Reading Surgery [Weekly Short-Short Note]

"Patient number 34, please enter the examination room."

Hina closed the book she was reading and headed toward the examination room.

"Please have a seat there."
"Yes..."

She felt restless and uneasy. Even at thirty, she could never get used to being in a hospital.

"What are your symptoms today?"
"Well... there was a letter tucked inside the book I was reading."

"Yes."
"It was a letter addressed to my husband."

Her hands were trembling, perhaps from nervousness.

"Please calm down."
"I just can't stop thinking about it, I can't sleep..."

"I apologize for asking something personal, but"
"Yes..."

"Hina-san, you are single, aren't you?"
"That's right."

"Is what you are talking about happening to you personally?"
"No, it's about the book I'm reading right now."

"That is a classic case of print addiction."
"I knew it..."

"So, would you like to undergo reading surgery?"
"Yes. I would like to try it."