[ WP ] Write about a book that has been overdue for 200 Years .

Jeremy strolled through the chic carbon glass doors and took a deep breath. The air in here was thick with a musty, slightly moldy smell reminiscent of a scarcely remembered age. The foreign scent brought tears to the man's eyes, and not just because the stale air stung a little. He had heard the news back in 2191 that a library was opening in the capital, but Jeremy had never dared to hope he would actually get to visit! Bookshelves spanning three entire floors held rows upon rows of ancient paper books. Genuine artifacts from the twentieth century! It would take Jeremy years to read through everything he wanted to, and yet he only had a week in the capital. Best of all, as a callback to the origin of the library, you could rent as many of the paper books as you desired, *free of charge. * Grabbing a lightweight woven nanofiber basket from the front desk, Jeremy began his journey into the vast sea of knowledge before him. 
 
 
 The avid historian he was, Jeremy felt like a kid in a candy store. He cracked a smile. Now all they needed was to bring back those, too. A particular title caught the elated citizen's eye, one he recognized from his literary studies. He made sure to brush up on influential books in history before making the trip, of course. Gripping the book by its lovingly reinforced spine, Jeremy inspected the front cover. *The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. * Adventures, huh? He hoped the government would n't assume it would incite him to rebel or anything. He placed the tome in his basket and continued browsing. 
 
 
 It was an hour before Jeremy convinced himself that the time he was spending digging through the vast library could be better spent reading his new acquisitions. Peeling his eyes away from the shelves of tempting titles, he descended the slick carbon staircase and made his way to the front desk. Looking through his selections, Jeremy was satisfied with the mix of educational, historical, and entertaining paper books he had chosen. He was excited to see what reading from actual pages felt like. Barely able to contain his excitement, Jeremy heaved the basket onto an available checkout booth. 
 
 
 The android librarian took the basket by the handle and began scanning them one by one. Running its titanium mitts over the covers, the machine emitted a small beep with every successful transaction. `` State your name, please, citizen,'' a metallic voice ordered softly. 
 
 
 Jeremy made sure to look the android directly in the camera. `` Jeremy Nickel,'' he stated precisely. The machine clinked and whirred for a moment, running this information through its federal database. Suddenly, the android's hands stopped what they were doing, dropping a copy of *Great Expectations* on the metal floor. 
 
 
 `` Citizen **Jeremy Nickel** has **1** book overdue. Please make necessary payment now.'' 
 
 
 Jeremy furrowed his brow. Impossible. The government's androids never made mistakes. And yet what other explanation could there be? Making eye contact with the automaton again, Jeremy clearly commanded, `` Show record.'' 
 
 
 The machine responded within a split second. `` Book overdue: *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince* by Rowling. Days overdue: **74,789. ** At fifty cents per one week, your total charge comes to: ** $ 71,912.50. ** Please make payment in cash or digitally now.'' 
 
 
 Jeremy's heart felt like it had caught in his throat. `` I think there's been a mistake. I -- I was named for my great great grandfather. That must be it.'' 
 
 
 `` Please make payment in cash or digitally now.'' 
 
 
 Jeremy's eyes flicked to his books, scattered across the front desk in a half-finished stack. `` It was my ancestor that checked out the book! I request human assistance. I request human assistance.'' Jeremy waved a hand frantically in front of the android's humanlike head. 
 
 
 `` Please make payment in cash or digitally now.'' 
 
 
 `` I-Can I get a little help over here?'' Jeremy peeked around the front desk, searching for a human supervisor. `` Hello?'' 
 
 
 `` The authorities have been alerted,'' the android lilted methodically, `` Please wait for further instructions.'' 
 
 
 Jeremy's heart pounded like a sledgehammer. Policing droids would be on the scene in a matter of minutes. 
 
 
 Doubting that law enforcement would be prove very understanding, Jeremy turned and made a mad dash for the exit. If he hurried, he could catch the next tram back home before the droids tracked down his hotel room.
