The leak above the library

The library was quiet after lunch. A few people worked at the long tables while others moved slowly between the shelves. Then a drop of water struck the returns desk. Malik wiped it away with his sleeve and looked up. The ceiling above him seemed dry.

Another drop landed in exactly the same place. This time it left a dark circle on the wood. Before Malik could fetch a cloth, a third drop fell, followed by a fourth. The separate drops joined into a thin, steady thread.

A waste-paper bin was placed beneath the leak. For a few seconds, the water drummed neatly into it. Then new drops appeared along the edge of the ceiling tile. Some struck the rim of the bin and jumped onto the carpet. A damp stain began to crawl towards the lowest shelf.

People left their chairs to lift bags and coats from the floor. The librarian pushed a trolley between the water and the books, while Malik dragged the lowest boxes away from the shelf. Nobody was choosing books now. They were watching the ceiling.

The tile gave a soft crack. One corner dropped, releasing a sudden sheet of cold water. It slapped against the empty trolley and scattered across the carpet. Chairs scraped backwards. The librarian called for everyone to move into the corridor, but her words were almost lost beneath the splashing.

When the water was finally turned off, the library no longer looked ready for readers. Chairs had been stacked against the wall. Open books stood on tables with their wet pages spread like fans. The carpet shone beneath the lights, and the clock above the desk appeared again in the puddle below it.

How does the writer show the water gradually changing the library and the behaviour of the people in it?

Use details from the passage to support your ideas. You could write about:

• how the water first appears;
• the attempts to deal with it;
• what the library is like at the end.