by John Stone
The answers to Emily’s questions were almost out, but she wasn’t satisfied. She wanted to know more. The information she was receiving was something she never believed she would hear from anyone. She was extremely fond of Mr. Gallagher, but then hearing from his own sister that he may be lying to all of them turned her stomach. So, she asked the most obvious question that came to her.
“Why would Mr. Gallagher lie to us about his own name? What would he gain from that?”
“You should ask him that,” she told Emily. “He was scared of what everyone might think of him.”
Emily had a hard time believing what she was being told. “And why would I believe you? I don’t even know you, and you are a ghost. I shouldn’t even be talking with you,” Emily said in a disgusted manner.
“You still think that I am making this all up? Emily, just ask yourself, do you truly believe that I am lying? Gregory was my brother; he was my teacher and friend. We wanted to be special. Coming from a small town, we had so little to do, but we managed until the night of the terrible incident which cut short my life,” the voice muttered.
Emily didn’t stop listening. She was trying to find a way to defeat her. She had to make a decision and it was now or never. She honestly hoped that the woman who claimed to be Mr. Gallagher' sister had come to the last part of her explanation, because like the story teller, her own life was on the line, too.
“I am listening,” Emily baited. “So what should I call you? Oh, I recall, R. Keaton. Now what does that stand for?” Emily wanted to know.
“They used to call me Rosemary. My brother lovingly called me ‘Rose.’ He said I was the prettiest, and that he loved me just like that. Sad, isn’t it, when the only thing that remains is the memory. How tragic it is that I don’t even get to see him now.”
Emily noticed that the green eyes of the speaker were not sparkling anymore. There was something immensely tragic about her tale and Emily was surprised at the emotions that she was feeling for a stranger who was not even human. She had loved someone dearly and lost that person before. She knew what that meant. Her eyes watered at what she heard. The story was a parallel to her own past, and while listening to Rosemary Keaton, she imagined how desperate she had become when Mrs. Hampton passed away. Emily flinched at the thought and for a brief and irrational moment, she wanted to get up and comfort Rosemary. She couldn’t bear to imagine what she must have felt to be separated from her own brother, but unlike her case here, Rosemary was the one who was dead.
The hurt in the green eyes was too much and Emily couldn’t look directly into them anymore. She cursed herself for doubting Rosemary previously and wanted to apologize. Yet, she retracted eventually, as there was nothing she could say that seemed appropriate. Emily was filled with remorse and wished she could help the person sitting across her table in some way.
At that moment, all her previous questions vanished. She had wanted to ask a number of things. The sender of those books to her remained a mystery as well as Grace’s sudden disappearance, but nothing mattered to her other than helping Rosemary at that second. Even the questions and doubts about her own agony and nightmares seemed to fade away.
“Can you help me please,” Rosemary asked? Her voice spoke in a shaky and pleading tone.
Emily was looking for the very same opportunity so she jumped into it immediately. “What do you want me to do? Go and tell him that you exist and then maybe he can meet you here. Why don’t you do that? I can definitely do this for you.” Emily beamed with ecstasy and confidence, like a child who had just earned someone’s trust.
However to Emily’s dismay there was no change in Rosemary. The sparkle was not back in her eyes, even when Emily promised that she would help her reconcile with her brother. Emily should have been guarded at that moment, but she couldn’t resist the pull of curiosity. She should have remembered Jamie’s warning, but Emily was far too trusting.
“What is wrong? Did I say something wrong,” Emily asked?
“That is not what I want, and it wouldn’t help anyway,” was Rosemary’s short reply.
“There is something else that you’re not telling me, isn’t there?” Emily knew that there was something being hidden from her. Yet, she wasn’t getting tired of playing the game.
“I can’t do that,” Rosemary told her, “and he cannot come up and see me. He is blind to spirits and doesn’t have the gift that you and Mr. Mitchell possess. It’s torture for me because I can see my brother come in here and I have seen him several times. I guess, in the end that is all that matters to me.” She looked at Emily with a trance-like stare. “Yet, I want more. My brother is dear to me, Emily, and I want to see him going on forever, dignified and articulate and respected. That is all I want to see of him, from a distance, and know that he is doing all right. However, my own existence is in question and soon I will be devoid of the only thing that I want. I just want to see my brother.” Rosemary looked almost broken, her eyes were dull and her voice was soft.
Emily was having difficulty understanding the depth of the situation and her face was a clear indication that she was confused beyond doubt. “I don’t think I understand the situation. You are here and he comes in the library all the time. You can see him any time you want, so why would your existence be in question?”
“You don’t understand, do you? The library won’t be here anymore. I stay here and this is my home. So what happens if it is taken away from us? Soon, the library will not be here anymore,” Rosemary remorsefully said.
The news hit Emily like a thunderbolt. She gasped and placed a hand over her open mouth. “The library won’t be here anymore?”
Chapter 10
The library won’t be here anymore? Did I hear it correctly? Yes, that is what I heard, but what is she saying? What is she talking about?
Emily looked bewildered by the news. This library was a safe haven for her, too. Now, she just heard that it would be taken down. She failed to react right away and sat there trying to grasp the information and make sense of it.
Then, she asked Rosemary, “taken down … but why is that?” She pushed back from her chair slightly, but tried not to betray her own intentions. “This library has been here since forever and there is nothing wrong with it. It doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why would the authorities want to do that? It’s absurd.”
Rosemary waited for Emily to finish and only when she was done with the questions did she speak out. “It might be absurd, but it is not impossible. The library is old and all old things perish. There were rumors of the supernatural events here, so maybe someone will attribute that to a crumbling building. This placed needs renovation and there were talks about increasing the space with more students getting admission. A newer and larger Fletcher building will be set up within the campus for the convenience of both the staffs and the students. That means this will be taken down completely. Maybe it will be made into a class room or demolished for some other purpose, of which I have no knowledge, but it is certain this library will be here no more.”
“We need to save it then, in any way possible,” Emily reasoned. “So what do you want me to do?” There was a heartfelt pleading in Emily’s tone and she was ready to do whatever she was capable of to save the library. “I can go and speak with Mr. Gallagher if that is what you want. I can help get a petition started with the students. I am almost certain that Mr. Gallagher…” Emily halted in her speech and seemed to think to rephrase it. Then she said, “I can go and speak with Mr. Keaton and I am certain that will work. He will not reject the idea, and … and although it might seem unbelievable at first, he will have to agree with me. Can you imagine how delighted he will be? It can work and I am absolutely confident about that,” Emily said. Along with her idea, she hoped that Rosemary would be pleased. Yet, nothing she said made any changes in her expression.
Emily heard footsteps then. She saw a fellow student come in and take a seat near her. The boy looked at her and said, “I hope I didn’t disturb you. You see
med to be reading something out loud.” Then, he waited for her to answer. At first, Emily didn’t understand what was being said to her. Then, she looked at Rosemary, who was sitting in front of her, and then it hit her. The boy couldn’t see her and he thought that Emily was sitting there alone. She must have appeared to be memorizing something aloud. That’s why everyone thought that Mr. Mitchell was always talking to himself and that he was going crazy.
Instead, he was talking to Rosemary and others like her, Emily thought.
“You are right,” Emily’s mouth answered. However, this time, it was the voice that spoke in her head. Then, Emily shook her head. She turned back toward Rosemary.
We can’t speak here or else he’ll think I’m going crazy, she projected mentally. I don’t want anything of that nature happening. We should go and talk outside and that would be better for both of us. I can’t just sit here and pretend to be reading, that would look particularly ridiculous,” Emily said out in her mind, as she knew that Rosemary would be reading her thoughts.
She got up without an answer. Then, she excused herself and walked outside the library. Mr. Mitchell was taking his leave, too. He smiled at Emily, but she couldn’t bring herself to return it for some reason. She felt a sense of betrayal from him and wished that he would have been clearer with her. Emily merely walked past him without acknowledging his presence at all. There was a strange lining to Mr. Mitchell’s face and Emily didn’t miss it. He was taken aback by her strange behavior, but he didn’t say anything and neither did he try to stop her.
Emily walked swiftly through the corridor and waited for Mr. Mitchell to pass. Emily looked around her and waited for Rosemary to appear, but strangely she was not there. What is wrong with her? I clearly mentioned that I would be waiting outside, she thought, but no voices spoke in her mind. So this time, she said it out aloud, “Rosemary, are you there? I am waiting for you to come,” she hissed, but nothing changed. There was no sound and absolute silence.
What is happening? Emily thought again. She checked her watch and saw that ten minutes had already passed, but there was no sign of Rosemary. Did she trick me? But why would she? Something must be terribly wrong, Emily thought again. So she ran back inside the library. It took her some time and the run towards the library weakened her unnecessarily.
The assistant librarian, Mr. Kourim, looked at her strangely when Emily entered, pushing open the door. “Did you see a ghost? Why are you running like that?” he said looking quite irritable.
Emily knew that he preferred silence and didn’t like it when Emily made her way in like that. However, the mention of the ghost startled her. Why did he say that? Can it just be some kind of coincidence? She thought, but instead answered, “I forgot something, so I came to take it back.”
“Stop rushing in here,” he called from behind!
Emily didn’t pay heed to that and made her way to where she was having the conversation with Rosemary before. She saw her sitting there like before. Emily looked closer and now Rosemary did resemble Mr. Gallagher in some manner, but no sooner had that thought formed in her head that she corrected it to Mr. Keaton. Emily didn’t go up to Rosemary immediately and stood in the corner looking at her.
Why did Mr. Gallagher change his name? What has he got to hide? I must ask her this, she thought. While pondering that she walked towards Rosemary.
As she walked closer towards her, several questions formed in her mind like why Rosemary didn’t follow her outside and kept on sitting there. Determined to ask that question, she moved in closer. Emily noticed that the male student was still sitting there submerged into his book and thus she faltered in her approach. She couldn’t possibly sit and do nothing and speaking out loud was not an option for her. So she had to think quickly and come up with a plan.
“Hello,’’ Emily said to the boy. When the boy looked up at her face, she chose her words carefully before delivering them, hoping that would work. “Excuse me, but my classmates and friends will be coming over in a short while and we have a really extensive assignment to take care of, so would you mind just sitting someplace else?”
Emily’s face didn’t show any expression and the boy took a long time to reply. She was about to believe that her attempt was wasted when the boy stood up and excused himself. Without saying another word, he simply left the section.
Emily was relieved, but now she couldn’t see Rosemary anywhere. She waited for her to make an appearance. The silence of the library hall engulfed her, and Emily sat there on her own. She glanced everywhere, especially in the places she had already seen the spirit, but there was still no sign of Rosemary.
Emily slouched back into her seat, not knowing what to do or how long to wait. It all seemed quite hopeless. Sitting there and chanting prayers didn’t seem to be a good option for her, as well. Emily contemplated if she should give up when there was a cold wind that ruffled her hair. Emily precisely understood the significance of the occurrence. She turned back, and at first no one was there. She turned forward and Rosemary was looking at her directly in the eyes when she turned back. It frightened her and Emily almost shouted.
“So now, you don’t even require me to say the prayers?” Emily attempted to make light of the situation even though she didn’t understand the reason behind it.
“Someone or somebody is always calling me in their prayers and I can’t ignore that, can I?” Rosemary said a little chillingly.
“Who would want to see you? I mean, does anyone else know about this? And if they do, then why don’t you seek their help?” Emily asked in annoyance and it was justified. She was being forced into the situation without any significant reason, and now it was being informed to her that there where others like her, too. Therefore, it made her question her significance and worth, which in turn triggered a sense of infuriation.
However, nothing got past Rosemary and she sensed it clearly. “Others are not like you, Emily. They only call for me because they need something. They always want things from me. You know all about them. They want me to fix their stuff and do tricks for them. How selfish of them, but you stand above all that. So don’t think that I am in any way ungrateful to you. I owe you a lot since you already agreed to help me,” Rosemary said. A gleam of merriment in her eyes had returned and Emily took note of it.
“Yes, I did agree to help you in any way that I can, but why didn’t you follow me outside,” Emily questioned?
Rosemary looked directly at her and said with remorse, “Simply because I can’t.”
Emily didn’t understand what Rosemary meant and kept looking at her in a confused manner. Thus, Rosemary answered the question for her. “I am trapped here, Emily. Can’t you see that? I can’t leave this place and I am bound to it forever, tied to these walls and books, and at times, the people in here. So, I only get to see Gregory when he comes here, to look at some books or reminisce about the time we came here and he helped me with my assignments. Do you get the depth of the situation here, Emily? If the library goes away, then my existence will be in question. I will be stuck in between with eternal agony and suffering. Can you please help me, Emily,” Rosemary begged?
Slowly, the entire situation started to make sense to Emily. There was a reason why Rosemary couldn’t leave and a reason why she never felt the presence of Rosemary outside of the library. Finally, she could see a way out for herself.
“Is this the case with all of you,” she asked almost innocently?
Then, she suddenly remembered what happened in the abandoned room to which Mia took her and Jamie. She also remembered what happened in her own dorm room where she chanted the prayers for the first time. Rosemary obviously wasn’t expecting this question and Emily could sense that. She immediately told Rosemary not to answer if it made her uncomfortable.
“Have you seen any of us outside this hall,” Rosemary asked?
“I felt it once or twice,” Emily answered flatly.
“Some of us can,” Rosemary answered too quickly, and then she paus
ed to consider her words more carefully. She continued to say, “It is best to stay away from them. They always do the dirty work, and they are scary as hell. I can sense people calling me from outside to do their work or to see them, but sadly, I am bound here. I cannot step outside this place. I tried, but all that I am capable of is letting those see me if they really want. I guess that is why you saw me here first.” Rosemary offered a gentle smile while saying this.
Emily crunched her eye brows, “But I didn’t call you the first time. You were just here and not even the second time. In fact, I didn’t call for anyone, not you or the former librarian. Then, why did I get to see you?” she asked as these were the things that were bothering her and she couldn’t rest not knowing them.
“Like I said, someone must have summoned me and you just happened to see me,” Rosemary offered.
“It was a coincidence? Just like that? But that doesn’t make sense. There must be something else,” she told Rosemary, using her facial expressions to convey a sense of pure curiosity. “Well, can you tell me if there is someone whom you know about and who would stop me from coming here or meeting you or not want this library to be here? There must be someone like that,” and Emily was clear about her suspicion.
“Yes, yes, there are the ones that you mention. They can travel outside and they don’t need the likes of me who prevent them from doing stuff. To think of it now, someone did summon me that day or her…” Rosemary stopped.
“What? Why did you stop? Her? Who are you talking about?’” Emily probed harder.
“Who did you see the other day, the day that you fainted?” Rosemary questioned in turn.
Emily closed her eyes and concentrated hard and tried to remember what she exactly saw. Then said, “I … I saw the old lady librarian and she was coming towards me with her white, sickly hands. Oh, that was horrific. I remember that I asked her to stay away from me and then I screamed and fainted. The next thing I remember I was being taken care of by the nurse. The doctor who used to check me wasn’t there and someone else did. They said it was stress and I asked them to keep that information to themselves. Later that night, I heard the news was all around that I was speaking to myself…and…before I saw the lady librarian, didn’t I see you?”
