A Speech, 3/9/2024
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
Title: A Speech, 3/9/2024
Author: Narcissus Bennu
“Hello… uh, hello…”
--coughs a bit to clear his throat--
“Ah, yes, hello…”
--offers a small wave to the crowd--
“Ah, well. Hmm.”
“I never expected to be in front of a crowd again, but this will do. Yes, this will do just fine.”
“When I was asked to speak tonight, I wasn’t exactly sure why. I’m just an old man, an old man that told a few stories.”
“…not important, no, not important… you were the important ones…”
“I wasn’t sure what I should say, I’m still not, but I asked two questions of myself.”
“One, what is a library, why is this one important?”
“That is a simple enough question on the surface, I suppose. A library is a place to find books!”
--snorts with a bit of self-amused humor--
“Ah, but this library in particular isn’t just books, is it? No, this library is OUR books.”
“Yes, OUR books. Because in spite of what the by-line might say on any particular volume, the books contained here are OUR stories… Not mine, not Isk’s, not GreyPawn’s, Not Joanna’s… Not even Cear’s or Halister’s… these books contain a shared arc of storytelling which weave and whisper the passion of lives lived…”
“Our stories of intimate connection, I don’t mean… sexiness, though, I suppose there is that too. I only mean that stories are what bind us together in shared experience. The intimacy of connection. Those experiences can be small, maybe you met a girl on the streets of Minoc as a boy, you don’t remember her name… or what she looked like, you only remember the scent that the wind greeted you with as she passed, or you remember the way you felt when she returned your smile…”
--looks a little lost and stares blankly at the floor for a moment--
“…a small moment, not an important one. Or maybe the moment that King Blackthorn welcomed the first town council, eh? That was a big moment, yes, that was an important moment.”
--nods to himself and those gathered--
“But the moments in these tomes reflect generations of people, some of whom are gone, some of which remain, some of which were penned by tired old men…”
“So, why is this library important? …That was the first question, yes, I’m sure that was it.”
“This library is important because it houses the combined efforts, the binding stories, and the connections between people. That is why we are all here, isn’t it? To feel connected, to share moments of companionship with a stranger in the sincere hope that they become a friend, yes?”
“So, here it is. Books that chronicle that quest, words from a thousand souls, shouting into the world, ‘I am not alone!’ and they found out that they weren’t.”
--shifts a bit--
“There was another question, yes?”
--coughs--
“Oh, right, right… it was, why me? Why should I be the one to stand up here and say something about the importance of stories?”
“That one is a bit more difficult to answer than the first. As a boy I fell in love with my own reflection, stupid boy… but then I suppose the stupidity of youth can be forgiven by old men… as a man I helped you weave your own stories into a context of moments, just a storyteller, you all are the important ones, you always were…”
“…as an old man, I prefer to be forgotten, or when remembered, fondly… rather than foolishly. Britannia has moved on from my ramblings, and rightfully so. The world belongs to the young.”
“Our shared friend, Mr. Halister Marner has built a monolith, a treasure of our shared stories and experiences. Sing his praises, as it is your own melody which will echo back to you. This isn’t a building for him, this is a gift, a gift to every single one of us. A passion, a nostalgia which begs not to call us back, but only to page through and remember fondly.”
“We must remember those that passed beyond, hear their words, page through their stories and be curious about what they whisper to us from a generation ago, two generations ago, longer…”
“As I page through and read this evening, and many evenings in the future…”
--pauses suddenly and takes a weak breath--
“…I will only ask one more question…”
--licks his lips and blinks, trying to stave off a tear--
“…I will ask…”
“Can’t we just go back to page one and do it all over again?”
--stands quietly for a moment and nods to Halister--
--takes a step away from the lectern--