Rare Books
Towards the south of the city there is a book shop selling rare and unusual books. It is not always in the same place; at times in a shopping mall, at times at the foot of a tenement down a narrow street. Despite its niche stock it is always busy. It is a good place.
East of the book shop is a long, gently curved embankment, a narrow strip of park land. On the south edge of the park land is a string of houses (2-storey, semi-detached, each with their own gardens). On the north edge the embankment drops away vertically, supported by a substantial stone wall, with a larger park some distance below. There are railing-less and somewhat precarious metal steps along the length of the embankment providing access between the two parks.
The owner of the book shop has been engaged in a protracted but somewhat unclear dispute with the residents of the houses to the south of the embankment. It seemingly involves the residents' dogs and the rabbits who inhabit the embankment's park land. It's not entirely clear, but I believe the owner of the book shop is seeking to defend the existing ecology of the place against the residents' interference in favour of their own convenience.
The dispute seems to be about more than just some dog walkers, and does not appear to be playing out in the book shop owner's favour. The last time I visited, the lower park land was completely flooded and the owner of the book shop was nowhere to be found. I fear the (wealthy, middle class, well-connected) residents have upset the ecological balance of the place, and I worry for my missing friend from the book shop.