It replicated the world in slow motion. All workers who were running back and forth stopped, while all the customers gave way to the stranger who just entered. Auden patted her chest to calm down from the adrenaline.
"Does she go here often?" She asked Olivia, who was currently fixing some orders. "Once a week. The same day, same time. I sometimes don't get the purpose of inspection when we already know when she'll appear," Olivia quipped with a slight raise in her shoulders.
She observed the obvious-looking inspector. A woman in her 50s walked in the shop like a noblewoman from a castle. She dressed in fine silk and wool with golden peacock feathers.
"Good morning," the inspector purred in an accent she couldn't identify. Every word slurred differently than what she normally heard.
"She will just walk around for minutes and order something from the kid's menu. That's all she does before walking out," Olivia muttered under her breath as they both standstill.
True to Olivia's words, the inspector walked around and eyed every employee. Authority and elegance exuded out of the old inspector. It was a sight to behold. It was her first time seeing someone command everyone without even uttering a single word.
"You, young lady. Give me some raisin cookies and tea." The inspector's loud booming voice shook Auden into reality. It was as if a dream. Olivia took the privilege to give her a push.
Auden, still in shock, sprinted towards the untouched tray of raisin cookies. Who wanted raisin cookies anyway?—well, that would be the inspector. She picked a few pieces and served it in a pink ceramic plate. When it was the time for the drinks, she hesitated to pick one. Mint or berry?
Olivia carefully pointed her to one of the fresh brews. It was a pine cinnamon bark. From its smell, it reeks of bitterness and strong cinnamon smoke. With a yellow ceramic teacup, she carefully poured the tea and placed all requests on a silver tray.
Modestly, she served a platter of raisin cookies and freshly brewed tea. "Enjoy your meal, madam," she said with a slight bow.
The inspector looked at her from head to toe and raised one brow. "You're new, aren't you, darling?"
"I am, madam." The inspector waved her perfectly manicured fingers as a gesture for her to leave. Auden simply turned her heels back and walked to her station.
She felt her chest tighten an inch. Her hand became sweaty and goosebumps grew all over her skin. Without finally reaching her station, Olivia held her hand tight.
What was with that lady that made her this anxious?
"That was intense," Auden muttered under her breath. Her heart slowly raced down as she watched the inspector from afar. Olivia offered her a supportive smile and validating nod. It was enough to remind her of pending tasks.
She served customer after customer until once again, a small voice greeted her, "Hey lady. It's noon already." Auden peeked down at the counter and found the little girl in pigtails beaming widely. That was when she remembered their agreement. She almost forgot.
"Hi there. Wait for me on that table by the window," she replied instead. The little girl nodded and walked patiently. They perfectly placed the table in the middle of stained glass windows.
Auden hastily punched her break ticket and plated some pasta dish and a bagel. "I hope she'll like this," she whispered after looking at some fresh Italian pasta. It was the best she tried—not that she already tried everything in few days. She added fresh fruits, agua fresca, and cake slices.
She brought the tray full of food to the table, where the little girl was waiting patiently. "Here's our food."
Without asking, the little girl took the red meatball pasta and stuffed her mouth with it. 'That pasta's supposed to be mine,' Auden thought, but just smiled and finished serving the food. She had to deal with this ravioli lasagna.
"That woman, don't fear her. She was my mom lives ago." The kid said out of the blue. Auden placed her utensils back and focused her attention on the girl.
"What are you saying? The inspector?" The little girl nodded and stuffed her face into another round of pasta. "How can you remember?" Auden inquired.
Auden became speechless; it sounded so unfair. She couldn't even remember the life she had lived before. She couldn't help but feel upset and disappointed. How could a young girl remember her life from generations ago, while she can't even remember her name at first?
"I don't. I just felt it. She looks like the woman from my dreams." The little girl's words bothered her the whole day. Luckily, the bakery sent her off earlier than usual. It could be her significant chance to explore Middel more. She hadn't been to any place except her house and the bakery shop.
"What's the difference between the world I was in before and here?" Auden bites an enormous chunk of strawberry-vanilla ice cream, which she regrets immediately. She chokes and coughs through her words.
It was the most logical question she ever asked. She was told that Middel was like a parallel universe—a replica of the places on Earth.
"We can't die here," Noah answered before he offered his handkerchief. "And there's no government that implies taxes and laws. We just exist here in peace, waiting for our next journey to happen." And that was the most logical answer to her logical question. How can someone dead die?
She coughed one more time before regaining her composure. "You seem to know more than other people." Noah was the only person she knew who speaks of Middel as if it's a life he lived for millennia. Chills ran down her spine for no apparent reason.
"Really? I guess I've been just here for a very long time. I've seen people come and go. And maybe one day, I'll see you go as well." Noah showed a bitter smile that somewhat affected her. It was familiar, but she can't point out where she had seen that same emotion in Noah's eyes.
"Maybe, just maybe, you'll be first to leave," she said, trying to enlighten Noah's mood.
She was not wrong at all—she can wake up without seeing Noah ever again. She didn't like the lingering feeling of it and set it aside. In the end, he smiled and stood up, offering his hand to her. "Let's go."
Auden carefully reached out to his hand before they walked in the middle of the plaza. It was her first time frolicking around town. Fortunately, Noah accompanied her. People were having fun with their activities. A group of circus performers were performing close to where they were. All post lanterns were lit in reddish and bluish flames that added to the bright, scintillating moon. A jumpy fair song was booming from prominent speakers all over the plaza, and kiosks were all over the place, which made her want to try more foods along the way.
"Do you have this all night?" Auden asked, beaming, beholding the fun sight. One performer literally breathed out fire.
"The circus performs, thrice a week. The stalls are pretty much always there, night market as what locals call it," Noah responded while finishing his mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Auden could see a couple of people suspended on a silk rope from a distance as they glided from one pole to the other, standing twenty feet from the ground. Some locals watched card tricks, while some preferred hocus pocus action from an old lady and a magic ball. All these felt normal and real.
They walked past the much alive market as they approached a tall old-looking building towards the end of a cul-de-sac. Gold and cracks gilded the columns. It resembled the opening to a palace sans the guards; a magnificent but welcoming castle.
"What is this place?" she asked.
Noah cleared his throat a little before gasping a single word. "Middel Library. A place wherein magic is stored and preserved within books by a group of scholarly scholars." They both laughed at his failed attempt at mimicking the circus announcer. "Let's get inside?"
Auden nodded her head, still laughing, and they both sashayed inside the big double doors. Its inside reflected the ancient theme of the exterior; from the ground up to the high ceilings were shelves made of thick wood. The ceilings themselves were painted in rococo and gilded with enormous chandeliers that indeed light up all crevices. The floors were all marble, and the walls stretched in different parallel directions.
"This place looks amazing," Auden muttered under her breath in complete amazement. "Why is this place this big? And so old yet like a wonderland?"
"This place holds every story that Middel offers. These are all collections of books from the very beginning to the present. Life stories, love stories, wars, death, and hope."
The library was the most magical place Auden has seen in all Middel. Her eyes automatically lingered in a hall that is labeled 'History and Prophecies.' Her feet voluntarily walked towards the more resounding entrance of shelves. All books were not only old but dusty as well.
"You sure want to be here? There are entertaining columns down the main hall." Noah's voice just passed through her ears as she read the book spine after book spine. An old brown book caught her attention. There was almost no cover writing on it because of old age. It looked ancient.