Archie’s perspective changed after his conversation with his father, and while he still thought of Tallie, almost every hour, he was no longer so distracted by those thoughts that he was unable to function.
His plan was to do what his father had done, which was to search everywhere for the unknown something that might be waiting just around the corner; and while it was a bit frightening for Archie, it was, at the same time, exhilarating.
Just as his father had done, Archie retained his job at Stay Afloat and continued to submit articles, although he did supplement them occasionally with his previously written works. Archie’s plan was to spend at least three hours each day exploring his mind, his town, his heart, and his prospects. He walked through Outlandish, intentionally and thoroughly, inspecting everything. He went in and out of shops, walked by every food cart, read every new sign and poster that hung here and there, and struck up conversation with as many people as seemed willing—and that part wasn’t at all easy for Archie.
Archie read two newspapers: Stay Afloat, which was only distributed on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and the Pacific Coast Buzz, which was distributed daily. He always took them to Outlandish’s library to read and made himself scan every single page of each newspaper including the classifieds.
Quaint libraries in very small towns never seem to be quite busy and neither was the one in Outlandish; that is why Archie loved spending time there. This library was especially narrow and oddly high. There was a spiral staircase going up, and as much as it didn’t quite fit, there was also an elevator crammed into the small building. Each level of books could be seen from the first floor and each of those levels was an exact replica of the one below it. While there wasn’t a lot of room to roam, there were plenty of books to choose from. They stood on shelves, which rose all the way to the short ceilings on each level, and rolling ladders made each one of them accessible.
This had always been a place where Archie could go for as long as he liked and no one would ever bother him, even though his umbrella did take up an unreasonable amount of space in the cramped quarters.
Children in Outlandish were scarce, so the large number of children’s books in the library was a bit excessive, but the aged librarian, Mrs. Pinkers, had once owned a children’s bookstore in Delaware and was terribly tempted by all the beautiful covers on the children’s books. She spent much too much of her book budget on what would only be read by a few, but nobody ever protested, so she continued to indulge.
The librarian had been around long enough to know Archie was quite fond of the children’s books, so she made sure he knew about each new book that came. Often she’d even ask for his help in choosing which ones to purchase from the catalogs.
It was Friday, just after breakfast, when Archie walked into the library with his newspaper.
“Good morning, Archibald!” called Mrs. Pinkers from behind the front desk. Mrs. Pinkers had always called Archie by his given name, because it was her father’s name and she was especially fond of it.
“Good morning, Mrs. Pinkers,” Archie said smiling.
“Oh Archibald, you just have to see this beautiful new book that came in this morning.”
Mrs. Pinkers walked around the desk and held out the book in front of Archie. As she handed it to him, she smoothed the cover with her hand as if presenting a rare piece of artwork.
Archie read the cover, When Someone Smiles.
“May I?” he asked, pointing at the table.
“Of course,” answered Mrs. Pinkers.
Mrs. Pinkers walked back to the front desk, and Archie walked over to the table and extended his portable umbrella stand. After putting his umbrella into it and adjusting it, he began reading.
Mrs. Pinkers watched from the desk in anticipation because she loved discussing the stories with Archie. But then the phone rang. Mrs. Pinkers sighed before she went to the back room to answer.
“Hello,” came a small voice next to Archie.
Thinking he was alone, Archie startled and looked in the direction of the voice. He was surprised to see a little girl standing next to him with a smile on her face. Archie thought she was cute with her tight blond curls and brown freckles, but he did wonder why she was there.
“Hello,” answered Archie while quickly scanning the library. “And . . . who might you be?”
“Felicity,” she answered. “What’s your name?”
Archie looked around for her parents but didn’t see anyone, not even Mrs. Pinkers.
“I’m Archibald. Where are your parents?”
“At home,” she answered.
Knowing he’d never seen her in Outlandish, he asked, “And where is home?”
“Over there,” she said pointing out the window.
“I think you might be a little young to be here alone. How old are you, five, maybe six?”
She didn’t answer but instead asked, “Why do you have an umbrella?”
Archie looked up and said, “It’s a little difficult to explain.”
Felicity didn’t respond but only stood waiting for an answer.
Archie said, “Are you frightened of anything, Felicity?”
Felicity shrugged and said, “Some things.”
“Well, I’m a little frightened by looking up at open spaces.”
When Felicity didn’t seem to understand, he clarified for her. “I have my umbrella so that my ceiling is lowered. Otherwise I don’t cope so well.”
Felicity looked up at the ceiling and said, “This is a very high ceiling.”
“It certainly is. But even a short ceiling is too high for me to look at.” Archie looked for Mrs. Pinkers, but he still didn’t see her. “You aren’t here alone, are you?”
Felicity giggled. “No, I’m here with you, silly.”
“Well, that is true, but what if I were a scary man?” Archie said, making his eyes look a little wild.
Felicity laughed and said, “You’re not scary, Mr. Archibald.”
Archie was tickled at how she addressed him and said, “No, I’m not very scary, am I?”
Felicity shook her head and asked, “What are you reading?”
Archie pushed the book toward her.
“Will you read it to me?” she asked, pushing the book back.
“Oh. Well.”
“Pleeeeease.”
“You . . . want me . . . to read it, to you?”
Felicity nodded.
Archie scanned the room for Mrs. Pinkers one last time. Reading to children certainly wasn’t something he was used to, but Archie couldn’t think of a good reason to say no, and he was trying to do things out of the ordinary, so instead he said, “Well, I suppose I could . . . read it to you.”
Felicity pushed a chair next to Archie’s so that it sat right next to him under his umbrella, then she climbed up onto it. Before opening the book, Archie said, “When Someone Smiles by Penelope King.”
When he opened the cover, Felicity looked at him and offered a reassuring smile. Archie began reading.
When someone smiles,
the world begins to change.
To the sad, a smile says—
Joy will return.
To the cheerful, a smile says—
I share in your happiness.
To the cross, a smile says—
Please soften your heart.
To the caring, a smile says—
Thank you.
To the lost, a smile says—
I’ll help.
To the hard at work, a smile says—
Well done.
To the troubled, a smile says—
There’s hope.
To the one celebrating, a smile says—
Congratulations!
To the fearful, a smile says—
Have courage.
To the traveler, a smile says—
Bon voyage!
To the worried, a smile says—
Be comforted.
To the adventurer, a smile says—
You’re brave.
To the weary, a smile says—
Rest yourself.
When someone smiles,
the world begins to change.
When you smile,
you change the world.
Archie shut the book and put it face-up on the table. He sat quietly for a moment not quite knowing what to say. Felicity surprised him by hugging his arm and saying, “Thank you, Mr. Archibald.”
Archie patted her on the head. “You’re quite welcome. And how did you like the story?”
“I liked it,” she said, smiling widely.
Archie chuckled. “Yes, so did I. Shall we change the world then?”
Felicity nodded excitedly, scooted off of her chair, and happily ran off.
“Wait, where are you going?” Archie called after her.
Felicity turned and said, “To see Great Grammie.”
Archie watched her run to Mrs. Pinkers who was now putting books on the shelf. Raising his hands in the air he said quietly, “Now how did I miss that?”
Mrs. Pinkers hugged her great-granddaughter and said, “How did you like the story, sweetie?”
“I liked it a lot, Great Grammie.”
“Oh, good! Now why don’t you go to the back and eat that snack we brought for you?”
Felicity waved at Archie. “Bye, Mr. Archibald!”
Archie waved back and smiled. Mrs. Pinkers walked over to Archie and sat down. Mrs. Pinkers winked at Archie with her wrinkled eyes. “It seems you’ve won a little girl’s heart . . . Mr. Archibald.”
Archie dropped his head and put his hands up. “What can I say?”
“And what did you think of the story, Archibald? Are you as impressed with it as I am?”
Archie smiled and said, “Yes. Yes, I liked it. The illustrations were done beautifully and the story was . . . well, clever . . . and even, inspiring.”
“I thought so, too!” said Mrs. Pinkers.
Archie’s smile grew.
Mrs. Pinkers asked, “What?”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Archie said, trying to put his smile aside.
“You know I’m a good listener,” said Mrs. Pinkers.
“Yes, well, it’s just I had a little revelation, that’s all.”
“From the smile on your face, it appears it was a good one.”
Archie laughed through his nose. “Yes, it was a good one.”
Archie looked fondly at Mrs. Pinkers. “Thank you, Mrs. Pinkers.”
“For what, Archibald?”
“For being an inspiration all these years.”
Mrs. Pinkers patted Archie’s arm. “Well, I’m not sure how I did it, but . . . you’re welcome.”
Archie folded up his papers, so Mrs. Pinkers asked, “Leaving so soon?”
“Yes, I just realized there’s something I need to take care of.”
When Archie lifted his umbrella out of its stand, Mrs. Pinkers stood and said, “I suppose I better get back to work. Will you tell your parents hello for me?”
“I certainly will,” was Archie’s answer.
“Children’s stories,” Archie announced to his parents almost as soon as he walked in the front door. “I think God wants me to write for children.”
Albert walked up to Archie. “Did you see your poster, Son?”
It only took Archie a moment to realize what his father was asking. He smiled and with a nod, answered, “Yes, Father. I saw my poster.”