Libraries have always been my favorite place to be. It was always perfect inside, regardless of the time of day or the weather. A sweet librarian man or woman would run the front while a scattered teen they hired out of a desperate need for employees did their best to put books in the correct places on the shelves. I always wondered why no one wanted to work in a library. It's calm, quiet, and low-stress compared to most jobs.
Except for today: All the assignments are book reports, and every student who cares to get it done on time is fighting limb for a limb to get at least a decent book they can read, finding a short book or a cheat sheet report on the internet to change just enough, so it doesn't look like plagiarism. To show they checked it out and to say. "You can check the records. I had the book."
All to not open the front cover. Never genuinely see the beauty of a book you can read over and over; it amazes you every time. Slamming the book closed out of shock when a plot twist happens or the secondhand embarrassment you get from characters that don't even exist. You can enter an entirely different reality from your own by turning the page.
I Like to think that someday I'd work in a library or write a story, even if it's short. Something people can enjoy and be happy about if they take time out of their day to read it. But for now, I'm just a college student. I am working towards programming my life away. Don't get me wrong, I love my major, and coding is writing in itself, but I want to use it to tell a story. Create a game someday. But, for now, I'm an intern for a small company, and I'm ok with that.
Being friends with the school library owners helps a lot during this time of year. So they called me out of class to give me a new book. It was called "Phenomena Of Deadly Divination," a fantasy book about magic with hidden messages. It seemed interesting.
I sat in my usual corner with a beanbag and a coffee from the school's Cafe. The crowd of ruthless college students came rushing through like they would die if they didn't get a decent subject to report. Of course, they never did understand you could do it over a book you already had or from another bookstore, but that was the point of having a library on campus.
Even though it was a library, it could get deafening. Thousands of students pull books in and out of shelves all at once, flipping through pages, seeing if it's good, and beeps of checking out. It overstimulated even the librarians who have worked here for years.
This point is when the genius invention of headphones comes in handy. Noise-canceling was even better. You can play music at a comfortable volume to still read but block out all the other noise. Others can't even start an awkward conversation since you can't hear them. Absolute Genius. That is until someone can't take a hint and taps you or waves relentlessly in front of you, but that's a rant for another day.
It was almost 4 pm; most of the hustle and bustle from earlier had calmed down and then became overcast, warning of rain. It would be a blessing if it rained tonight. I'd get to pass the rain while reading my book, drinking hot chocolate, and sitting in my fluffy socks that's it's always too hot to wear.
The rain was more my style, cloudy and dark, with a hint of the beauty that comes with it. The dewy grass, the smell, the little flower weeds, and the foggy day that usually followed all brought me joy. I hated living in Texas. There was constant wind and heat. Only to be followed by more wind but frost. There was no spring or fall here, just summer and winter. We didn't get calm breezes and overcast 50s often, but when we did, we didn't waste it.
I felt a quick tap on my shoulder. "Nadia?" I looked up to see the male librarian standing over me. Swiftly, I pulled my headphone out of my ear with a single pull. "We're going to be closing soon; I just thought I'd let you know." he left quickly, not to disturb me any longer. I've known them long enough to give them the impression that I enjoy my peace. It was 4:48; I would have spent the night here if they had let me.
The book given to me is thick but not too long, maybe 200-300 pages. I was about two chapters in, and it was written the weirdest way I've ever read a book. With the 10 Minutes I had left, I decided to finish the page I was on. "What the hell?" Mumbling to myself. The following page was torn in half when I turned the page, with nothing left to read except a few stage symbols I had never seen before. Similar to Kanji writing but yet so different. I wanted to ask the librarian about it, they checked all the book's conditions before handing them out, But now it's like he doesn't even exist. I looked through the isles of books and ever in the office. He was gone.
I shoved the book into my backpack and chose to talk to Conner about it; He knows everything magic and manifestation-wise; he always did tarot readings and aura healings for me. He was my only option.