"That's a large library if I've ever seen one", Nicolas thought early in the morning as he approached a large building at the center of the town.
The humidity in the air can still be felt from yesterday's rain upon setting foot at Yggdryas's public library or formally known as "Yggdryas Bibliotheca" as the large bronze colored sign says above the large marble, yet elegant archway.
It was a remarkable place. The coulombs are etched with intricate designs holding the whole thing up. The inside was wide and spacious, large shelves can be seen bearing thousands if not millions of books waiting to be read. Tables can also be found in every corner, some already had people in them looking stressed with dark bags under their eyes and frizzy hair. Nicolas could only judge that they might be scholars who are browsing for their studies and that maybe, they have been here since yesterday with no sleep.
"The Blue Moons Tale", Nicolas whispered to himself upon finding the book that caught his eyes. "I was just expecting to find some relevant information at most…", he took the book from the shelf and opened it, "I never thought that they would have an actual book about it."
"Can I help you with anything?", asked a woman.
She was a bit smaller than Nicolas but old enough to have white hair. Nonetheless she wore business casual clothes with a white blouse matched with her long black skirt and a red sweater. The glasses she wore and the way she holds the books close to her chest gave Nicolas the impression that she might be the librarian.
"No, not really. I already found what I was looking for but thank you", he smiled, raising the book while the librarian just eyed him from head to toe. She tried not to make it obvious, but it was noticeable. Even holding her glasses as she slowly examined the young man as if he's a parchment to be read.
"Hmmm—", she sassily fixed her glasses. "A children's book? how old are you? seven?"
Nicolas froze, perplexed, he frantically scanned placards above the isle he was on. As bright as the day he read it, "Children's Section", before looking back straight at the Librarian while projecting an awkward smile.
"I know there's nothing wrong reading a children's book. But considering her judging eyes, condescending tone, plus taking my attire in consideration, I bet she thinks I can't read or at least not that great of a reader—", he once again smiled, a smile growing awkward every second as the librarian again pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Or perhaps she thinks I'll steal it."
"Is that all you need?", she inspected the books she's carrying, breaking the suffocating atmosphere of suspicion and prejudice.
"Yes, just this book"
"Good, enjoy your book then", the librarian placed the books she was holding on to the shelf before walking away.
This made Nicolas feel a little better. "I guess she was not judging me after all. Maybe I just got the wrong idea—", as soon as he thought things were fine, his spirit again dropped like a ship's anchor with its chains cut, going straight to the depths of no return.
He could only feel pity for himself as the lady walked straight to the guardsmen at the door and whispered something, all while gently gesturing her head to the side pertaining to Nicolas, "She really thinks that I'm an illiterate fool trying to steal books from the library does she? I might not look like it but for your information, I was raised right."
With his spirit crushed like a pepper smashed by a pestle, he slowly walked towards the farthest and left most table at the establishment. Far from the judging eyes of the librarian and other people.
"The Blue Moons Tale"
Author unknown, origin unknown, not even the printing press who published and circulated it was written in the book; all there is to it was the year of publication, March 29th year 204. Despite the lack of information about its origin, the book was widely known, thus spreading the "Legend of the Blue Moon".
Nicolas started to flip the pages. It had been quite a long time since he last held a book, the rough unrefined paper it was made off, the smell of the ink, and the pleasing cover it had with the perfect design and font made him miss his life before. Nostalgia fueled his excitement as he began to read.1
Thousands of years ago, there lived a beautiful woman so elegant she would make the God's envy her beauty, but despite all that, she had been forsaken for death. All she could do was lie on her bed all day long for she could not walk nor she could even sit. She was just patiently waiting for death himself to take her. As she turned the leaves of her books, she waited and waited. The more she read every chapter, the more she wanted her suffering to end. Until one day. A mysterious figure appeared at the foot of her bed. The unusual cold breeze that night woke her up.
She found herself face to face with a dark figure wearing a long dark cloak that was hiding his face as it stood silently next to his scythe. It was death indeed. "Finally", the woman cried, "What took you so long", she weakly added with a smile on her face. The figure did not reply and still stood silently as it watched her smiled. But then, as unexpected as it is, it spoke, leaving the woman bewildered from what it said.
"For years I have watched you. For all the years that you tried to fight and be happy, for all those years I disobeyed the orders of my master in order to give you the chance to live". It lowered down its cloak revealing and illuminating his tears with the glow from his death scythe as it slithered its way down his face. For the most part he was human if not only for the fact that his eyes also glowed blue. Though it might be blue, it felt warm enough to know it's burning, "Why do you wish to die when there is still so much more there is for you to see and experience", the entity exclaimed but the woman does not seem to bother, instead she shouted back.
"Because I know that there's no hope for me anymore!"
"But why?", the entity asked, "If you really had no hope then why. Why did you keep reading those books and filled this room with paintings of the world outside!", he again exclaimed.
"Why can't you do your job!", the woman yelled back her voice dry and coarse, "Why can't you just end my suffering, Yes, at first I read those books because I had hope that soon enough I will be able to experience it myself, but then what?", she felt her heart racing as she catches her breath. "But then— the more I read them, the more I saw those damn paintings— they became a poison to me, they just reminded me of the things I will never have, the things I will never experience", she stopped when she finally had trouble breathing, her tears starting to build up at the surface of her eyes.
"Because I want you to live", the entity gently said, "Because I know you deserved more than being just like this— Waiting for death— Pitying your own self—", he looked the woman straight in the eyes as the tears finally flowed freely like waterfall on her cheeks until it damped her pillow.
Since that night, the bringer of death did not miss the following nights without a visit. Miraculously, the woman started feeling better each day. Slowly but surely until finally, after the long decade of being bedridden since she was 15, she's finally able to walk again, barefooted on the grass as she felt the calming wind cross her face.
But happiness does not seem to be eternal.