looks brand new,’ he said. ‘Sometimes people donate unwanted gifts.’

Emma took the box. ‘And do you have the disco ball?’ Sunlight spilling through the door suddenly fell on a glittering ball. ‘It’s right here.’ He handed that over, too. ‘Having a party?’