by Giger, S. L.
“Like is an understatement.” I got up and walked to the nearest bookshelf. Then remembering that Luke couldn’t see where I was going, I went back to get my lantern.
“I want to have a look at the books,” I said. I faced different shaped leather books with golden inscriptions on the first shelf. The shelves behind the first shelf were so close together that it was impossible to reach for these books. The books on the front shelf were also all stacked so close together, that every small space on the shelf was used. I could only read the spine of the book but seeing so many titles and names so close together was rather disorienting. My eyes wandered across The Modern Elf and Revolution of Servant Elves. Further, I spotted The Truth About the Ugly Duckling and Tales of Enchanted Castles. I wanted to read all of them and at the same time was bowled over by the huge range of choices. How could you ever find the book you were looking for?
“Is there any kind of system in the arrangement?”
Luke had followed me with his oil lamp. “They've also divided the shelves into sections. This is the history floor and on this shelf are the books about the history of creatures in and around the house.”
He walked along the wooden wall of shelves until there was a gap big enough to walk between two shelves. He picked up something like a big plug on a chain, for it suddenly floated along with Luke’s oil lantern. He clipped the plug to the side of the fourth shelf and then returned to the end of the corridor, where he placed the lantern on the floor. Then he turned something like a steering wheel on top of a pole and the shelves started moving—or rather, the shelf with the plug and the ones behind it were pulled away from the other shelves. Ah, that’s how you got between them. They were just saving space. Luke stepped inside the newly created corridor where his lantern was throwing a warm glimmer on the books.
“This and the next three shelves are on the wars that have happened between magical creatures.”
I also stepped between the shelves and brushed against Luke. I held up my lantern to shed more light on the titles. Battle of Atlantis, The Great War of 1929, The Victory of the Werewolves (1572), WWI, WWII, Wizards in the World Wars, The Great Medieval Battle, and so many more. The titles made my head dizzy.
“There you have it. Over the centuries, quite a collection of fights and mistakes has piled up. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet managed to use the co-existence of different powers to our advantage. That’s why all the races currently have to respect the other races' territories. Besides, different creatures rarely interact with each other,” Luke explained.
“You'd think that with supernatural powers, they'd have better things to do than to fight each other,” I said pensively.
“You'd think so. But like everywhere, there needs to be a balance. If that is thrown out of joint, it's important that everybody has at least one natural enemy. If that isn’t enough, the Orbiters will see to the problem as well.”
“Who is our enemy?” I asked after a short pause.
“Try to find a book about it,” Luke said.
“You should be a teacher. Although you know the answer, you always make me find it on my own,” I complained. Nevertheless, I looked around and stepped up to the gallery window. In the middle of the room on the ground floor was something like a fountain. Millions of books were stocked below and above me. How was I supposed to find what I was looking for?
A few ghosts flew around, carrying books. It was peculiar to see how something unsubstantial, which looked like it consisted of steam, could hold something as solid as a book.
Then there were the other oil lamps that were moved by invisible hands. For all I knew, the thing holding it could have been a phantasm out of my wildest dreams. Like maybe a talking horse with wings, a dwarf, or even someone out of Harry Potter. That gave me the chills.
I turned around to where I believed Luke was standing. “I don't suppose that there is a computer with a database down here, where I could look it up?” I asked without much hope.
“Actually, there is. Or something similar at least. Come with me.” Luke led me downstairs again, into the big hall. We passed the bookshelves and tables and walked right to the center of the room, where a stone fountain was located. It had the shape of a gigantic chocolate fountain with different levels but instead of chocolate or water, something like dry ice floated over the edges. Thus, it could have been a massive humidifier.
“Now, there should be a notepad on one of the tables around here,” Luke said. “Ah, yes, here it is.” He held up a little notepad. A pen was lying on the table as well. “Write the keywords or title you’re looking for on it, crumple it up, and throw it into the fountain.”
By now, I didn’t doubt Luke anymore and simply believed that he wasn’t kidding. For a moment, I thought about what I should write on the paper.
“It’s pretty similar to Google, so use it as you would search in an online database,” he added after I hadn’t budged.
I picked up the notepad and wrote the words 'enemy of a Siren' on the paper. Next, I ripped the paper off the pad and placed the pen back on the table. Once I had crushed the paper in my hand, I threw it into the fountain. When it landed, it disappeared in bubbles of steam. For a moment, nothing more happened. Suddenly, well-readable silver words started flowing down the several levels of the fountain, as if projected onto the mist.
As my eyes followed it, I could decipher: '1-1. Encyclopedias. Warner’s Dictionary of Definitions. James Warner. 18965-2277.' Then, more lines followed: '1-12. Creatures from A-Z. Evolution of the Sirens. Magda Søndergaard. 14578-2345.' I was stunned but it wasn’t finished yet. '1-15. Creatures from A-Z. The D.o.T. in the Age of Plastic Surgery. Elizabeth Churchward. 16354-4542. or 1-15. Creatures from A-Z. How to Get Along with a Human. Alyssa Marten. 39675-1232 and 3-16. History. The Danger of Male Sirens. Roger Cole. 46924-5561.'
When the words reached the last pool, they mixed into a white pond until the white dissolved into the vapor.
“Just grab the ones that interest you. Pick up the words like you’d pick up a dirty napkin,” Luke said.
Again, I did as I was told. I thought I would glide through the steam, like with the wall earlier, but contrary to my expectations, I didn’t come back empty-handed. I had a small paper with the same words printed on it between my thumb and index finger.
“That’s incredible,” I gasped. '1-1. Encyclopedias. Warner’s Dictionary of Definitions. James Warner. 18965-2277.' was written on it in neat print.
“How does that work?”
“Don’t ask me,” Luke laughed.
“But in what way does that help me now?” All these numbers didn’t make me any cleverer.
“The first number is the floor. So, we are already on the right level. The second number is the shelf number. You will see them engraved at the top in Roman numerals. Encyclopedias is the section and afterward the title, the author, and the serial number. It’s still not completely perfect, but if you have trouble finding something, you can always ask a ghost. They know where everything is. You can also ask them before you consult the fountain. Most of them are pretty friendly.”
I didn’t want to take my chances with that.
“Let’s go find this one,” I said, searching the shelves for numbers. The ones here at the center were all higher numbers, so maybe number one was somewhere along the wall. I walked back to the entrance and Luke followed me. Sure enough, next to the door, there was an ‘I’ carved in the wood at the top of the bookshelf. Every book had a tag with a number on the lower spine, like in a real library. I didn’t have to look long until I saw a fat green leather book with the golden inscription Warner’s Dictionary of Definitions by James Warner.
I pulled it out. Since it was quite heavy, I heaved it onto the nearest table. It worked like a normal dictionary, where everything was in alphabetical order. While I was trying to find the right page in ‘S,’ my eyes jumped over a few listings here and there, which all sounded familiar but unreal.
Finally, I found the word I was looking for.
Siren (Siren, Sireni): dangerous but at the same time beautiful sensual female creatures that have similarities with mermaids but are in possession of human legs. They can move over the water surface to get from rock to rock, from where they lure nearby sailors to death with enchanting songs.
Sirens are sterile but they keep their numbers up by transforming suitable female mortals into Sirens.
Without any enemies in the supernatural world, their only danger is their own state of mind. Around the year 20 BCE the race almost became extinct after most of them drowned themselves in distress, when a mortal man called Odysseus managed to escape their call. The sole survivors, Serena and Laya, split up. Serena preferred to stay out in the ocean, while Laya adapted a nomadic life on the mainland. Over the centuries, their appearance became even more similar to humans and nowadays they live in harmony with them, only hunting hearts from lost mortals. Their own mental weakness is still their biggest flaw, driving an unknown but steady number into suicides each year.
I had read this out loud but here I paused. “That’s not exactly flattering. It sounds as if we are very unstable.”
“Well, it’s written by a man. What do you expect of someone who has trouble understanding a normal woman? Sirens are way more complex and feel a lot more intensely. But this here is only a brief overview; it doesn’t go much into details and consequently might sound a bit harsh. Plus, it’s not very thoroughly researched. Read on, it gets worse,” Luke said grimly.
Another problem because of the Sirens, now also known as -> Frozen Hearted or -> Daughters of Time are the male Sirens that have been spotted since the Middle Ages. They are unable to control their desire for human hearts and will attack anything that stands in their path. They must be killed by cleanly cutting off their heads and the Siren who transformed the man must face a trial in front of the -> Orbiters.
“Wow. Apparently, other magical creatures haven’t had any good experiences with your kind,” I gasped.
“Yes, that’s why I have to lie low. Not even in our own world I am fully accepted. That’s why it’s astounding that the order for us to create male Sirens is coming from the Orbiters. So far, I assumed that if I ever made one small wrong move, my head would be gone, and Melissa would be in massive trouble.”
“But so, we don’t have an enemy?” I asked.
“No, only ourselves and humans who fear the unknown.”
I closed the book. For the moment, I had heard enough about completely new things. I needed some time to process the information first.
“Can I take a book home?” I stroked the soft leather of the encyclopedia.
“No. Unfortunately, you cannot take a book outside The Library. But nobody cares how long you stay here. Plus, for us it’s kind of crucial to know the opening hours of the public library upstairs. Otherwise, you get stuck in there. The wizards who created the entrance didn't consider those of us who can’t beam themselves anywhere. And if you’re running late, you can’t even let anyone know. There is neither cell nor Internet coverage down here or in the basement of the public library.” Luke paused. “You can’t imagine the fights Melissa and I have had because of that.”
“The two of you have fought?” No, I couldn’t really picture that.
“Oh yes. We still fight. But in the end, we know it’s only because we care about each other. She isn’t a big fan about me suddenly being so involved in a matter that concerns the Orbiters.”
“I don’t blame her.” I placed the book back on the shelf for now. I wanted to come back here soon and have a look at the books calmly.
“Luke, I don’t know what to say anymore. This place”— I pointed around myself but of course Luke didn’t see that— “it’s amazing. And all these stories and new words and beings. Part of me always believed that some or all these fairytales had to have some truth, but this goes beyond the scope of my imagination. I want to know everything! And yet, I feel somewhat dizzy and overwhelmed.”
“I know exactly how you feel. You are taking it fairly well, though. Not scared at all.”
“Why should I be scared? This is all so exciting! But perhaps I’ve seen too many movies and I’m somewhat numbed.”
“Scared, because surely you feel even less in control of anything than before? I mean, hello? Somehow, we ended up invisible and you trusted me that it will all turn back to normal again. So far, it has worked every time but frankly, I have no idea how it works. Clearly, there are creatures out there that have more power than we do. We are completely relying on them in this case.”
“Well, true. If you look at it like that. But you’re talking to someone who injured her arm while trying to help someone who had a car accident. It feels as if I have no control over my life whatsoever. Yet, for some unknown reason, I’m in this incredible place and get to experience all these new things.” Not that I had any other choice anyway.
“See, maybe that has something to do with your generation. You always seem so relaxed about everything. Eternal optimism.”
“Luke, sometimes you sound like such an old fart.”
“Good that I only sound like one,” he laughed.
“But if there are more powerful creatures than us and they have failed, how are the Orbiters expecting us to succeed?” I wondered.
“If others haven’t succeeded it’s all the more reason for us to do whatever is in our power.”
Another ghost passed by us dangerously close, so we decided it would be best to shift our conversation outside. On our way to the entrance, two lanterns floated toward a door on one wall and disappeared inside.
“Hmm, that’s odd,” I heard Luke say. He also walked to that door. Luke opened it and I could see inside a room which was about six square meters with a wooden floor and rock walls. All that was in it was a big chandelier hanging from the ceiling and two lanterns standing on the floor in one corner.
“What am I missing?” I whispered. “Is that supposed to be a chapel or something?”
Luke snorted. “No, this is the mirror room.” He let the words take their effect. “I know there are no mirrors, but the room can mirror itself and make duplicates. It depends on how many people are using it, but it could expand and fit the whole population of China. It’s the chamber of refugees, where people can go when there is trouble in the world above. I think the last time it was used was during World War II. Kind of like an air-raid shelter for magical creatures.” He paused for a moment. “The fact that somebody entered it is quite alarming.”
“Do you think it has something to do with the flu and the attacks against Alternatives?” We kept a polite distance from the lanterns.
“I assume that’s why,” Luke replied. “Even more reason to stay down here and research until I finally find something of value.”
I nodded, but of course Luke didn’t see that. “And I have to find Dr. Palmer and find out about his motives.”
“I’ll come to the exit with you,” Luke offered.
“Okay. Thank you for bringing me down here. It’s a truly amazing place.” I was glad that he was accompanying me to the door anyway. Part of me remained doubtful about whether I’d be able to pass back through the wall.
We exited The Library and were in the lantern depot again. Luke told me to turn off my oil lamp and put it back on the shelf. The passage from here up to the storage room was a bit tricky because there was the possibility of accidentally crashing into someone. For this reason, we ran up the stairs quickly.
“See you later,” Luke said at the top.
“Um, yes. Good luck with your research.” I took a deep breath, my stomach tensing up because I wasn’t sure whether I’d ever see my body again. I closed my eyes and took a step forward. When I opened my eyes again, the staircase and the shine of the oil lamp were gone. Instead, I was surrounded by cleansing utensils and the smell of used rags. Since I couldn’t come up with an explanation as to why I was hiding in a storage room, I first opened the door and poked my head out. The corridor was empty. I r
eached for the vinegar bottle and while splashing some of it on my head, imagined how my body was appearing again and whispered 'visibilis.' I hoped I was imagining hard enough. But I needn’t have worried because suddenly, I could see my hands holding the bottle. I looked down at myself. I was wearing the same clothes as before and looked normal. I breathed a sigh of relief. I checked the corridor again and then quickly stepped outside and closed the door. Outdoors, the sun was still shining brightly. There could have been a cyclone up here and I wouldn’t have known.
A lot of people were out and about. What a contrast to the quiet of The Library!
Chapter 11
From NYC I ran back to Alex’s apartment in Boston where I found him eating a sandwich at the kitchen counter. At the same time, he was typing away on his laptop. It was still around what humans would consider dinnertime. Eating food had become so strange to me in such a short time. As Serena, I hadn't been able to go without a snack for more than three hours. Now I spent my days with people who at most ate two pieces of chocolate a month.
“How’s your sandwich?” I asked.
“Oh, hey!” He placed it on the plate and got up to give me a hug and kissed me on my mouth. Although his breath tasted of salami, I could get used to this kind of welcome. I smiled.
“Good. I’d offer you a bite, but I don’t want to kill you,” he said. “Don’t you miss eating? I mean, mhhh, butter.” He took a big bite off the bread. “It’s so smooth and makes the salami taste so much better. Don’t you want to rip it out of my hands right now?” He licked his lips.
“With meat, it’s okay. There are enough substitutes in human adrenaline and therefore, that isn’t tempting at all. However, if you teased me like this with ice cream, you’d be really mean.” I poked him in the stomach.
He shuddered. “Yeah, I’m not sure I want to know what it’s like when you are very hungry because that still freaks me out a little.” He took a sip from his glass.
“Trust me, that’s by far not the most extraordinary thing about this unknown world. You won’t believe what happened to me today.”
