Crying Librarian Throws Stack of Papers in Trash Bin and Hears a Thin Voice from Inside – Story of the Day

One day, Janet dumped years of her hard work into a trash bin. But just as she was about to leave, a weird voice and a rustling sound from the trash bin stopped her. She went on to check the source of the noise, and her discovery that day changed her life forever.

Janet Turner had been alone for most of her life and never considered marriage or having children because she was never interested in having a family. The only things that interested her were books and writing, so despite having a jerk boss, she'd been working at the same library for 15 years, surrounded by what she loved the most -- books.

In fact, Janet was so moved by them that she wrote a play on her own six years ago. She knew the play was fantastic, but she was scared to share it with anyone because she was afraid of criticism. Hence, she penned dozens of novels and plays that ended up in her closet.

Janet observed an odd noise coming from the trash bin. | Source: Shutterstock

Moreover, Janet didn't talk much to people; she was a complete introvert who found company among book heroes. She stayed at work almost the entire day since she didn't see sense in coming home early. And in her spare time, she read and wrote, and wrote and read, and that was how her days passed.

One day, during a lunch break in the library, instead of going out to eat, Janet decided to finish a play that had been on her mind for a long time. She was so engrossed in putting it all together that she didn't notice when the lunch break ended, and her boss, Ronny, walked over to her table. He became enraged when he saw her immersed in the play rather than working.

"Janet!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Is this the reason I pay you? To let you waste time on your useless hobbies?!"

"Ronny?" Janet sprang to her feet, terrified. "I - I didn't see you coming. Actually, I had to work on it, so I figured I'd finish it during my lunch break."

He lifted his hand and tapped his watch angrily. "It's just been five minutes since the lunch break ended! Look, Janet, I'm dead serious about this ridiculous pastime! Stop wasting your time and get back to work! And, yes..."

"Ye - Yes?"

Janet worked as a librarian for 15 years, surrounded by what she loved the most -- books. | Source: Unsplash

"Do you honestly believe that by writing those dumb things, you'll gain fame and fortune? Huh!" he mockingly laughed. "Look at you, Janet, you're so timid, so dysfunctional that you can't do anything right. And those plays...they're dreadful, worse than dreadful! If you have the time, consider tossing them in a gutter or simply burning them...Return to your work now!"

Janet had seen terrible days in her life, and she had gone through worse, but Ronny's derision of her hard work shattered her to pieces. She snatched the stack of papers and hurried outside, crying. She was so distraught that she had no idea where she was going. She kept walking until she came across a trash can. She examined the stack of papers in her hand, then the trash can. "Ronny is correct," she told herself. "All of my work is nonsense!"

Janet threw the stack of papers in the bin and turned to leave, brushing her tears away. Suddenly, a tiny voice – possibly the sound of silent breathing – frightened her. She turned around and saw nothing out of the norm, so she dismissed it as a figment of her imagination. But then she heard a rustling sound coming from inside the bin. She was sure she wasn't hallucinating this time.

She approached the garbage can with light feet, terrified, and was met by the brightest eyes she'd ever seen. "Jesus! What is that?" she jumped back, startled.

Just then, a 6-year-old girl popped out of the bin. "Hey, is he gone?" she asked in a squeaky voice.

Janet found out it was a little girl making the noise. | Source: Pexels

"A girl? What is she doing here?" Janet wondered, her heart still racing fast. She calmed herself and asked, "Who are you talking about?"

"The dog," the girl replied. "He was chasing me, and I hid here. Has he left?"

"Oh," Janet paused and looked around. "Yes, yes, he's gone. Get out of there," she said, helping the girl out of the bin.

As the little girl came out, Janet dusted off her dress. "What's your name? And what is a young girl like you doing here alone?"

"My name is Nicole," the girl revealed. "I live at a nearby orphanage. I was playing with my friends when a dog started chasing us. I hid inside the bin, and I'm not sure where my friends went. I'm scared to go back alone."

"Oh, don't worry. I can help you," Janet suggested. "How about I drop you off at your orphanage? Do you happen to know the address?"

Nicole nodded. "Thank you…What's your name?"

"You can call me Janet," Janet said, smiling.

Janet accompanied Nicole to her orphanage. | Source: Pexels

Nicole returned her smile. "Thank you, Janet."

"So shall we?" Janet extended her hand for Nicole to hold, and the two proceeded to Nicole's orphanage.

As Janet was leaving after dropping her, Nicole suddenly asked, "Will you come to see me again? I feel very sad here, especially after mommy and daddy went to the angel."

"Uh, what? Yeah, sure…I mean—"

"Thank you!" Nicole replied and dashed inside.

Janet was stunned that she agreed to see Nicole. She had never been attached to people before, she liked staying aloof, but for some reason, Nicole didn't leave her mind.

Janet couldn't sleep that night. All the time, she kept thinking about Nicole and how cheerful she was. In fact, she missed the little girl so much that she couldn't resist meeting her. So the next day, as soon as her shift was over, she was at Nicole's orphanage.

"Janet!" Nicole cried happily when she saw her. "You came!"

Nicole was overjoyed to see Janet at the orphanage. | Source: Pexels

"Of course, I came," Janet said, hugging her. "I got you a little present, by the way." She pulled out a packet of mini-croissants and gave it to her.

"Thank you...But what is it?" Nicole asked, turning the packet in her hands multiple times.

Janet was surprised. "They're croissants, Nicole. It's written right here," she said, pointing to the label in front of the packet.

"Really? I love them!" Nicole said happily, opening the packet and gobbling them down. "Sorry, I don't know how to read."

"What?" Janet was stunned and saddened by this revelation. She decided to speak with the orphanage director about it, and they revealed something shocking.

"Well, Miss Turner. We've been trying to teach her, but she's consistently resisting. She doesn't seem interested in it at all!"

Janet sighed. "That's not a good thing…."

When Janet got home that night, she was worried that Nicole wasn't getting proper education. So she took the orphanage director's words as a challenge and decided to try teaching the girl on her own. She began visiting her after work and reading her books.

Janet took it as a challenge to teach Nicole to read. | Source: Pexels

Nicole hesitated at first, but after a few bribes of chocolates and her favorite croissants, she began to read with Janet. In fact, she was such a fast learner that in a month, she was at par with other kids, and the orphanage director couldn't help but thank Janet for it.

"We can't thank you enough, Miss Tuner," he said. "Nicole seems to like you a lot. I've never seen her get so close to someone."

And it was then that Janet disclosed what had been on her mind since the day she began seeing Nicole at the orphanage. "I was thinking the same thing. Actually, I'm thinking about adopting her. I'll ask her about it later today. I'm just hoping it works out. I'm hoping there won't be any issues from the orphanage's end?"

"Certainly not, Miss Tuner. I'm sure she'd love it. Good luck!" And well, the orphanage director was not wrong.

Nicole was overjoyed to have Janet as her mother! After Janet took her in, she enrolled her in a regular school, and Janet had a reason to leave work early because she had her lovely daughter waiting for her at home. And not just that, but when Janet got home, she'd read Nicole the plays she'd written — plays that had previously been stored in her closet – and Nicole loved them!

In fact, she considered Janet's works so moving and motivating that she chose to pursue a career in directing after graduating from high school. She even received a scholarship to pursue her goals. But then something dreadful happened.

Nicole was inspired by Janet's plays and decided to pursue a career in directing. | Source: Pexels

Janet was diagnosed with a tumor behind her left shoulder blade. She needed immediate surgery, but she couldn't afford it. "It's not cancer yet," the doctor explained, "but the tumor should be removed as quickly as possible."

Nicole was distraught. She took on a part-time job to help pay for Janet's surgery, but she knew it wouldn't be enough.

One day she ended up telling this to her professor, Adam Kenny, when he ran into her at the cafeteria and asked why she looked so upset. He came up with a wonderful solution.

He knew that Janet wrote wonderful plays because Nicole had read them many times in class. So he proposed to Nicole that they present one of Janet's plays at a local theater and use the proceeds to pay for the surgery.

Nicole loved the idea! She asked for Professor Kenny's help to recruit actors from their college and stage the show.

By God's grace, a hall full of people showed up, and everyone loved the play! Janet herself was present for the show, and when she saw Nicole play one of the central characters, she just couldn't help but dab a hanky to her eyes to keep her tears at bay.

The play was terrific. | Source: Pexels

As the play ended, Nicole proudly called Janet to the stage and said, "Thank you everyone for coming here today. This is my wonderful mother, Janet Turner. She is the beautiful brain behind this play. She is extremely talented, and I was only able to present this to you due to her, my professor, and my college friends' encouragement! Thank you once again!"

Soon after, a round of applause sounded out throughout the hall, and when some folks exited, they approached Janet and praised her. "The show was lovely, sweetheart," an elderly lady said. "May God generously bless you!"

Janet couldn't believe what just happened. Her dream came true! And it was Nicole who helped her achieve it. However, that wasn't all.

Janet's plays quickly became renowned in nearby cities, and generous donations from all sides began to pour in for her surgery. Fortunately, she was able to acquire the necessary funds quickly, and her surgery went smoothly. The doctor assured her she'd recover completely soon.

After getting discharged from the hospital, Janet thought a lot about what had transpired in the past few weeks. Her diagnosis, the fund-raising, and the success of her plays. It had all given her a new zeal, a new confidence that her work – her plays – were far greater than she had imagined. It had saved her life and given her a second chance at living. So she made an unexpected decision that day.

Janet's shocking decision turned her life around. | Source: Pexels

She decided to quit her job and dedicate more attention to her writing – specifically, her plays. Even she was surprised by the positive reception she received when she first put it on the market. She made a lot of money and was finally content with what she was doing.

Meanwhile, Nicole went on to study hard in college and fulfill Janet's dream of having her play performed at the largest theater in the United States.

What can we learn from this story?

• Love is a contagious disease that infects your life with happiness. Janet's decision to adopt Nicole and raise her as her own not only filled the void in her life but gave her the confidence to continue pursuing what she loved.
• Hard work never goes waste. Janet enjoyed writing and reading, and she put her heart and soul into whatever she wrote. In the end, she was rewarded for her hard work.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an old lady who shares her fuel with a man rushing to see his sick mom and receives a shocking reward for her kindness.

This account is inspired by our reader's story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.