Books Galore (Open)

Agatha stopped in front of a large shelf of books against a wall. She held a small ladder in her hands which she placed in front of her as quietly as she could. The small thud of the wooden ladder made Agatha peer over her shoulder to be sure that she hadn't disturbed anyone. It was with some difficulty that she climbed quietly as the ladder was prone to creaking loudly. Atop the perch, Agatha couldn't help but peer down. And though she was but a foot or two off the ground, she trembled with fright. Agatha grasped a horizontal edge of shelf with both hands to steady herself and leaned against the shelf with her eyes shut tight.

Agatha only woke from her fright when the ladder she stood upon made a loud creak. She looked up rather than down this time and reached up for her book. The tip of her fingers only barely could reach the bottom edge of the book. Agatha clenched her teeth together begrudgingly. She cursed her lack of height in her head then rose onto the tips of her toes. It was helpless, Agatha grasped at the book in vain. The librarian had packed the row rather tightly. She tried to edge her nail under the bottom of the book and was elated to force some success that way. She had hardly freed the book from its prison, unfortunately. But the small success spurned her to greater effort and she pulled at it harder. As the book came loose, so too did Agatha's footing. She fell backward onto the floor landing on her posterior with a loud thud. She caught herself with an arm behind her before her head collided with anything however. The book came crashing down upon the wooden ladder and fell very loudly at Agatha's side. She groaned quietly, hoping that no one had heard her antics.