The library at 7pm on a Sunday

I went to the town library tonight — just before closing — and stood in the children’s section, staring at a single book spine that had fallen off the shelf. It was a worn copy of The Little Prince, spine cracked, pages yellowed. I picked it up, sat on the floor, and read the third sentence: 'It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.' I don’t know why I needed to hear that at 7:03pm, but I did. The librarian didn’t say anything when she saw me there. Just nodded, like she’d seen this before.