Dear Gustave...

Lorenz was the first to leave us, he went running and begging for work into that vile printing press across the street, the Herbsaint (not a real printing press) . The press opened not so long ago but it feels like long years have passed with the slow suffocation of their presence. During the first months I ignored their work, everyone rejected the printing press and wanted real books, not mere imitations of our manuscripts, they appreciated our honest work; however, as time passed I witness the efficiency of their process. Letters that could be replicated in the exact same shape, size and form could be made a million times, with only the usage of oil based ink. The illustrations that Michel, Konrad, you and I would paint in every manuscript with our struggles and passion poured into it, was all negated by the spiritless action of pounding ink into a paper with no thought, over and over again. Books would take us six to seven months to complete, our mastery polished for the best quality, for the people...the Herbsaint took a week. Our failure was clear. The raw emotions and purpose we put into our work was robbed. The colors were the same... the layouts did not have a mistake...the covers looked like our work...no it was better. Elizabeth already left to our hometown with the kids to stay with my sister, I do not... have any money left. I'm all alone. She has heard many whispers about our shop closing down, whispers, about the Herbsaint buying our decaying bones for their own gain and expansion. I’ve rack my brain for weeks on ends but to no avail, I can not save the store. Everyone in town has come to own a variety of book, its been a sharp increase in literacy, even I can noticed that education will change due to the press, they have blessed our town and its citizens... I would say it is a beautiful sight to behold, but it is at my the cost of us and our lively hoods. By the time you'll be reading this Gustave, my boy, the store has indefinitely closed, that is my decision, I will break the news to the team tomorrow morning. I will advice our artist to apply at the Herbsaint as illustrators to provide images for them, it will help them and the public, it is a good cause. I advice you to do the same... for your own good. Do not worry about this old cat, I've done my work.

Love,

Papa