#35 Complete 10 random acts of kindness

Status: 1/10

I was standing in the bookshop at Robina Town Centre last week, flipping through the pages of a Charles Dickens novel, or something similarly highbrow, when the lady standing beside me asked if I could do her a favour.

I gladly obliged and she asked if I could retrieve for her a copy of May Gibbs' Snugglepot And Cuddlepie from the top shelf. Craning my neck skywards, I attempted to locate the book in question. Squinting, I could just make out the hardback book, perched delicately on the very top shelf. It was at least twenty feet off the ground. I looked back at her and she smiled. I couldn't say no.

I clambered uneasily onto the bottom shelf and began to climb row upon row of books. After foolishly using one of the early Harry Potter novels as a foothold (as opposed to a much more stable later instalment), I slipped. Clinging desperately to The Dangerous Book For Boys, I dangled precariously 15 feet off the ground. The circulation from the ducted air conditioning was, at this altitude, unbearable. Through the hair whipping coldly in my eyes, I spied the lady way down below me with a look of pure admiration on her face. I grimaced, and with sheer determination, swung back in toward the shelf and, crashing into a row of yellowing Goosebumps books, made my way to the summit.

Once there, I carefully reached out, slid the book off the shelf and placed it under my arm. With my spare hand, I reached up and yanked an electricity cable that was connected to a security camera and tied it around my waist. Gently, I abseiled my way to safety and handed over the classic children's picture book to a very grateful customer.

Mission accomplished.

As a caveat, you may notice some of this tale is embellished. To clear the air, I was reading Jeremy Clarkson, not Dickens.