Our Town – December 1, 2011

Bookselling by phone is hard, but the Soupster kept his 3 Down to the grindstone. After a few of the tougher calls to reluctant customers in regions far away, the Soupster rewarded himself by calling one of the villages near Our Town. He loved the familiar way everyone spoke.

And to 26 Down that, he was dialing his phone just now.

The world is made up of fractals, the Soupster believed, that patterns in nature repeat and that a coastline viewed from 29 Across has the same types of ins and outs as a section of coast viewed from an airplane. It’s the same patterns you’d see if you’re standing on a 33 Across looking down on the rocky shore.

Big city, Our Town, villages – the same patterns of life and people, just on a larger and smaller scale. 22 Across Town is to the village what the big city is to Our Town.

“Hello?” said a male voice.

“Hi!” said the Soupster and launched into his sales pitch.

As the Soupster described the plot of the book and its artwork, the male voice chuckled and snorted at all the right places. This made the Soupster optimistic and he launched even greater feats of salesmanship.

“Sounds wonderful,” said the voice at the village store. “I’m sure your book will fly 4 Down the door here.”

“Then you’d like to order some copies?” asked the Soupster.

“Oh, for that, you’ll have to talk somebody who works here,” said the voice.

“Who are you?” the Soupster asked.

“I’m just a customer,” said the voice. “The owner had to run home and she asked me to answer the phone.”