words on pages

The distance of print on paper is a perfect barrier against intimacy. He welcomes the fact that he need not know the author's thoughts or emotions, that the most sensation he will have is the touch of pages against his fingers.

When he is alone in the library, he is truly alone. No longer do the needy desires of others press against him and brush his skin; no longer must he pretend that he cannot feel their wishes.

He dislikes making notes, however. When he sees his scrawled characters harsh against the pale paper, he always feels sorry for it.

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