First Day

“This is the computer and system we use to index and check books in and out of our public lending library.”

“Oh yes.” she said, “We had one much like it back home.” By back home she meant the tiny mid-west town where she was from, today being her first day of work at The Library. Her cheeks were flushed quite fetchingly with nerves and excitement.

“For our reserved collections, the reading rooms and the like, we have a different system.” I rapped my knuckles sharply on the stately wooden desk. A few seconds later, a desk drawer slid open a few inches, just enough to show a pair of eyes inside that reflected the dim light like a cat’s.

“Hello Hodle.” I said. “I’d like you to meet our newest assistant librarian, Miss Amelia Porter.”

She gasped a little as the eyes blinked at her, but still said in a voice that didn’t tremble, “Please, call me Lia.”

The eyes turned to me. “That’s all, Hodle. Thank you.” I said. The eyes disappeared, and the drawer creaked closed.

“Hodle is a brownie.” I said, addressing the questions she couldn’t quite find a voice for, yet. “He and his family have been cataloguing and organizing The Library for several generations, now.”

“Oh.” She said a little breathlessly.

“Elias.” It was Marcus, one of my other assistant librarians. “You’re needed in the Arcana Minor Reading Room. Someone angered the djinn.”

“Oh dear.” I sighed. “Amelia, you might as well come along so you know how this goes.” With Marcus and Amelia tagging along behind, I hurried on over to the Reading Room. An angry djinn was never a good thing.

It was a medium sized room, with walls lined with books and a sturdy wooden table and chairs in the middle. On the table was one of our books, a sharp folding knife beside it, and the lining of the back cover slit open. Beside and slightly above the level of the table, a young man hung suspended in the air, a terrified look on his face. Glaring at him was the translucent figure of an older man with olive skin and sleek black hair, wearing a finely tailored Gucci suit.

“You’re looking fine today, Azim.” I said.

“Thank you, Elias.” The djinn’s voice was deep and dignified. “This one damaged a book. I believe he was trying to find and remove any security devices, so he could steal it.”

“I see.” I stepped closer to the suspended young man and Azim thoughtfully lowered him so that I didn’t have to crane my neck. “As you see,” I said to him, “We don’t have the usual kind of security. Now what’s your name?”

He swallowed visibly and eyed Azim, who was still glaring at him. “B-Brendon Ch-Chadwick.” He stammered.

I glanced at Azim, and he gave me a slight nod to indicate that the young man was telling the truth. I drew myself up. “Brandon Chadwick,” I said clearly and formally, “For failing to abide by Library rules, and for the purposeful damaging of a Reserved Collection book, I hereby ban you from the premises of The Library, forever.”

He opened his mouth to say something. Object, maybe, or offer an excuse. But before he could get anything out, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I sighed and turned to see Amelia staring at me, her eyes wide. “That, unfortunately, happens more often than you’d think.”

)

Heather von Stackelberg

Written by

Learning to mug my muse, writing about creativity, learning, psychology and other random things. And fiction, too.

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