Double-Stacked Bookshelves

Okay...I have to admit defeat for this year's A-Z Blogging Challenge.  Who knew that working loads of overtime (and being incredibly exhausted because of it), planning a wedding, participating in the challenge, and attempting to have a semblance of a life would be this difficult to juggle?!  I feel like an absolute failure but I know that I won't be able to catch up.  And I know that any attempts will be half-assed.    I probably should have done an easier topic...like Wedding Planning From A-Z!  Or Hiring a University Tour Guide Team From A-Z!  Haha.  Perhaps I'll retry this theme next year as I was/am really excited about it.  Sigh... Sorry, dear readers... Back to my regularly (sporadic) scheduled posts...

Hey All!  I promise that B, C, and D will be up later today!  This weekend was crazy and I am so behind...

A ndy scuffed his foot over the hard packed, dusty dirt road, staring at the cracks in the surface, and hitched his pack into a more comfortable position.  His shoulders had been rubbed raw long ago and thick callouses had formed where the straps of his pack had chafed for the past three months.  He'd started out walking for no other reason than to walk, but his pilgrimage seemed to morph into something more.  Something deeper.  He felt grimy.  Dust was etched into the creases and folds of his clothing.  He hadn't seen a proper shower in weeks; instead, rivers, lakes, and streams had become Andy's bathing vessels.  Never able to fully cleanse himself, Andy had taken to side roads and copses to avoid the looks often caste his way when he encountered anyone.  These detours often left him without human interaction for long stretches of time.  The road leading to the small, faded church stretched out in front of him,...