Kindness

Magda found the first pages (placed loosely and carefully into the backs of the books so as not to damage them in any way). "Archival paper," she whispered, noting the quality, and then began to read. Awestruck, Magda ran to her desk and opened the database, beginning a seek-and-ye-shall-find mission that revealed the author - the one name common to all of the titles in question. Back and back she went (months and months at a time), until she was both exhausted and certain that he'd been re-writing poor quality endings for years undetected - leaving them as a balm to disappointed hearts and minds. "Waira," Magda greeted him on the next Wednesday (his library day of long standing), "can we talk?" She called him out and he smiled, nodding. "But why?" she asked him. "Why give mediocre books a brilliant ending?" "To be kind," Waira replied. "To say to the author, I honor you; to say to the reader, forgive the messy path and let us take one step further together." "Let us be kind; the way is long and lonely, and human hearts are asking for this blessing only - that we be kind," Magda whispered. "The Childress poem," he whispered in return, "is really quite lovely." And they sipped coffee and smiled at each other, becoming friends and the best of co-conspirators.