Rachel bought books from Goodwill stores. Colorful jackets: flowers, buildings, people, animals. On buses, a book in her lap, she traced the cover before opening. Book upright. Turning pages slowly. Ignoring people. No talking.

She died. Secret closets. Inside. Stacks. books. Books. BooKs. BOOKS.

Her brother said, “Rachel couldn’t read.”

M. Elaine Wilkins, Ed.D., is a writer and educator from Memphis, Tennessee. Her work explores family, memory, history, and the Southern experience. Her personal essay, “The Blues Is Hard on Your Feet,” appears in Porchlight: A Journal of Southern Literature, Issue 13 (August 2026), and her flash fiction, “Sitting on China: A Hundred Years of Shards,” was published by 101 Words in August 2026. Her creative nonfiction, “Mr. Billingsley Lives,” is forthcoming from Epistle Literary in October 2026. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at Lindenwood University.