There are few things worse than the look of disappointment on an innocent child besides the same look on one’s own child’s face, as one mother in California had experienced. Going by Lovely Lynda on Reddit, she shared her story on r/LittleFreeLibrary, where she explained that she had encountered a “Little Fake Library” with her 9-year-old son. Donating and discovering new books in LFLs is a bonding hobby for her and her little book lover.
So, it goes without saying that Lynda’s child was excited when he saw a new one had been set up in their neighborhood, with books he wanted to read, no less. However, he was devastated to discover the LFL had been screwed shut, leaving zero access to the books inside. “The most disappointing thing was how sad my son was at this fake-out,” OP recalled with a heavy heart.
Fortunately, they found another Little Free Library with good books, so the disappointment was short-lived. Though the initial excitement that turned into struggle and disappointment for her son still haunts Lynda. “Pretty sure someone got a good laugh at us struggling for a moment with this box,” she remarked. She wasn’t able to find a reason for the “Little Fake Library” existence, and other Redditors were confused by its purpose as well.
The Majority of Redditors Believed the Locked Little Free Library Was a Prank
“That’s so weird, maybe some vandal was pulling a prank? The books look sun-bleached, like it’s been locked for a long time,” pointed out a commenter. “Maybe the owner screwed it shut to keep the inside dry and didn’t have time or forgot to unscrew it,” guessed another. However, Lynda claims the past weeks in memory have been rather sunny and dry in her area, so the weather shouldn’t have been a factor.
A third person chimed in, saying, “I honestly wonder if some no-gooders did this, and it isn’t a fake one. The wood around the screws looks way too new.” A fourth person wrote in agreement, “The screws on the side with the handle are new(er). This was definitely meant to be functional originally.”
Several others joked, saying that OP should have just returned with a drill or toolset to break into the box. “I would 100% free this library with a screwdriver,” remarked a Reddit user. That said, no one was able to come up with a strong reason as to why the library was locked, besides hundreds claiming that it was a prank of sorts.
At the very least, the California mother and her son were able to find more books within the day, but the disappointment the two experienced definitely bothered her.
