Lucid Waking

Archive for June 14th, 2007

How to Check Out a Book

            The library was an old gothic building with high arched ceilings arcing high over the top of the two-story bookshelves. Several ladders ran on tracks attached to the top of the shelves so that one could reach the top shelf for the book they needed. Off to the side of the main hall, was a smaller room filled with books and loose pages of music. The shelves of the music room lined the walls and ran all the way up to the stone ceiling.
            The only way Jeda knew to get to the library was from the back roads behind the old church, but it was weed-ridden and clogged with shrubs. She parted the middle of a bush and weaved her way through the dirt-trodden path. She ran up the steps with a final air of triumph and opened the large double doors.
            “Welcome back, little one,” a voice said. The stamp at the desk was busy checking in books without the librarian. Jeda put her books on the desk and walked over to another shelf. The dusty tomes twinkled at her as she passed. A particularly dusty one glowed its gold-leaf letters down at her from the fourth shelf from the top. She climbed the ladder like an expert and grabbed at the book.
            “Here again?” a second voice called from the foot of the ladder. Jeda looked down at Keeting, who smiled back up at her. Keeting was the type of gentleman who looked like he was out of place in an old library such as the one they were currently in. Truthfully, when he wasn’t reading, he was writing and as far as Jeda knew, he was constantly at the library. Most of the time she saw him he was at a table stuck far into a book. He would always stop to say hello to her, but no one else. She had hoped he hadn’t taken a fancy to her, but she found out she was wrong as the pit in her throat fell to her stomach.
            “That’s a good book, but it won’t take you very long to read,” he said, moving in her way.
            “Oh, well. I’ll just have to come back,” she said, moving to the other side of the isle.
            He blushed and moved out of her way. “By the way, what’s your name?”
            Jeda turned around. He was attractive—she would give him that. And although she constantly told herself she did not want a man who was always with books, she could help but admire his knowledge. “Jeda,” she said with difficulty although she pretended not to know why.
            He smiled. “I hope to see you around.”
            Jeda smiled back trying to save a bit of face. She nodded to avoid speaking and saying something she would regret and walked over to the book counter. The invisible librarian checked her book from her card and waved to Jeda as she walked out the door.
            Jeda took a deep breath of air and went back the tattered path from whence she came, her book held close to her chest. She hoped that she could finish the book quickly to visit the library again soon. Even though it was a small hope, she let it stay with her throughout her walk home.