Illustration by Denis Shifrin

ANNETTE closed her library book with a deep sigh. Another happy ending. Why, she asked herself, do I always pick a book with a happy ending? Life isn’t like that. Everybody wants to live his/her life and have a happy ending - but what is a happy ending? The fighting couple get back together? The childless couple miraculously find themselves expecting a baby? Maybe sub-consciously she just wanted, for a brief spell, to share in someone else’s happy endings. After living in Israel for the past 25 years, her definition of a happy ending was not of fiction but of highs and lows, and hopes and dreams. Why oh why can’t there be a happy ending for Israel? Why is there a daily struggle to defeat the terrorists who send over katyushas and leave roadside bombs to trap innocent cars passing by? In spite of the dangers lurking around every corner, Annette loved living in Israel. She loved the mix of Mediterranean peoples and their straightforward way of talking. Many people, especially from the west, thought Israelis to be boorish, but she knew that deep down they were as sensitive as she was, and were also looking for happy endings. Annette had been an avid reader since the age of eight, and always had a book at her side. She loved to go to the library, or bookstore, and engross herself in the rows and rows of offerings for her reading delight. The nicest present anybody could give her was a book token. She remembered as a child asking for book tokens for her birthdays from aunts and uncles, in fact, anyone who would ask her what she wanted.   The library, set in green and pretty   grounds, was her ‘special’ place when she had a moment to herself and didn’t have to think about how hectic her life was in Israel. What with her six grandchildren, she really had to make an effort to squeeze in some ‘book reading time’.   Her grandchildren, to her sorrow,  weren’t that interested in reading. It was fair enough when they had a school project, but nowadays, she noticed that, children didn’t have the same feeling for books as she had when she was a child. They were distracted from reading by the likes of computers, TV and iPods which filled their days. It’s not that she was against such electronic wizardry, but compared to sitting down quietly reading and letting   your mind picture the printing on the page, there was no contest as far as she was concerned.  Annette quickly picked up her books and her car keys and made for her car. The library would be closing soon and, after all, if she didn’t have her share of ‘happy endings’ from her books, from where would she get them?