A New Keeper

by J C Gilbert

  There I was, face to face with an eight-foot gorilla. Its face took up most of my field of vision, illuminated by the same soft blue glow that hung over everything else.

  It was wearing spectacles.

  The scene was more than I could comprehend. Overwhelmed and exhausted I collapsed where I stood.

  When I awoke, I was laying on an exceedingly comfortable couch. An empty silence hung in the air, cleaved only by a faint tick-tock coming from somewhere out of sight. Looking about I could see that I was still in the library, in some kind of reading room.

  For a moment I wanted to believe that what I had seen was some dream. My mind was hazy, and maybe it could have been a dream, but for the gorilla pouring me tea.

  “Oh good, you are awake. Easy now,” said the gorilla.

  I had never seen any animal so massive before. It moved with a grace that seemed unnatural for its size.

  “You have had a nasty shock, I think.”

  “Where am I?” I asked, sitting up.

  “You are in The Library, dear. Here have a cuppa. This will do you a world of good.”

  She handed me the most beautiful ornate teacup, pinched delicately between a giant forefinger and thumb. It certainly looked like regular tea.

  I took a sip.

  “I don’t remember going to a library,” I said.

  “Yes, well I was afraid of that. But I have to tell you, this isn't just any old library, miss. This is The Library.”

  “The Library?”

  “Rest your head, dear. I’ll fill you in when you have finished your tea.”

  With care the gorilla walked out of the room, knuckles to the ground, swaying gently.

  Though it all seemed like madness, I felt calm. The gorilla had a manner which put me at ease, strange as it seemed.

  Some ten minutes later the gorilla returned and sat down beside me, placing one enormous hand on my shoulder.

  “How are you feeling dear? I know it can be a bit of a shock coming to a place like this. You let me know when you are ready for me to show you around. Not everywhere of course, but the important places.”

  “I think that I am ready now,” I said, though I was not at all certain that this was true.

  “Great. Well then, if you would just follow me.”

  My body was reluctant, but I forced myself to my feet.

  “Who are you?” I asked as I followed the gorilla out the door.

  “Well, I am the Librarian of course. And how would you like to be addressed?”

  “My name is Alexandria,” I said, “just Alex is fine.”

  The Librarian gave me a sideways glance, “I think I’ll stick with Alex,” she said.

  She led me through the shelves of books, weaving between them on a seemingly random path.

  “Forgive me for saying,” I said haltingly, “but you are a gorilla, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “How does a gorilla wind up as a librarian?”

  “I have a lot of experience running libraries,” she said defensively.

  “I see.”

  “You will find that The Library holds many mysteries, especially for outsiders. You could wander these shelves forever and still not uncover all there is to know.”

  “Where is this place?”

  “Where? That is not a question which greatly fits The Library. The Library is where it is, in this place, there is nothing else.”

  “I don't understand.”

  “Well you come from a place, and this place is next to that place.”

  “Torbay?”

  “No, I don't think so. Next to your entire world. I have to admit, I don't know much about where you are from. We don't get a lot of visitors here, and there are so many books.”

  “There must be every book that has ever been written.”

  “Yes, and every book that ever will be written too. These books are not just books as you understand them from your own world. They contain within them the lives of every creature in every universe from the smallest tardigrade to the most massive space-whale. These books are constantly writing themselves, filling their pages.”

  “Writing themselves?”

  “Yes. Autobiographies, you might say.”

  “What is the purpose of having so many books about people's lives? Do people read them?”

  “It's not that these books are about people's lives, these books are people's lives. They are very precious, that is why The Library needs a Keeper. If anything was to happen to these books, then it would not just affect the lives of that individual but the entire world they inhabit. And this stretches across time and space, generation to generation. They are very precious books.”

  “And are you the Keeper?”

  “No, no. I am the Librarian. I already told you that. We recently lost our Keeper, and are in the process of training the new one.”

  “Are you taking me to them now?”

  “In a manner of speaking.”

  We came to the great canyon. The Librarian led me across a stone bridge. I looked out over the expanse. There seemed to be clouds some distance below.

  “Be careful around these books,” said the Librarian as we crossed, “they are a bit edgy.”

  “Edgy?”

  The Librarian laughed, deep and rich. “Just my little joke. It's actually where we keep the cliffhangers.”

  After a time we came to the place where I had seen all the maps. The Librarian scanned the cabinets, searching for something.

  “We will start with someplace familiar.”

  Carefully she pulled out a map and handed it to me. I read the description. “Paris?”

  “This is in your world isn't it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Have you ever been to Paris?”

  “No, have you?” I imagined for a moment and eight-foot gorilla sitting at a small café sipping a latte.

  “I have never been to your world. I must admit I am curious about this Paris.”

  “Oh,” I said not quite catching what she meant.

  “Let's go!”

  Before I could say anything, she took my hand and touched it to the map.

  Quite suddenly the world began to spin.

  The books and bookshelves, cabinets and maps, candles and chairs, all of them spun around me. I felt my heart stop in the air drain from my lungs. It was happening again.

  My memory was coming back as to how I got here. I had been reading my new book.

  Now where was I going?

  The next breath I breathed was the cold night air. I looked about the scene. We were on top of a tall building set in a sprawling cityscape. “Are we in Paris?”

  “You tell me,” said the Librarian, “I've never been here, remember?”

  The sounds of traffic hummed all around us, punctuated occasionally by the beep of a horn.

  “Neither have I,” I said, searching for the Eiffel Tower.

  “Well, I can say that unless our maps are completely off, which they most certainly are not, then we are definitely in Paris.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because in a very real sense our maps are Paris. Shall we take a look around?”

  “Um, I don't know how to tell you this, but in my world, it is not very common for, that is to say, people like you. Gorillas–”

  “You don't have gorillas here?”

  “Well, we do, but they're not very common in places like Paris.”

  “I don't mind a bit of attention.”

  “Do you mind getting captured and put in a cage?”

  The Librarian was silent for a moment.

  “Why don't we go somewhere else?” she suggested.

  She pointed to the map that I was holding. It was no longer a map of Paris but had become a map of The Library. It was constantly shifting and changing.

  “How did I get this?”

  “It came with you, of course. How else do you think we go back?”

  She touched my hand to it, and we began to fall in. W
ithin moments we had landed back in The Library. Soon the Librarian was looking around for a different map.

  “Sydney? What about Sydney?”

  “Same deal, I'm afraid.”

  “Oh dear. I've been curious about these maps for some time. The Library never had a Keeper from your world before. I guess I won't get as much exploring done there as I had hoped.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She turned and looked at me with her watery black eyes. They were enormous. “You don't think less of me for being a gorilla, do you? I mean, you're not feeling any urges to lock me up or anything?”

  “No. Of course not,” I said. “I’m fine with you being a gorilla. I mean, why not?”

  The Librarian smiled, “that's nice of you to say.”

  I smiled and shrugged. Comforting a giant Scottish gorilla woman was the strangest situation I had ever been in.

  “How is all this possible?”

  “You see, Alex. Keepers have certain privileges when it comes to The Library.”

  “I don't understand. I thought we were going to meet the Keeper?”

  The Librarian leaned in close, her giant face inches from my own, and whispered. “Well, that's the thing, Alex. When I said we have a new Keeper in training, I was talking about you.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Me?” I asked, taking a step back.

  “Yes, you. You have been selected,” said the Librarian.

  “There must be some mistake,” I wanted to tell her that I wasn't the Keeper, couldn't be the Keeper. I wanted to tell her that I was just Alex.

  “No mistake, I know a Keeper when I see one.”

  “What if I am no good? I don’t have any experience running a library.”

  “Good thing for you that running The Library is my job. It is your job to keep it safe. Don't you worry. I’ll teach you everything that you need to know.”

  “Teach me? Is there going to be an exam?”

  “No exam, no, but there's a good deal to learn. It is a sacred responsibility to be a Keeper, to look after all these books. It is more than just sitting about in The Library’s many lounges reading books all day. Though I'm pleased to say that that does take up a large proportion of the job.”

  “Okay, that doesn't sound so bad.”

  “Sometimes it can be tough though. The books will call to you, Alex. It is vitally important that you listen closely and respond to that call, no matter how hard it might be.”

  “They will call to me?”

  “You see, Alex, sometimes books get in trouble. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen. And when it does, it will be your job to help them out.”

  “Help them out?”

  “To dive deep into the stories, and do what needs to be done.”

  “How will I know what needs to be done?”

  “You will learn that with time. Follow your instincts, and you won't go too far wrong.”

  “What is the call like?”

  “Sometimes you will be here walking about, sitting, or reading, and you will see a book, and you'll just get a feeling. You will feel a pull, an urge to pick it up, to open it up, and to start reading. It is vitally important that you pay attention to this feeling.”

  “What if I miss it?”

  “Most people know when it is time to read. You will be no different,” she smiled kindly. "Well, Alex, it is getting late in your world, and it is probably time for you to go home and get some rest. I will have a lot to teach you tomorrow, so make sure you hurry back.”

  “Um, I have school tomorrow, I wish I could hurry back, but I can't come back until after school.”

  “Ah, yes. The education of young people. Very important. Well, make sure that you drop in when you are finished with your classes for the day.”

  “Of course!”

  “I can tell that The Library is going to be lucky to have you.”

  “Thank you, Librarian. Um, just one thing. How do I get home? And how do I get back again?”

  “Well, you use your key, there is always a key. Do you have it?”

  “I don't know what you mean. What key?”

  “It will be a book, or a map, something made of paper usually. What were you looking at before you came to The Library?”

  “Oh, I got this new book from a bookshop that is only open in the spring rains in the summer snow storms.”

  “That place is still open? Yes, well that would be the book.”

  I withdrew my copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland from my bag and held it up.

  “How did it get in my bag? How did I know it would be in my bag?”

  “Library magic,” said the Librarian.

  “How do I use it?”

  “All you need to do is open to the first chapter and start reading. You will find that most things worth doing in life begin with the opening chapter of a book. As you become more attached to a book, the book will become more attached to you. It will never be hard to find the books you need in The Library. They are almost always right nearby.”

  “I like that,” I said, grinning at the gorilla, “I'll see you tomorrow then.”

  The Librarian nodded.

  I flipped the book open and began to read.

  As I walked to school, my mind spun with all that had happened the previous night. I had a whole library inside one little book. The Library, as the Librarian called it. Everything I thought I knew about the world had been turned on its head. Was it magic? Or was there some strange science at work? All I knew was that the world was a much more peculiar place than I had previously thought.

  Lilly and I had this thing where whoever got to school first would wait at the front gate for the other so we could walk in together. Sometimes this meant that we were very late for class, but that was OK. We didn't like to break with tradition.

  On that morning Lilly got there first. She was absorbed by her phone. I debated within myself whether to tell Lilly about The Library.

  She looked up as I approached and her usual silly smile erupted over her face. “Did you know that if you are burned alive, you only feel it until your nerve endings are destroyed?”

  “Hi, Lilly. Who are you burning?”

  “No one at present. I was going to do my speech on the persecution of witches, but I’m finding the topic of immolation way more interesting.”

  I really wanted to know that I wasn't crazy. If I could just get Lilly to see The Library then at least I would know that I could trust my own mind.

  “What spooked you, Alex? You look spooked.”

  “No, I'm fine.”

  “Good, because I ain't got no time for no spooked friend.”

  I grew anxious. What if Lilly thought I was crazy? She was my only friend. I looked at my watch, it was only a couple of moments before the bell would ring for class.

  “Hey, Lilly, I have a question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Has anything weird ever happened to you?”

  “I find all of existence weird. It’s so mundane, which frankly I think is a bit suspicious.”

  “Come on.”

  “Weird as when my identical Danish twin was in that toothpaste commercial?”

  I hesitated. Lilly was Lilly. Would she even understand?

  “Gnorts, Alex. You are killing me. What are you on about?”

  Right, I was just going to go ahead and say it. “Do you believe in magic?”

  “I swear miss, those are just mathematical formulas and scientific instruments,” she said in a fairly convincing southern accent, “I ain't never spoken to the devil. He never returns my calls. If you see him, you go and tell him that banana is a suitable binding agent in the construction of muffins.”

  “Never mind.”

  “Sorry, not sure where that came from. Maybe I was possessed?!”

  The bell rang.

  CHAPTER TEN

  At lunchtime, I was ambushed by Lilly armed with her mobile phone. She snapped a photo of me before I could say anything.

/>   “No, that's no good.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Just back up a bit, I want to take another one.”

  “You know how I feel about photographs. I don't want any evidence of my existence. Why are you trying to steal my soul, Lilly?”

  “It's for your Instagram account.”

  “Figures. I don't want my face all over the Internet, Lilly. It's weird.”

  “It's just for your profile.”

  “My profile?”

  “It's for your drawings.”

  “What drawings?”

  “Your dragons, you spoon. Unless you have other drawings?”

  “No, not really. I don't know, Lilly. I’m not sure if I want to share them.”

  “It is fortunate for you then that I am sure that I want you to share them. Do you have any on your phone?”

  I pulled out my phone and accessed my gallery. It was a collection of all my best. I liked to scroll through them occasionally to remind myself that at least there was one thing that I could do well. Most of them were drawn on my tablet, but some of them were the pencil sketches I scanned. Gingerly I handed it to Lilly.

  “Oh wow, these are good.”

  “Yeah?” It felt nice hearing someone say that. It was like I was being told I had permission to exist or something. I know it’s weird, but when you don’t think much of yourself it sort of feels like you need that kind of permission.

  “I mean like actually good. Wow, you sure like dragons. This one is my favorite. No, this one is.”

  She handed the phone back to me. Looking back at me was a dragon I had drawn a couple of weeks back. It was holding a buttercup and looked like it had been looking at the flower before noticing I was there. It was my favorite too.

  “We are not gonna put them up all at once, we have to create a strategy like once a week or something.”

  “Hey, hang on. I don't know if I want my drawings on the Internet.”

  “I thought we already covered this. These dragons are excellent. It would be cruelty to deny them freedom. They want to be free, Alex. What kind of monster are you?”

  “A serious one.”

  “You will need a new account though. Dragongirl is probably already taken. I suppose we could put numbers on the end?” she was tapping away at her phone now, engrossed in something.