Wednesday Prompt 2014 #2

Here’s our Wednesday Prompt 2014 #2 via Shilpa Garg.

It’s a small world

The memories of the bygone childhood days never ever seems to leave us and with the passage of time become deeply imprinted in the folds of the brain and amaze me when life was simple and filled with innocence.

"Neither a borrower or a lender be" as is said but this adage throws caution to the winds where the medium of exchange is books.

I (and most of my friends) had a voracious appetite for reading and the thirst for collecting books increased with celebration of each birthday. I had a huge collection of ACKs (Amar Chitra Kathas) . On the right hand side corner of the cover page , I would draw a star as a sign of recognition. And after devouring each page would be passed on to my best friend but with a stern warning of returning it as soon as possible. But the Earth being round , it would be passed on to a huge chain of friends and acquaintances before landing it to the rightful owner with many smudges marks. At times the books would get lost in the maze of the young readers .

My father has bought a ACK of Raja Bhoja and as per the norm I passed it on to my best friend. After two weeks , one of my neighbour passed on an ACK to me and to my surprise , there was a star mark on the right hand corner of the book.

It's a small world , I thought.

I encourage my son to lend books but the circumstances of my childhood days no longer exist. Due to the rise in disposable incomes the children no longer have to resort to the passing game.

Readers, did you exchange books to read in your childhood days?