“What happened today?” asked the Black Cat.
“I found a community.”
The Cat became immediately suspicious.
“What kind of community?”
“They celebrate finishing notebooks.”
The Cat blinked.
“They write books?”
“No.”
“They discover something important?”
“No.”
“They solve difficult problems?”
“No.”
“What do they celebrate?”
“They fill a notebook.”
Silence.
The Cat stared at her.
“With words?”
“Apparently that’s optional.”
“What happens next?”
“They photograph the last page.”
“And?”
“They post it online.”
The Cat remained perfectly still.
“For what purpose?”
“So everyone can congratulate them.”
“For finishing a notebook?”
“Yes.”
The Cat looked toward the lake.
“I’ve seen cats proudly present dead birds.”
“And?”
“They were contributing more to civilisation.”
The Señora tried not to laugh.
“It gets better.”
The Cat sighed.
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“They collect special editions.”
“Reasonable.”
“They collect storage boxes.”
“Still reasonable.”
“They collect photographs… of the storage boxes.”
The Cat closed his eyes.
“I may have spoken too soon.”
Behind the hedge, three Archons were already taking notes.
“The subject has completed Notebook Number 47.”
“Excellent.”
“Has the subject written anything memorable?”
“No.”
“Anything useful?”
“No.”
“Anything original?”
“No.”
“What exactly was achieved?”
“The notebook is full.”
The oldest Archon smiled.
“Outstanding.”
The youngest looked confused.
“But… why?”
The elder adjusted his golden mask.
“Because modern civilisation no longer celebrates what people create.”
“What does it celebrate?”
“Evidence that they participated.”
The Cat slowly stood up.
“So…”
“Yes?” asked Señora Ama de Casa.
“If Shakespeare were alive today…”
“What would happen?”
“He’d probably receive fewer likes than someone posting ‘Notebook Number 63 completed.’”
Later that evening the Archons proudly announced another historic milestone.
Millions of pages had been filled.
Nobody asked what was written on them.
────────────────────────
Disclaimer
No Archons were consulted during the writing of this dialogue.
Any resemblance to real notebook communities, stationery collectors, productivity gurus, writing forums, social media groups, or individuals proudly displaying their 147th completed notebook is entirely coincidental… although statistically rather unlikely.
No offence is intended. If you recognised yourself, the Cat recommends closing the app, making a cup of coffee, and writing something worth remembering in Notebook #148.
