The Librarianist

Content Warning: This section of the guide references suicide.

Bob Comet, a retired librarian who is 71, awakens and takes his usual walk. Unprepared for the rain that falls, he ducks into a 7-Eleven where an elderly woman is staring at a glassed-in refrigerator of drinks. The salesclerk is concerned, as the woman has been staring, unmoving, for 45 minutes.

When Bob attempts to speak to the woman, she exits the store. He follows her and discovers she is wearing a nametag that indicates she lives at the Gambell-Reed Senior Center. Bob walks the woman, whose name is Chip, to the senior center, returning her to an employee named Maria.

Maria gives Bob a tour of the facility, explaining that most of the seniors are not residents but spend the day hours there only. Bob tries to engage with a few of the seniors. As Maria explains that Chip constantly escapes, Bob studies a bulletin board, then removes a notice about volunteer opportunities at the center. Maria initially discourages him, explaining that not only have past volunteers been underappreciated but also resented by the residents. She laments that they tend to make extra work for the staff, rather than alleviating it.