The Truth Shall Not Change No Matter Where You Find It | [Writing Contest] Finish the Tale. Story #2

The old bookstore at the end of the street had been closed for years—until today. Four years to be exact. And the reopening event was worth celebrating. At least by the younger generation, the majority of which were female, who'd protested its closing at the outset. When the doors closed in the late 60s, it was if a portal to their truth had been slammed shut and knowledge on a certain topic ceased to exist.

But the closing didn't prevent the teens from Twelve Oaks attending Wadsbury Middle Academy from seeking the information they desperately desired.

Brianna, twelve at the time of the closing, witnessed the event. It didn't matter that she was forbidden to participate. Her parents, although supporting the closing, didn't attend, neither did they want her exposed to the violence they imagined would erupt.

Why would violence erupt over the closing of the bookstore, Brianna questioned. The answer was never explained fully, just that they felt the environment and topic of discussion wasn't appropriate for a girl her age.

Since her parents weren't forthcoming, she'd turn to the person who knew everything.

Older sister by one year, Kristen explained the controversy regarding the bookstore. "It's about freedom of speech." At least, that's what she'd heard from a friend. So Kristen arranged for Brianna to attend. Since it wasn't Brianna who'd twisted the truth a bit about their outing, she felt justified in her deceit.

The air was filled with disgruntled voices from both sides of the issue.

Brianna listened carefully as the bookstore owner and supporters presented their case for the bookstore remaining open. Their stance brought widespread applause as students and some parents nodded in agreement and held their signs high with individuals messages of support.

Apparently, those parents were the "progressive adults" she'd heard her own parents speak negatively about during dinnertime. Their primary contention was that their children were being exposed to material available in the shop not suitable for their age group, an example of which was the education of teens about their bodies, how to navigate adolescence without complications, and other controversial topics at the time.

The protest ended with Brianna still not quite understanding the controversy. The bottom line was that the protestors in favor of the bookstore closing won. The owner decided it wasn't worth a lawsuit over the books it carried. Not only did the protestors want the owner to remove the books from the shelves, but wanted the shop closed permanently.

That night, Brianna confessed to attending the protest. Her confession didn't sit well with her parents, especially her father.

"Why do you need to know about your body and romantic relationships at your age?" he shouted, then turned to her mother. "Apparently, you're not doing your job if she's thinking along those lines!"

That's when she realized that she should have kept the matter to herself. Glancing from one parent to the other, a shadow descended over the dinner table and my childhood.

A heated discussion ensued that brought tears to Brianna's eyes. She excused herself and ran upstairs to her room.

She paused on the stairs as she heard her father hiss, "that bookstore has been an eyesore for years, I'm glad it's being shut down. Corrupting our kids is the owner's intention."

At school the next day, Brianna spoke with her friends about the protest and her parents' viewpoint. Other friends agreed that their views were old fashioned.

During the discussion, Brianna listened as a girl friend began speaking about a topic that almost made her blush. She leaned in as the girl whispered, "the first time you do it, nothing will happen. I guarantee."

"How do you know?" Brianna whispered eagerly.

"Because I heard someone else say that after she did it. And I believe her."

Brianna eyes widened. She didn't know whether to believe her friend and her friend's friend.

Over the course of four years, Brianna refrained from any romantic relationships. Her curiosity didn't wane. She read whatever books she could find on the topic.

But it was when she stumbled upon the statistic that concerned her age group that she took notice and realized that teens do need as much information as they can absorb, especially when learning that her state reported the highest rate of teen pregnancy and teen Boys becoming fathers.

She began to participate in campaigns for teen access to information on a variety of topics.

So it was with a smile on her face that she attended the scheduled reopening of the bookstore.

For my story, I was inspired by: [Writing Contest] Finish the Tale. Story #2.

Visit the post above if you'd like to join in.