Wow! What the audacity! I went to the microphone and expressed my «boo» to Mr. Bookfondoff. We, poets and writers, gathered there, were born to write and not to read! While all the rest, not present in that hall people, must learn us, the honored and awarded, the greatest and decorated with orders and medals, the winners and laureates! After all, at literary unions’ meetings, performances in libraries and schools, at concerts of poets and writers in our times, there were only poets and writers like ourselves! Readers and ordinary listeners had been sitting at home for ages!
The audience supported my «boo» with thunderous applause and «Bravo!», but Mr. Bookfondoff tried to object that such an incredible number of Writers’ Unions had bred, since everyone who had a social network page and knew to write at least their full name, considered oneself a writer. However, judging by the reports of publishers, people had stopped buying books, and, therefore, reading them. That was why, in order to maintain interest in books, he, Mr. Bookfondoff, had decided to create the first and the only one in the world Union of Readers.
The discussion threatened to escalate into a sharp conflict. I offered Mr. Bookfondoff to read my books first and defiantly left the Central House of Writers. Everyone else followed me, except for Mr. Bookfondoff.
A year passed. At another evening at the «Lyrics of Cuckoo’s kids» Literary League, I learned that no one had joined the Readers’ Union, apart from Mr. Bookfondoff, meanwhile another Writers’ Union appeared in social networks!
And that time… an Intergalactic one!
Wow! I rejoiced! «Hang on, Maya! Now you just have to die of envy!»
I was told its website where I got acquainted with the conditions for admission to the Union and with the list of competitions for the coming decade. So every year was run by its own Intergalactic Commission, issuing awards named after one of the planets of the Solar System, nearby Constellations, satellites and not only.
During the night, I prepared a selection of my poems, the «Unrecognized Genius» came first, of course, and sent it to the Intergalactic Commission for consideration. At the same time, I applied to join the Union.
Imagine my surprise when I received the reply revealing that my poems were not subject even for a prize nomination, and I had been refused admission to the Union!
«Oh, no! I won’t leave it like that!» I decided, and instead of continuing our correspondence, I went straight to their office.
The secretary politely listened to my demand for a face-to-face meeting with the most important person in the Intergalactic Union and escorted me to the meeting room.
A few minutes later, the door swung open, and…
«Mr. Bookfondoff! You?!» I was surprised.
«Hello!» Mr. Bookfondoff said calmly. «What brings you here?»
I handed him a printout of my works, beginning with my masterpiece, the «Unrecognized Genius», and said that I had been refused not only the Sun Prize, but also the nomination itself, as well as the admission to the Intergalactic Union.
«By what right? To deal with me! That way!» I exclaimed in conclusion. «Have you ever read my poetry?»
«Of course,» Mr. Bookfondoff replied suddenly. «I have read your book. Back when you invited me to get acquainted with your lyrics at the Central House of Writers.»
«AND?!» I was expecting admiration.
«You are a common graphomaniac.»
«Are you out of your mind?» I shouted, jumping up from the table. «How dare you insult me?! My „Unrecognized Genius“ got a billion awards from all the Writers’ Unions existing today!»