Taraneh stood in front of a mirror, and compared the reflection to a picture published in an old newspaper. There was hardly any resemblance. It was not merely about the age, but mostly about the spirit. In the picture, published along with an interview with her, she looked hopeful and determined, but now, she couldn't even fake those emotions on her face.

Taraneh used to write for children and teenagers of Iran. She even owned a publishing house during the 1960s and 1970s, and published small educational and entertaining books on science, history and social issues suitable for the Farsi speaking youth. Her works were popular back then, but now, they were forgotten.

She remembered how excited she was when the publishing house was opened, and how she felt when every new book was published. Now, the publishing house was closed, and her books, if someone had still kept them, were just collecting dust.

Picking up one of the old books from a box, she examined it. The title was "The Moon Landing". She remembered the day it was published, which was shortly after the moon landing. People stood in lines in bookshops to buy it, and children eagerly read it. But now, going through the yellowed pages, and looking at the blurred pictures, made her feel small and old.

When Taraneh had just graduated from university, she wanted to change the world, and saw the ruling monarchy of Iran as her enemy. Since the censorship wouldn't allow her to write directly against the regime, she tried to teach critical, progressive and scientific way of thinking to the youth, hoping they would grow up to be open-minded and freedom-seeking people.

She had hoped the 1979 revolution would fulfil her dreams or at least facilitate her path, but the opposite happened. Shortly after the revolution, the new regime, which sought to purge the society from all progressive and secular elements, closed her publishing house, and imprisoned or executed her friends. A few who weren't caught were forced into silence or exile.

She migrated to Britain herself, where she hoped to continue her work in exile, but soon learned that wasn't easy. Many people blamed the intellectuals for what happened, no matter how much they tried to explain they wanted something completely different. People like Taraneh had opposed the monarchy, hoping for a better, democratic and secular society, but the regime which emerged as a result of the 1979 revolution was exactly the opposite. With no money and support, not only was she unable to continue her work, but also had to face accusations of bringing the Islamist regime to power.

Taraneh was quite old now, and knew she didn't have much time left. Although she knew her old works could hardly attract any attention, she had decided to take part in an exhibition which aimed to demonstrate the works of old cultural activists of Iran. She had gathered and organized her old books and magazines in boxes, and prepared to go there.

She arrived in the exhibition hall early in the morning, and began to organize her works. Two workers helped her with the books, and installed a banner with the logo of her old publishing house. Most other participants worked in other fields, like music, cinema and handcrafts. She was the only one whose work was exclusively books and magazines there.

She carefully placed her favorite books, the ones which could tell the visitors about her beliefs and works, at the front: "Colonization", "The French Revolution", "The Industrial Revolution", "Scientific Method", "A Survey of the Solar System", and her favorite "Introduction to Famous Figures of the World" series, etc.

The exhibition opened, but there weren't many visitors. The few that visited were mostly the friends and families of booth owners, not people who were interested in what was being displayed. Some reporters from a news channel arrived, filmed the exhibition and interviewed an old singer, but they left shortly after, without paying any attention to Taraneh and her booth.

The booths about entertainment gained some attention, but people barely looked at what Taraneh had. The few visitors around the exhibition were more interested in the food and drinks that were being sold. Taraneh knew this would happen, and didn't expect otherwise, but it was still disappointing to see it in practice.

Hoping to change her mood, she picked an old book to bring back memories. It was "Greatest Thinkers of the Modern Times", a book which gave brief explanations about the life and works of some famous philosophers and economists. She remembered speaking to a young man in 1979, who told her this book was the spark that started his political studies and activity. She became proud and hopeful to hear that. But a few years later, she saw his name in a long list containing the names of people who were executed because of opposing the new regime.

Putting the book down, she picked a new one, "Human Evolution". This book explained Darwin's theory of evolution, and how humans had evolved from primitive forms of life during millions of years. While there was nothing direct about religion in this book, it undermined the stories told by mullahs for centuries.

The exhibition dragged on, and Taraneh's back ached from standing. Not seeing anyone interested, she sat down and tried to ease her disappointment by telling herself that her books weren't needed anymore. People didn't need such things on paper, since up-to-date information was available on the internet. But were the youth studying and using that information? She liked to think so.

Finally, a few young people, probably in their early twenties, who seemed like a group of friends, approached her booth. They had a look at the titles, but didn't seem interested. "Did people really read these?" One of the girls asked with a smile.

Taraneh couldn't help but feel a slight sting from her words, but she knew that the girl was a product of a different era. "Yes, they did. These books were popular, and good gifts for children and teenagers."

"No wonder that generation was so bored that they made a revolution!" said one of the men, as the group laughed together.

Taraneh felt a sudden anger boil within her, but she held her tongue. They hadn't lived through her era and didn't know the struggles of her time. She had hoped the new generation would be more open-minded, but their dismissal of her work was painful. "People don't make revolutions out of boredom young man."

"It seems to me that you did," he answered, "You had everything. The king allowed you to publish these worthless books, but you were ungrateful and poisoned minds with lies and ideologies."

Taraneh stared at him for a few seconds. She wasn't expecting such hostility from a stranger, who didn't even bother to familiarize himself with her works. "Do you realize the fact that someone must allow such books to be published is a reason for inefficiency of a political system?"

The man looked surprised. He probably didn't anticipate such a strong response from a frail old woman. "You just paved the way for the Islamic regime. You destroyed what was there, and now, you have escaped your own creation."

Taraneh had heard these accusations before, but it always hurt. She tried to remain calm, and pointed at her books, "Here, these are my works. Pick any one you like, and show me a single sentence which could have paved the way for such a regime. Ignorance and prejudice paved the way, not my books."

"Why are you even here, in this country?" he asked, "You spent all your life telling people that western countries are bad, colonizers, imperialist, and such things. Why didn't you migrate to a place like North Korea if you needed to escape the regime you created?"

"I didn't create the regime. It's too simplistic to believe a few people like me can make such a big change in a large country." She said with a sad tone, and continued, "Why don't you go to North Korea yourself? They still have hereditary rule there, someone must allow the books to be published, and they have an apparatus like SAVAK to deal with any form of discontent. Don't you think it's hypocritical to enjoy living under democracy in a foreign country, but prescribe absolute monarchy for your own country?"

The man looked at her in confusion, like he didn't know what to say. The girl who had started the conversation said, "Talk all you want. People don't like you, or your way of thinking."

"Have people elected you as their representative to speak for them?" Taraneh asked sarcastically, "When was the election held? Sadly, I wasn't informed."

The group looked at each other awkwardly, realizing they might have gone too far. The girl answered, "Don't you see that no one is interested in your booth? You can sit here until weed grows around you, and no one will take an interest. You just wasted your life, and ruined other people's lives." Not waiting for an answer, she turned to her friends, "Come on, let's go." They left Taraneh alone with her books.

Taraneh felt the weight of their words. She knew the youth had grown up with different narratives, but to be so dismissive of the past was disheartening. This was not how she had imagined the result of her life. When she was young, she had imagined herself surrounded by eager young people who were willing and able to continue and improve her work when she got old.

She sat until the end of the exhibition. A few people passed by her booth, and had a quick look at her works, but none of them seemed interested or talked to her. When it was time to close the hall, she regretted going there. Carrying all those books and magazines was hard for her, considering her age and back pain, and no positive result was made.

As she was putting her belongings back in boxes, a man approached her. He seemed around forty years old. "Excuse me, I need to talk to you about your books."

"My books?" Taraneh asked in confusion.

"Yes, I searched for them online, and it seems like they are not available on the internet. These might be the last copies which remain for some of them."

"So?"

"I'm from the local university. We have a program for archiving historical texts. Your work is quite significant, and we believe it should be preserved. I was thinking that we may borrow and digitize your books, and then return them to you. That way, they can become available online, and remain for future generations."

Taraneh was skeptical, and for a moment, she thought the man was joking. "I'm not sure my books fit in the definition of historical texts. They are mostly outdated information. I thought some people may still be interested in them, but no one liked them today."

The man smiled, and said, "Sometimes the value of something is not recognized until it's almost lost. We see the same pattern with many cultural artifacts. But believe me, your books are a window into the past, and the ideas they promote are essential for understanding the social and intellectual evolution of our society."

Taraneh considered his words. "Okay, if you believe they are still useful, you can have them."

The man gave him his card, and took Taraneh's address and phone number to return the books once they had been digitized.

Many years later, in a book shop in Iran, a mother stood in a line with her seven-year-old son. The boy looked at a picture of an old woman on the wall. "Mom, who is that lady?" he asked.

"That's the lady who founded this place. Her name was Taraneh, so they named the publications and this book shop after her when it reopened."

"Is she here now?"

"No, she passed away years ago."

"Are these books written by her?"

"Some of them."

She had a look at a nearby bookshelf, and noticed a book titled, "Greatest Thinkers of the Modern Times".

Picking up the book, she said, "Looks like this one is written by her. Do you like it dear? It may be a little hard to read for your age, but you can always wait a year or two if it's too hard."

Her son nodded, "I guess so, but we picked too many already."

"You can't have too many books, " the mother answered warmly. When you read it, we can donate the printed book and keep it as a file forever. That way, more people can read it, it wouldn't take any space, and you can easily access it whenever you want."

"But do they give us the file as well?"

"No need to ask them. All these books are available online for free. We just buy the printed version because it's easier to read, and they use the money they make by selling books to educate poor people in remote places."