RED: A Love Story [Featured List]

Part 1: White 2 - Hobbits & sexual deviations from A to Z

"Think about how far we've come, from words strung together to text messaging," Marco concluded. "How does that affect our brain and our behavior? Today everything is not only ephemeral but changes too fast. Nobody can predict what the world will be like in five years and how future technologies will affect people's lives. Now the challenge is producing literature capable of defining our time."

Marisa listened in fascination, soaking in his words. Her passion for books had bravely survived the massacre promoted by Palamedes and now grew stronger in that class. She gazed at Marco with gratitude. More than gratitude: she looked at him with enchantment. While the class fell into silence, Marisa raised her hand and spoke:

"Then, according to your reasoning, wouldn't indefiniteness be the very definition of our time? Literature today, as a reflex of those accelerated changes, already defines our time precisely in its difficulty to define it." Her voice trembled imperceptibly, as she felt suddenly shy before the teacher. She cleared her throat and continued: "That would be the same as omission, for example. Just like action, it also brings consequences and therefore can be considered a form of action... right?"

Marco smiled and thought for a second before answering. Then the bell rang announcing the end of class and several students surrounded him to ask questions. Marisa stood up in an impulse, but gave up approaching the teacher and sat down again.

"Val, I think I'm in love," Marisa joked, indicating Marco, and for an instant she couldn't tell if that was really a joke or if it was serious.

"Then go talk to him," Valentina encouraged her, not without a note of amusement. "The girls look like demented groupies around him. Next thing you know, they're gonna be asking for autographs."

"I'd rather wait till the next time. Too many people there... It's pathetic. Look how Camila leaps forward... There she goes... pushing past Andrea, in between Julio and Helena... Bingo, she throws herself at the teacher."

"Typical."

"Typical," agreed Marisa with a sting of jealousy.

The following class, Marco mentioned The Lord of the Rings and piqued her interest in the books. Such a classic work deserved to be read in print, accompanied by authentic English tea served in Royal Worcester porcelain. So during intermission she rushed to the school library to get the trilogy and found the first two volumes. She savored them for exact thirteen days along with a half gallon of Earl Grey. Sunday ended with the last chapter.

To her despair, when Marisa went back for the third tome on Monday, she was informed it hadn't been returned yet. She rushed to the city library as soon as the last afternoon class was over. There, the much sought tome was happily found. She was about to ask for it at the counter when she remembered a compendium of sexual perversions Valentina had mentioned.

Marisa requested both copies from the librarian on duty, a thin old man with thick glasses who looked at her gravely and, without a word, disappeared into a maze of bookcases. He returned with the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's trilogy, and then vanished again.

Avidly, Marisa leafed through the book and was so absorbed she didn't hear someone calling her name. They touched her shoulder. Long legs, narrow hips, broad shoulders, a gleam of onyx in the eyes. With a startle, she looked up to find Marco leaning against the counter. He seemed different. In his jeans and black leather jacket, off the teacher pedestal, he was more accessible yet more intimidating now that he stood so close.

Her voice faltered and her heart pounded. Everything happened too quickly. He showed the rare edition of lyric poetry that he was returning, a blue cover book with yellowed pages that Marisa barely registered amid her surprise. Before the teacher's inquisitive stare, she quickly indicated The Lord of the Rings. Marco beamed with a broad smile and asked if she was enjoying the book.