Books of the Dead

by Morris Fenris

  “We need to save it then in any way possible, and then what do you want me to do?” There was a heartfelt pleading in Merly’s tone and she was ready to do whatever she was capable of to save the library. “I can go and speak with Mr. Summers if that is what you want. I can help get a petition started and do everything that I am capable of doing, and I am almost certain that Mr. Summers…” Merly 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, but 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,” Merly said and along with it she hoped that’s Rosemary would be pleased with that, but nothing she said made any changes in her expression.

  Merly 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 seemed to be reading something out loud,” and then he waited for her to answer. Merly didn’t understand what was being said to her and then looked at Rosemary who was sitting in front of her, and then it hit her. The boy couldn’t see her for what she was and he thought that she was sitting there alone and memorizing something aloud. That is why everyone thought that Mr. Stevenson would talk on his own and that he was going crazy. Instead, he was talking to Rosemary and others like her, Merly thought.

  “You are right,” this time the voice spoke in her head.

  “We can’t speak here or else he will think the same about me and 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 cannot just sit here and pretend to be reading that would look particularly ridiculous,” Merly said out in her mind as she knew that Rosemary would be reading her mind and got up without an answer. She then excused herself and walked outside the library.

  Mr. Stevenson was taking his leave, too. He smiled at Merly, 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 be clearer with her. Merly merely walked past him without acknowledging his presence at all. There was a strange lining to Mr. Stevenson’s face and Merly didn’t miss it, and it was like he was taken aback by her strange behavior, but he didn’t say anything and neither did he stop her.

  Merly walked fast through the corridor and waited for Mr. Stevenson to pass, and it was just moments later she saw him walking past her. Now Merly 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 will be waiting outside, she thought, but no voice spoke in her mind as well. So this time, she said it out aloud, “Rosemary, are you there? I am waiting for you to come” but nothing changed. No sound and absolute silence.

  “What is happening? Merly thought again, 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, Merly thought again. So she ran back inside the library. It took her some time and the run towards the library weakened her unnecessarily, and Merly thought that they were all in her mind.

  The assistant librarian looked at her strangely when Merly entered pushing open the door. “Did you see a ghost? Why are you running like that?” he said looking quite irritable. Merly knew that he preferred silence and didn’t like it when Merly made her way in like that, but 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.

  Merly didn’t pay heed to that and made her way to where she was having the conversation with Rosemary before, and there she saw her sitting like before. Merly looked closer and now Rosemary did resemble Mr. Summers in some manner, but no sooner that thought formed in her head she corrected it to Mr. Keaton. Merly didn’t go up to Rosemary immediately and stood in the corner looking at her. “Why did Mr. Summers change his name? What has he got to hide? I must ask her this,” and while thinking 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, and determined to ask that, she moved closer. Merly noticed that the male student was still sitting there submerged into his book and thus she faltered while moving closer. 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 fast so she came up with a plan.

  “Hello,’’ Merly said and when the boy looked up at her face, she choose 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 some place else?” Merly’s face didn’t show any expression and the boy took a long time to reply, and she was about to believe that her attempt was wasted when the boy stood up and excused himself, and without saying another word left. Merly was relieved, but she still couldn’t see Rosemary anywhere and waited for her the second time in the night to come. The silence of the library hall engulfed her, and Merly sat there on her own, she glanced everywhere especially where her eyes took her to, but it was negative as there was still no sign of Rosemary.

  Merly slouched back into her seat not knowing what to do or how long to wait and it all seemed quite hopeless. Sitting there and chanting prayers didn’t seem to be a good option for her as well. Merly contemplated if she should already give up on her wait when there was a cold wind that ruffled her hair and Merly precisely understood the significance of the occurrence. She turned back, but no one was there, but there Rosemary was looking at her directly in the eyes when she turned back.

  “So now, you don’t even require me to say the prayers?” Merly attempted to make light of the situation even though she didn’t understand the reason behind it. Later, she made herself understand that the situation bore too heavily on her and thus it was an attempt to lighten it up.

  “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 didn’t you seek their help?” Merly 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 annoyance. However, nothing gets past Rosemary and she sensed it clearly.

  “Others are not like you, Merly, and they only call for me, because they need something. They always want things from me. They want me to fix their stuff ... how selfish of them, but you are 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 and glee in her eyes were back and Merly didn’t miss it.

  “Yes, I did agree to help you and in any way that I can, but why didn’t you follow me outside? Merly questioned.

  Rosemary looked directly at her and said with remorse, “Simply because I can’t”.

  Merly didn’t understand what Rosemary said to her and kept looking at her in a confused manner, thus Rosemary answered the question for her. “I am trapped here, Merly, 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. So I only get to see Gregory when he comes here, to look at some books or reminiscence about the time we came here and he helped me with my assignments. Do you get the depth of the situation here, Merly? If the library goes then my existence will be in question, and I will be stuck in between with eternal agony and suffering. Can you help me, Merly? Please?” Rosemary begged.

  Slowl
y, the entire situation started to make sense to Merly of why Rosemary couldn’t leave or the reason why she never felt the presence of Rosemary outside of the library. “Is this the case with all of you?” she asked almost innocently, when she suddenly remembered what happened in the abandoned room to which Camille took her and Natalie or in her own dorm room where she chanted the prayers for the first time.

  Rosemary obviously wasn’t expecting this question and Merly could sense that. She deemed it was her fault and immediately told her not to answer it if it made her uncomfortable.

  “Have you seen any of us outside this hall?” Rosemary asked.

  “I felt it once or twice,” Merly answered flatly.

  “Some of us can,” Rosemary answered too quickly and then 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 bounded. I cannot step outside this place. I tried, but all that I am capable of is letting those see me if they really wanted. I guess that is why you saw me here first.” Rosemary offered a gentle smile while saying this.

  Merly 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 then and you just happened to see me,” Rosemary offered.

  “It was a coincidence? Just that? But that doesn’t make sense. There must be something else. 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 Merly 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?’” Merly probed harder.

  “Who did you see the other day, the day that you fainted?” Rosemary questioned in turn.

  Merly closed her eyes and concentrated hard and tried to remember what were the things that 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 is that I was been taken care 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 … but before I saw the lady librarian, didn’t I see you?”

  “Yes, I was there, but not for the reason you think. I came to warn you, because I knew you were in danger. I think that you must have said those prayers before, the ones that trigger my presence and hence I was there. It was because I thought it was a call for help.” Rosemary’s explanation settled Merly a bit and she was relieved by the fact that she was not totally losing her mind like she previously thought. However, she needed all her questions to be answered before she could help Rosemary completely. Merly was the one who wanted to control the situation by knowing all the details.

  “But I don’t understand one thing though. Why would the former lady librarian want to harm me, because the last time I saw her she helped me. It was before I knew that she was not human. I was sitting somewhere along here waiting to finish one of the assignments, but it was difficult and I couldn’t find the book that I was looking for and then I saw her over there in some retro clothes. I didn’t think anything at first, but she was eager enough to help me herself. She directed me towards the book that I needed and that was it. It had all the answers and problems. Even when Zoë didn’t help me with the work, I could finish it on time, because I had all the answers ready in my hand. Don’t you think that is surprising?” Merly looked at Rosemary and tried to find the answer in her expression, but she got nothing.

  “How did you know then that she was a ghost?” Rosemary questioned back.

  “I didn’t at first, obviously, because honestly before today, I never even believed something like this could even happen. It still feels like a dream to me if you ask me now. I couldn’t even believe it at first when Zoë told me about it, but there was always a rumor floating around that one of the students a few years back saw the library ghost and fainted or something and had the same kind of nightmares and he was later considered insane. I was afraid not because of the nightmares, but for the people around me. I didn’t want to pull them in my troubles. Nora left and I befriended Natalie to seek help, but that turned futile as well. I still kept seeing the ghost and it was followed by that horrible night in Camille’s abandoned room. What can be possibly be the meaning of all this? What is going on behind everyone’s back? Merly was clearly stressed while recalling the events of the earlier happenings and Rosemary didn’t stop her from saying anything.

  When Merly stopped for breath, Rosemary asked her to proceed, “Don’t hold anything back from me, Merly, this is for your own good. I will do everything possible to stop what is happening to you. Sadly, there is no difference between spirits and people, because anyone can deceive you, so you must be careful what you do and say.”

  Merly didn’t think anymore or analyze what was being said to her. “I know, that is why it took me so much time to believe in you. Everyone was acting so suspicious around me and I even doubted Nora, Mr. Summers and Natalie for that matter. Can I tell you something?”

  “Yes, definitely, don’t hold anything back from me” Rosemary urged.

  “I think Nora is on to something, because she thought that Mr. Summers … I mean Mr. Keaton was in this. Well, I wouldn’t blame her completely, because I thought that, too. I didn’t say this to you before, but we were sent some books. These were books from rare authors on criminology, which I understand, but they were not all on that topic. There were some other books, too, on spirit evocation. That took us by surprise. We thought it was a joke and didn’t take it seriously, and there was no name of the sender. I was the one who found the photograph. It was your photograph. I didn’t know even then, although in this situation, I must admit that it was Mr. Keaton’s image who looked striking to me. I had a feeling that Mr. Summers and Mr. Keaton might be the same person. Nora must have caught on to that, too. She left without letting me know anything. Then I did a bit of investigation myself to get information on her whereabouts and facts. However, I can’t seem to contact her now. The last I heard she was at her mom’s house; also, she broke her leg and might be resting. I didn’t want to bother her or call her. But at least she is safe. I simply wish I could let her know somehow that I can handle this situation on my own or else she would be worrying on for no reason.”

  Merly was saying much and Rosemary had no intention of stopping her. There she was listening to her patiently with everything she was saying and Merly admitted flatly soon that she was grateful that Rosemary wasn’t trying to intimidate her in any manner.

  “It was a right decision for you not to involve anyone in this. You did the right thing, but like I said, you cannot trust anyone too closely. There are people and things who want this library taken down. They hate sharing. Like the former librarian, nobody knows much, but she has a history. She likes no one in this library, because it was her haven, her temple and now it will not be there anymore, so if she can’t have it then, she will not let anyone have it as well. Every one has their own reason, but they all know how to scare a soul when they see one. I couldn’t handle things everywhere and always. Have you seen her again somewhere?” Rosemary’s words were comforting and Merly found all the information that she needed to know, and it was then that she decided that she
could lay her trust in Rosemary after all.

  “I don’t know and I cannot even tell you clearly, but someone was there and I am sure about that. I could sense it and feel it as well when Camille took me to that abandoned room. The feeling was so scary and it was nothing like your presence, the lights went off, the wind blew hard and I just knew that something was going to happen, but things were different than they are now. I have a feeling that something might not be right. Whoever was there was trying to intimidate and scare me. And I am not mistaken, because Natalie felt it too and then I suffered from heavy fever. Can this all be mere coincidence? I think not, both of us can’t be wrong, but look at now. You are here and I felt absolutely fine.” Merly was trying to be honest as much as she could. She believed that saying everything out loud would help them resolve the situation sooner and although the conversation was dragging on, she didn’t mind.

  “You seem to trust Nora too much. Then why did she leave you without saying anything? Have you ever thought about that specifically? Did she contact you in between or even try to contact you? If she knew something was wrong and amiss, then do you think it was right for her to leave so suddenly without telling you, knowing that you will worry? That is burdening your friend with additional troubles.” These simple questions and statements made by Rosemary made Merly look up, and there was lines of doubt on her face.

  Merly started to doubt. She became silent and didn’t say another thing. Sure she loved and trusted Nora and was almost confident that Nora meant no harm, but she couldn’t completely ignore what Rosemary just said and thus decided to give some thought to it. On one hand, she felt a tinge of guilt for doubting her friend, but how could she purposely dismiss what Rosemary said, because they were true. Thus, Merly maintained her silence.

  “Did I say anything wrong?” Rosemary asked.