There is a man who has been regularly visiting the library for as long as I have worked there, and none of my co-workers even know exactly how long he has been coming in. He is a weekly fixture.
Somewhat shorter than average, with grizzled gray hair and a moustache, and wearing stereotypical old man attire, he always walks into the library and immediately seeks an open computer. Once there, he searches for pictures of mountains and glaciers, and prints around a dozen pages of photos. He was quite happy when we began offering color printing, and immediately began paying 25¢ for color pages rather than the less-expensive 10¢ for black-and-white. He rarely speaks at all, unless it is to request his prints before leaving for the day.
Why is he so fascinated with mountains, and what does he do with the pictures? I have no idea. Perhaps he is an artist, and these are reference images for imaginative alpine landscapes. Perhaps he was once a mountain climber, and uses the photos to reminisce. Perhaps he is seeking photographic evidence of climate change by examining changes in glaciers and snowpack over time. Perhaps he has a high-functioning form of a mental disability, and has an obsession with mountains. Who knows?
At any rate, he is a nice enough individual. He has never been disruptive or otherwise problematic, and is just another example of the unique inhabitants of our little community.
Who shall I write about next? The Monster Boy? The Girl Who Knocks? The Frazzled Mothers? The Irish Lady? Please comment below!
See also: The Deaf Ashtray, Library Urchins, and An Odoriferous Library Intrusion