by Caleb Smith
“Yes, you do.”
Clarkson went and got the two boys and Mrs. Levy. All four boys took a seat, and Mrs. Levy closed the door and stood back.
“I have a witness, fellas, who saw you smack and break Noah’s glasses. Then you told Oliver to leave or you would do the same to him. So, I’m telling you right now, you had better come clean and stop lying to me.”
“I swear, I don’t know either of these guys,” Mike lied.
“I don’t know him either,” Joe replied.
“Oliver, why don’t you tell us all what you saw?”
“I saw him,” and he pointed to Joe, “hold Noah from behind, while he,” and he pointed to Mike, “knocked the glasses off his face. I told them to leave him alone, and Joe said he would do the same to me if I didn’t leave.”
“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Joe scoffed.
“Yes, you do, Joe,” Noah replied, surprising them all.
“You punched me in the face. You punched me in the stomach, and then you threw me to the ground and kicked me in the ribs. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of you and everyone in your circle always bullying and picking on me and everyone!” Noah said it loudly and proudly. He had finally mustered the courage to face his tormentors. Perhaps all he had needed was one of his peers to go to bat for him.
A look of anger covered Joe’s face. “You’re lying, you little punk. Just five minutes ago you said you didn’t know who’d done it.”
“You’re right. But I’m now saying that it was you. I’m sick of you, and I want you out of my life.”
Tempers were flaring as Clarkson brought order to his office. “All right; all right. Let’s tone this down a bit.” He looked over to Noah and Oliver and dismissed them. “But Mike and Joe – you stay put.”
The walk back to class was a quiet one until Oliver spoke out. “I don’t want to sound mean here, but just because I helped you out doesn’t mean that we’re going to be friends or anything.”
Of course, Noah had known this. He did not make friends easily.
“No worries; I wouldn’t expect that. But thanks for what you did.”
“It’s OK. No one deserves that treatment.”
“You’re not scared about what they might do to you?”
“Me? Heck no! My older brother is a state wrestling champ, and they know that. Even Nason’s older brother knows that.”
“Oh great. There are two Nasons?”
“Yep, and his older brother is a punk too, but still no match for my brother.”
“Well, I guess you lucked out,” Noah said as they entered the class room, drawing mild attention.
Noah took his seat next to Wendy, and he waited for the usual peppering of questions. Instead, he heard just one: “What the hell happened to you?”
Mrs. Dean witnessed the interaction and prevented Noah from replying. “Wendy Sherman, this is quiet time. No talking. Noah and Oliver, feel free to get caught up on homework or read a book during this study period.”
Noah pulled out his history homework, but his mind remained somewhere else. He imagined what it might be like to have an older brother. Perhaps when he got home, he would ask his mother if she could adopt one. It was the only reasonable solution to the dilemma. More than likely he would now need protection outside of school.
Chapter 15
“Wow. What happened to you?” Wendy asked, incredulously.
Noah wasn’t in the mood to do any explaining, but he knew he would have to answer once his mother laid eyes on him. The brow-beaten boy replied to his only friend the best way he knew how, given his situation.
“What does it look like? I got beat up.”
School was out and his bike ride home was slow-going. Wendy was also riding a bike, most likely secured from the heap of metal in her junkyard.
“I knew something was up when you didn’t come to class after gym. I was wondering where you might have been. Was that when it happened?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it, Wendy. I just want to go home. I’ll catch you tomorrow.”
“Whatever Noah. I was going to invite you over so we could do some work out in the yard. I ironed everything out with my dad last night.”
“I don’t feel like doing anything today, but thanks for the offer. I just want to go home.”
He didn’t feel as if he was in immediate danger, because more than likely, his two attackers were still stuck in the office waiting for their parents to arrive. He really hoped that Nason would just disappear. It would be nice if Mr. Clarkson expelled him. Summer break would start in less than two weeks, and it would be a relief to start the eighth grade without worries of getting mugged for lunch money every day. He was less worried about this summer because, although he would be vulnerable away from his house, he could always arrange for rides from his mother to and from Wendy’s place. Plus, the summer time hours would be his and unpredictable, leaving the enemy to guess his whereabouts.
He felt a little bad for rejecting Wendy’s request for work; he hoped she understood and wouldn’t give him the cold shoulder at school tomorrow. Perhaps he would call her tonight to apologize for not wanting to help her out. After all, she was a good friend and was doing him a favor by giving him work. Where else could a thirteen-year-old find a flexible way to make money?
As they broke off from their bike ride home together, each going in different directions, Noah thought once again about the book shop and decided to stop by. In the back of his mind, he knew it was the only thing that would help brighten his mood. Besides, he had another book to return. He hoped the shopkeepers would be there. He wanted a chance to know them a little better and thank them for offering him a new look at life. Two wise men running a mysterious shop just might have some answers to his questions – questions that were dwelling deep inside him and that others would most certainly find insane.
His recent book adventures came to mind. Whereas other kids might have been scared by the book-reading experiences, he wanted more. He couldn’t discuss this with anyone else – but with the twin shopkeepers, he could. In fact, he knew there was something more to these jolly men than met the eye. He was going to the shop for more than another book; he was seeking answers.
Once again, the shop was completely dead – this time, there was not even a cat or helper standing by to answer his call.
“Hello!!” he yelled out. It was so strange. The door had been unlocked and the “open” sign was facing the street. “Hello,” he yelled again and carefully walked across the mirrored floor. Halfway through the store, he felt a poke on the back of his shoulder.
He spun around and nothing was there, but when he turned back again, a large, bearded man stood directly in front of him. Noah jumped back, falling to the floor in frightened amazement. “Where did you come from?”
“I’m here; I’m there – I’m everywhere. You might see me more clearly if you focused your stare.”
“Enoch!” Noah said, pulling himself up.
“No, my dear child. I am Elijah.”
“Wow. You guys even act exactly the same. I would never know the difference.”
“You might know the difference if you saw us in our greater form.”
“What do you mean, greater form?”
“This here is nothing more than a disguise, just like what you’re wearing. I suppose it helps us all blend in suitably in this... environment.”
Noah wasn’t exactly following, but he accepted the fact that Elijah and his brother were dressing the part of a caramel-skinned Paul Bunyan.
“So, where is Enoch? He showed me around last time. I got to ride down the slide. It was pretty fun.”
“He is attending to some business, my dear child, but I assure you that I am here to help you today.”
“Can I ask you some questions?”
“Sure.” The wooly man replied with a smile, as though he already knew what would be asked.
“These books you let me borrow are different – they’re unlike anything I have eve
r read before.”
“Mmhmm.” Elijah said.
“They actually pull me into the pages. How can that possibly happen?”
“Because you fit the combination perfectly.”
“What combination?”
“The combination of magic and imagination.”
“I’m sorry; you’ve lost me. Are you saying these books are magical?”
“They are only magical to those who can see beyond the pages.”
Noah took a moment to absorb what he was hearing.
“So, you’re telling me that not everyone who reads these books has experienced what I have?”
“Yes, correct.”
“But how can that be?”
“Because your imagination is pure, and you allow yourself to surrender to it. It comes to you naturally. This is a true gift, and you should cherish it.”
“Yeah. I suppose,” the boy said, hanging his head.
“You are troubled, no? You have undergone many hardships and have faced much adversity.”
He looked up, astonished. “What makes you say that?”
“Look at the floor, dear child.”
Noah looked down to the mirrored image of his bruised face. “I guess that’s hard to hide, isn’t it?” His voice sounded deflated.
“My brother and I know of all things. We are avid readers of literature and character. Your hardships are spelled out all over you.”
Noah was more impressed by this man by the moment. He didn’t know how to explain his understanding of the man, but he knew it instinctively.
“How do you know so much? Where did you guys come from? I mean, I’m kind of new here, but I had never seen this shop before until one day in my time of utmost need, here you were. I feel like you know too much for that to have been coincidence.”
“You are a clever boy; we have been here for as long as you have been here. Apparently, you were not ready to find us until that day when you were in great need.”
“Did Enoch tell you about what happened?” Noah asked.
“No, I saw.”
“How did you see?” The youngster asked.
What the man did next was unexplainable and left Noah standing in amazement. Elijah first transformed himself into the white cat Noah had seen lying on the counter during his last visit and then into the adolescent high schooler who had manned the front counter during Noah’s second visit. He then changed back into his familiar figure of a silver-bearded, caramel-skinned lumberjack wearing a jolly smile.
When Noah could find the words, he gasped, “Oh, so you were watching me the whole time? Great!”
“Watching is one of our duties, yes.”
“OK, so I’m getting the feeling that you are truly not book shop keepers, or if you are, it’s just a big front to hide other things?”
“We are the keepers and founders of literature, but you’re partly right. There is a bigger hand being played.”
“Well, I’m all ears!”
“You must find out on your own.”
“How do I do that?”
“You know there are such things as libraries, and nowadays – search engines?”
“Search engines. You mean, like Google?”
The mysterious man chuckled and then replied, “If you say so.”
And then it dawned on him. He wants me to look him up and research what I can find.
Wanting to instantly get on it, he pulled the book out of his backpack for return. It was immediately replaced with a new adventure sporting an orange cover: Book V.
“This book says number five. What about book number four?”
“Your fourth lesson was achieved when you left your body while sleeping and floated around your room. You saw yourself in bed snoring, hence lesson number four: “The Boy Who Did Snore.”
At this point, Noah was overwhelmed with the events unfolding. He didn’t want to know how Elijah knew his most secret experiences. He just shook his head and said, “Well, I guess I’ll be on my way then. Until next time.”
“Indeed, my boy, until next time. Oh, and safe travels wherever you happen to find yourself.” Elijah was now grinning.
“Well, goodbye then.” He exited the store quickly, mumbling “what the heck?” under his breath.
The ride home was uneventful, but the mental debate of reading or doing the research kept playing out in his head. Where should I look this stuff up? Perhaps in books at the library? What he really needed was access to a computer; he did not have one at home. Unfortunately, right now, a new computer was a luxury his mother simply couldn’t afford. Should he stop at the public library? There were both computers and books there that he could tap into. This thought lit up like a neon sign in his mind and wouldn’t stop flashing. The fact that the Mid-Town Public Library was kind of on the way home clinched his decision. He would indeed stop.
Noah was excited, his heart fluttering, and he was taking in twice as much air to feed his anxiety and light fatigue. He was pedaling for the stars. Would this be some type of magical homework? He wasn’t sure, but it sure did feel like it might be. Whoever they were, the twins were enigmatic, and Noah was set on finding out their alter identities.
One thing was for certain; they didn’t seem to be human. He had already worked this out in his mind before jumping on his bike. From the get-go, he had suspected this – especially with the growing and shrinking bit and ability to float on air. But this last visit sealed any doubt in his young mind that they were something more supreme. He got the feeling of love, kindness, tranquility, and infinite knowledge when he was in their presence. It was as if all those feelings were wrapped up together in an aroma that radiated and made its way to his nose.
Then, after reading the first instructional book where he had run faster than a cheetah inside the pages, things became clearer. The experience had left him knowing in his heart that anything was possible. Describing his reading adventures to someone might win him a trip to the local shrink. But even a psychologist with all his or her book knowledge and clinical practice could not help him with the answers he was looking for. He knew he had to find out on his own what these guys were all about. The boy was in too deep, feeling his way down the rabbit hole, unable to make adjustments to what some would consider blind madness. The feeling was powerful.
The library stood on the edge of downtown Mid-Town. He would have to circle back on his way home, but at that moment, he really didn’t care. He peered down at his watch; it read four o’clock. He knew his mother got home between five-thirty and six, so that gave him at least an hour and twenty minutes to gather as much information as he could find. A staircase of old granite block steps led the way up to the top tier where two giant pillars stood on either side of the thick, ornate, mahogany doors. The doorway was massive, as if the library had once housed a family of giants.
Inside the structure, the ceilings must have been forty feet high. He had seen it all before, but now he took particular notice. Large, polished wooden rafters bolstered the ceilings, and the floors were made of shiny marble. In the middle of the cavernous lobby was the biggest librarian desk in the world (in the eyes of a thirteen year old boy). It was an old, solid structure on which Victorian patterns had been etched into the glossy wood. The massive, circular desk stood at Noah’s chest level as he approached the furniture, behind were three librarians sitting around a series of computers. Noah quickly imagined a time before the advancement of technology, conjuring up in his mind some old colonial cabinetry and shelves lining the desk’s interior, perhaps chock full of reference cards.
“Can I help you?” A voice rang out, bringing Noah back to reality.
“Um, yes. I would like to look up some information on somebody I know...I mean, just somebody of importance.” He wanted to slap himself in the face for verbally fumbling about.
“Who is it you’re looking for?” The middle-aged woman replied, her brow curled.
“Well, I think he may have been in the Bible. I mean, I don’t know, real
ly. I just think he’s very old.”
“I can’t help you if you don’t give me a point of reference.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. Enoch is his name, and his brother is Elijah. We can’t forget him, too.” Noah replied with a chuckle.
Her eyebrow was raised as she started to rhythmically tap on the keyboard. The results came back within moments.
“OK. We have some literature on these two biblical fellows. It’s upstairs on the second floor, down the hall to the left.” She pointed upward.
Far behind the desk was another set of stairs leading to the second floor, flanked by a large bannister that featured the finest wood-crafted spindles. The stairs led to a large, center lobby. Off to the far right and left were wings of rooms full of history recorded on bounded paper. Old newspapers dating back some two hundred years waited claim in file boxes, similar to those that held baseball cards – encased within shiny, clear plastic and reduced to microscopic size. One could read about the happenings of those long-ago times by using a special, lighted projector. What hadn’t been recorded there had probably been saved to disks or drives for computers.
After the librarian had explained all of the library’s amenities and told him where he might find what he was looking for, she had directed him to start in the computer room, using Google or Bing for search engines.
Noah had probably forgot to say thank you, but he didn’t care. A few moments later he was sitting in front of a computer with the world at his fingertips. The cursor was awaiting his command as he typed in “Enoch” and “Elijah.”
Chapter 16
His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. The pictures were consistent with his visual recollection of the twins – their big beards and chiseled faces. The hyperlinks and headlines gave him chills up and down his spine. This can’t be real, his voice of reason screamed. But it was real – it had to be. It was real to him. How much more real did it need to be? Some texts went into great length about Enoch’s and Elijah’s background, while other stories highlighted biblical facts about these two men. Despite all the lore, one piece of information remained consistent: God had taken both men to heaven before they had died. They were the only two in recorded biblical history that this had ever happened to. So, what were they? Angels? Saints? He kept reading.
