by Steven Evans
“Well, yes sir. I’m not trying to piss you off or anything, but I’ve been here almost a year now, and I’m not planning on going anywhere. Why won’t people speak to me?”
“Mister, you could be here forever and, most likely you will, but you’re not one of us and never will be.”
“But… why? I haven’t done anything to anybody here for them to turn their backs on me!”
“Your presence alone upsets the delicate balance we’ve all shed blood to acquire. You… well, you tip the scales! Through our trials, we’ve learned to live in harmony within this community. You were never welcome here. Can’t you see? This place is not for you, but I believe you may be more than a temporary fixture.”
“Wow! That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. You mind translating that to English now? That sounds like the opening to some science fiction novel… harmony and balance and shedding blood for the community. Well, I am here now, and I’m not leaving, so you and the others may as well just get used to the idea!”
He was shifting side to side and eying me down. I could tell he was trying to come up with the right words but wasn’t sure exactly if I’d enjoy what he was about to say.
“Mister, if that’s how you want it!” he began; briskly rubbing the bright reddish-brown beard smeared across his entire face and said, “What exactly are ya wanting to know?”
I was completely surprised by his answer, and I lost my train of thought for a moment or two.
“Well, spit it out… you’ve made a spectacle of yourself already, so don’t forget yourself now!”
“I want to have full access to every book in the library. There’s something not quite kosher about this town, and I aim to find out what it is. Strange things have happened to me since arriving here-- things I don’t care to go into detail about right now. I believe some answers can be found in those dilapidated relics the librarian calls books.”
“Her name is Gertrude.”
“What?”
“Mister, if you really want to have a look at those books, you better learn the woman’s name. Her name is Gertrude.”
“That’s a start, I guess. Is there anything else I should know that might get me on her good side… if there is one?”
He stood there in deep thought for a minute, looking down at his boots and then straight up into the sky before turning back to me.
Through his failed attempts to restrain his laughter he said, “Mister, good luck with that endeavor, but that lady has no good side. At least, I’ve never seen one in all my years in this place.”
“Is that right?” I said quizzically, “And just how long have you been here?”
“Long enough,” he snickered. “That’s a question for some other time, maybe!”
I walked out, not sure what to make of that little exchange. The first couple of times we had spoken, he had been nice enough, but the minute I had asked questions about the town or the people in it, his jaws had locked tighter than Fort Knox, and he had refused to accept my business if I didn’t drop the subject altogether. He had never been that candid before and, frankly, it made me nervous wondering what had changed in him. I noticed that he was still intently watching me as I headed down the road to the library, so I gave a halfhearted wave as he vanished into the store.
As for the others I met, well saw, on the street, they still side stepped and nearly raced across the road to avoid crossing my path. So, I guessed, while some things had changed, some had stayed the same. I could have done without the incriminating looks they were shooting my way, and not a single hello was offered before I reached the library.
Gertrude was just unlocking the door as I walked up. Her hands were full, and she was having trouble fitting the key in the door. I saw an opportunity to help and maybe earn a little leeway with my questions and research.
“Ma’am, can I help you with that?” I was trying to be as polite as possible. “Looks like you could use a hand.”
Her nose crinkled up, and her bottom lip developed a noticeable tick as she spoke, “Sir, I’ll thank you to mind your own business! If I needed your help I would’ve asked for it, but you big city boys always pry your way into people’s affairs, always have to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. So, I’ll thank you to keep that in mind the next time the urge to meddle strikes you!”
There was something definitely off with this lady. All I had done was offer to help, and she’d gone off like I’d tried to steal her purse. This was going to be harder than I thought. I followed her inside and figured I might as well press my luck as far as I could, since being nice was getting me nothing but attitude. As she pushed her glasses back up on her nose, she wouldn’t take her eyes off me. Geeze, lady, it’s not like I’m gonna stuff these ratty old books down my pants and run off, so just let up with the evil eyes already! But I kept that thought to myself and wandered down an aisle titled historical documents.
She wasn’t much of a librarian to let the books and shelves fall into this kind of disarray. I bet they hadn’t seen a dust rag or polish in all the years they’d resided here. I was halfway down, and nothing had jumped out to grab my attention or spark even the least bit of interest. I was moving steadily, keeping one hand free to swipe the names clear and the other to cover my nose from being assaulted by dust bunnies that would cause me to sound off like a fog horn. Lord knows Gertrude didn’t need an excuse to chastise me.
There was no order or system; the books were just thrown on shelves in no certain way. You could either take a chance of upsetting Gertrude’s peace, and get asked to leave as a result, or perform an in-depth grid search of every shelf until you found the buried treasure you were looking for. Then, there was always the chance that you could go through all the effort and not end up finding what you needed.
She was an odd-looking woman; she stood over six feet tall, was paper thin, and was a bit hunched over. Her voice was low and raspy, maybe from all the years she spent whispering and shushing people.
“Sir, the books on that corner shelf there, they’re not for the public. They’re extremely old and in bad condition.”
“Oh alright, I’ll leave those alone then.”
She waved her hand dismissively, “Thank you.”
“Is there anything else I should know about before I unintentionally wander off into uncharted territory? I’d hate to break some unwritten library laws.”
I was trying to be funny, hoping she’d crack a smile, but she wasn’t buying it at all.
“No, sir, just the books on the corner shelf are off limits. Everything else is available!”
“Ok, well again, I’ll steer clear of that shelf.”
“It’s ok, just my job to point those things out, you know? You’re not the only one I’ve had to warn about those old books.”
“Really, who else tried to look at them?”
Noticeably disturbed at this point, she sneered, “Just an eccentric old man whose loneliness drove him mad many years ago. You won’t know him, as he never comes to town. His name is Adder Lewis. But he also was warned and then banned from the library, so you don’t want to follow his lead.”
I think she was trying to put my mind at ease and let me know I hadn’t crossed any lines yet, but her shrewd matter- of-fact tone did little to help her cause. She was nice enough to show me to more books I had asked about, and she quickly reminded me of the strict checkout policy before hurrying back to her desk. She just sat there peeking over the rim of her glasses, intently scanning the room for any other would-be rules violators. I didn’t know why though, because I was the only other person in the library.
I was starting to think that I wasn’t going to find anything of use in these outdated books, because every page was filled with antiquated information that had become obsolete in Ben Franklin’s era. I had almost let my frustration get the best of me when, finally, there was something…maybe. Let me see here! Alright! This is what I was looking for. ‘Town’s History – a Pilgrim’s Plight’, I thought to mysel
f what a strange name for a book. I carried it over to a small table and carefully blew the cover off to see if it had more to share, but it didn’t. I looked at the table of contents and tried to get a feel for the story held within the pages, but nothing was coming to the forefront. So, I decided to just start reading and see where it took me.
I learned that the town was founded by a group of religious refugees. They had been run out of every town they’d tried to settle in. Apparently, their beliefs had sort of been on the extreme side, and people just hadn’t been able to accept or tolerate their culture, so they’d vigorously persuaded them to keep on moving. They hadn’t been allowed to buy or trade for supplies. That’s weird. Every merchant welcomes new business. What could these people have done to be shunned in that manner? Their beliefs hadn’t been recognized or accepted as a mainstream religion.
They had traveled thousands of miles across desolate and unforgiving lands, searching for a place to settle and call their home, a place where they could openly practice their religion and share their beliefs freely. I guessed that when they had finally come to this spot, it had either been meant to be, or they had just been too damn exhausted to continue. They’d pitched their stakes and set up a tent city for a while. Everyone had pitched in to help build homes for all the residents. Their leader had proclaimed that “…the area was ordained by the almighty,” and he had compared their hardships to those of Moses. These people must’ve been anal about their record keeping for there to be that kind of detail. I mean, knowing the leader’s exact thoughts and what he had said in his christening speech…that was freaking awesome! As I turned the next page, intent on finding out more about these people, dust shot up from the pages, filling the air and my nostrils. I put up a good fight to stop the sneeze before it escaped, but found myself unable to hold it in, and a silence-breaking bullhorn noise erupted from my nose. I was barely able to cover my face when I heard the glasses sliding down her nose and then being lifted over her head.
“Excuse me! Sir, excuse me! Would you mind terribly not expelling your mucus on my precious documents? They can’t be replaced. Unlike the big city institutions where they have the funds and staff to take care of issues like this, we don’t.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m sorry… the dust just… just… aachoo! Sorry again, but the dust got to me.”
My eyes were watering, and my nose was burning. I knew there was another sneeze just antagonizing me into pissing Gertrude off, but as much as I tried, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Looking thoroughly agitated, she slammed her glasses on her desk and said, “Sir, I’ve had about all the distractions I can handle out of you. It’s time you exit the library.”
“I’m sure all the other patrons would understand.” My disgust was beaming through my sarcastic smile. “I apologize for all the dust covered relics that litter the shelves unattended year after year. If you were any kind of a true librarian, Gertrude, I wouldn’t have had a sneezing fit, but since you can’t seem to wrench your ass from your chair and do your duty, I’ll just check this book out and finish it at home.”
She was about to lose her composure. The veins bulging in her forehead spoke volumes about her feelings toward my offensive behavior.
“No, you may certainly not! That book will not leave this building, or I’ll inform the sheriff of your actions! Now, there’s the door. You know what to do!”
Furious, I stormed out the door and raced down the dirt road back to town. The people scattered in all directions, and I saw Mr. Harte standing in the doorway and pointing his finger as if to say, well I told you so. His belly was roaring with laughter, and both of his chins chattered against each other with each guttural explosion. I just flipped him the bird and kept walking, which only made him chuckle even louder. I didn’t pay him any attention as I speed-walked past.
He screamed out, “Told ya she’s a real peculiar lady.” His stomach continued rolling until he almost lost his breath and had to sit down to recover. I just kept marching home.
At home, I sat there thinking about how completely messed up these people were and tried to understand why they acted the way they did, but nothing made sense anymore. It was almost like they wanted to keep me confused and disoriented. My first reaction to this place had been how beautiful and peaceful it seemed, the way I had felt drawn here like I was already part of this place. Is it possible that some other forces brought me here? But, what would the reason be for it?
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, a soft gentle tap, almost like the visitor didn’t even want me to hear it. I was surprised, because no one had visited me in the entire time I had been here, so I didn’t know what to expect.
“Hey, come on in. It’s open,” I said uneasily, not knowing who it could be.
The door slowly swung open to reveal a short fat man who had to turn sideways to maneuver through the doorway; I saw Mr. Harte standing there.
Gasping for air like he had just run a marathon, he said “Well, you’ve done it now, mister.”
“Really… what did I do?”
“Mister, ya done went and stirred the pot! Now we’re having a town meeting to see how to get you out of here.”
Confusion swirling around in my head, I said, “What do you mean, get me out of here? What have I done? Y’all are so messed up. First, no one speaks to me, and then you try to run me out of town for nothing at all.”
He had a weird uncertain look, and his eyes were bouncing around as he said, “Mister, I told ya to just let it be, but ya wouldn’t listen!”
“Ok, so what’s the big deal? Why are all these people, who never bothered to get to know me or even speak to me, in such an uproar?”
He started pacing back and forth, studying my body language, and then he revealed his hidden agenda.
“Look, I told ya some things were better left alone. If ya keep looking for answers, people around here will never accept ya, but, against my better judgment… I’m sorta at odds with myself over this.” He opened an old leather pouch he had slung over his shoulder and threw a book on the end table. “Now I don’t know exactly what ya may be after, but here’s this book. It may help. Don’t ask me any foolish questions, ‘cause ya won’t get the answer ya think ya will!”
He could tell I was out of my head trying to figure out what he was doing, but he said nothing more.
“Mr. Harte, I sure appreciate this, but how did you get this book from that old Cerberus lady at the library?”
He just grinned and turned his head.
“Mister, I have my ways. These are my people… my flock, if you will, and I have influence over certain things.”
I was about to say thanks again, but he suddenly turned and twisted through the door and just waddled off without another word.
Thumbing through the pages of the book he brought, something grabbed my attention. It was an account of some kind of outbreak -- a disease that had ravaged the settlers before they had even set up their tents. It had nearly wiped them out. It didn’t say if it was smallpox, cholera, or what, but it had raced through the people, infecting everyone from infants to the elderly. In a matter of several months, half the people had died. The survivors had just carried on and continued building their new town.
Another time: ninety percent of the town had burned to the ground. There was no word on whether it had been an accident or an act of Mother Nature, but it had gone up in flames. Every building had ignited simultaneously. Yet, after the embers had died down and the flames had been extinguished, they’d waded through the ashes and soot and devastation to rebuild again. If it had been me, I would’ve probably said just screw it… it isn’t meant to be for us to live here. But… not these stubborn ass people, no, they’d been determined that this was their home and they had been drawn here for a higher purpose. So, they had been willing to face whatever came their way. I had to give them respect for that.
The book talked mostly about all the hardships the settlers had faced and overcome, but I didn�
��t see why Mr. Harte had been so deceptive about me having to see this book. Confusing wasn’t the right word; nothing suspicious or weird had jumped out at me. Hell, there had been nothing really significant yet. It just didn’t make sense!
Suddenly, I saw a page full of little notes written on the side of the script. It talked of the leader, and how his power and control of the people, whom he called his flock, had had somewhat of a dictator dynamic. The people had blindly followed him like entranced sheep follow their shepherd. His control had been uncontestable. He’d acted as judge, jury, and executioner, and his word had been final. Wow! This man had been something else for sure. The notes also contained a description: He was short and obese, with a thick reddish-brown beard covering his entire face. Wait… what is it about that description that seems familiar? I know, I just know, there’s something here that I should remember, but why can’t I remember?
Unfortunately, there was no more meaningful or useful information in the book. My search for the history of this town had ended before it really got started. Feeling completely unsatisfied, I slammed it shut and slid it across the end table in disgust. My mind was still fumbling over what little information I had found, and I couldn’t help but feel that there was still a lot missing, and something strange was at work with these religious freaks. There was still time unaccounted for, and it left me wondering what else they may have faced. I mean, after fires that had crippled the town while it was still in its infancy and diseases that had leveled the population and nearly wiped them out, they’d still persevered. They’d been hell bent on making this place their home, and they had been strong enough to withstand everything sent their way. The town was here; that was a testament to the heart and soul of the first settlers. It was a tribute to their sheer willpower to survive and carry on.
I had to give it to them; they’d struggled and fought, endured many hardships. Yet through it all, they’d never lost sight of who they were or of the life they’d wanted to make for themselves. Their religious beliefs were now welcome and openly shared in their own Mecca.
