The Children of Black Annis

by Amy Cross

  "You alright?" asks a voice nearby.

  The knight turns to find that Staveley, the old fool from the village, is slowly limping towards him.

  "I'm ready," the knight says.

  "I fear you do not appreciate the magnitude of the challenge that you face," Staveley says, turning to look with awe at the huge wooden door that towers over them both. "Beyond this point, you will face -"

  "I've heard the stories," the knight says. "I know all the legends. I am as prepared as any man can be for such a journey. If you do not have faith in me, you are free to choose another to follow me into this place. But my heart is set and I cannot falter from this quest."

  Staveley nods approvingly. "I have faith in you," he says. "Shall I do the honors?"

  "Time is pressing," the knight says. "Get to it."

  Staveley limps over to the wall and rings a small bell that hangs next to the door. For a moment, there is silence, and then finally the huge door starts to swing open. It takes a few minutes for the entrance to be fully opened, as a group of peasants have been entrusted with the job and they are not strong, but finally the knight finds himself facing the entrance to the great library.

  "Do you remember the way?" Staveley asks.

  "I do," the knight replies. "Do not forget that I have a map as well."

  Staveley stares through the door. Scared to get too close, he is nonetheless fascinated to see the vast shelves of books that spread out as far as the eye can see. Like everyone in his village, he has heard many tales of the library, but he never dreamed he would one day be lucky enough to see it.

  "Are you thinking to come with me?" the knight asks.

  "No," says Staveley. "I'm an old man. Perhaps in my younger days, it would be me standing here in the armor, but as things are, I would only slow you down."

  "You are wise, old fool," the knight says. "I thank the gods that I was chosen for this task. I will not let our village down. I will return with the book, and though many expect my journey to take half a decade, I believe I can complete the journey there and back in as little as three years."

  "God speed," Staveley says, leaning down and scooping up some mud from the ground. He picks through it and finds a few worms wriggling around, and then finally he puts the mud - including the worms - in his mouth, chews for a moment and finally swallows. "Juicy," he says. "I look forward to your return, so that we may all have better food."

  The knight takes a deep breath and starts walking forward. As he passes through the entrance, he feels the hopes of his people resting on his shoulders. The consequences of failure are almost unimaginable: his death would be swift, but his people would face agony. As the huge door is closed behind him, the knight looks back and sees Staveley watching with a look of apprehension on his face. Finally, the door is pushed shut and the knight finds himself standing alone at the start of his quest.

  "You!" he calls out to one of the peasants as they hurry away. "I must have an answer to one question!"

  The peasant stops and turns. "Me?" he asks. "I'm not supposed to talk to anyone who comes into the library."

  "Just one question," the knight continues. "I was told that a war had broken out in the Ethnography section. Is that still the case?"

  The peasant looks around to make sure that they're alone. "Yes," he says finally, keeping his voice down. "It has raged for half a century now, with no sign of stopping. You would do well to avoid that section entirely."

  The knight pulls out his map and spreads it against the wall. "Here," he says, pointing at the Ethnography section of the library. "This is where the war is? And it's contained entirely within this section?"

  "Mostly," the peasant says, still looking around nervously in case someone spots him talking to the knight. He points at the European History section that sits adjacent to Ethnography. "There are rumors that smugglers have been using European History to get weapons into Ethnography. Just rumors, mind, but worth paying mind to."

  "And how long will it take me to get here?" the knight asks, indicating the Phonology section.

  "Three years," the peasant says, "perhaps a little longer. It depends whether you pick up any injuries. You could cut a couple of months off the journey time by going straight through Ethnography, but like I said, you'd be running a terrible risk."

  "And if I try to -" the knight starts to say.

  "No more questions!" the peasant snaps, turning and hurrying away.

  "Thank you," the knight says, turning and starting to walk along the dusty road that runs between the first sets of shelves. He looks up and sees that the ceiling to this place is high. The bookshelves are almost a mile high in some areas, lined with millions of books in varying sizes. The library caters to creatures as small as insects and as large as giants, so multiple copies of each title have to be stocked. That's one of the reasons why the library covers an entire continent, although there are other reasons, some of which nobody seems to fully understand. In fact, there's only one fact that most people accept when it comes to the library: this is a dangerous place.

  After walking for a few hours, the knight stops to check his map and finds that he's still in the Aesthetics section of the library. According to the map, this section is rather peaceful but can take up to a week to traverse. Looking along one of the aisles, the knight spots the dispiriting sight of a skeleton resting against one of the shelves. Stepping closer, the knight realizes that the skeleton is crawling with maggots, which have almost entirely eaten away the flesh. Some of the little creatures are even crawling through the eye socket.

  The knight turns and takes a few steps along the aisle. He's starting to think about finding a place to sleep for the night, and he was told by Staveley that the Aesthetics section of the library is one of the safest in the entire kingdom. Despite the rather troubling presence of the dead body, the knight decides that he'll find another aisle and bed down for the knight. He takes a few steps forward, but suddenly he stops as he senses a presence nearby. Looking ahead, he sees no-one approaching. Slowly, and with a sense of mounting dread, he turns to find that the maggot-infested skeleton is now standing and bearing down upon him.

  "Keep back!" the knight shouts, but it's too late and the skeleton crashes down onto him, forcing him backwards onto the floor. The knight struggles, but the skeleton is strong and soon the maggots from the skull have fallen onto the knight, quickly wriggling through the gaps in his armor He feels them starting to chew on his flesh, and the armor prevents him from brushing them away. Finally he forces the skeleton back against a shelf. Getting to his feet, the knight runs as fast as he can, but his armor is bolted on too tightly and the maggots continue to burrow into his flesh and he falls to the ground, screaming as one particularly adventurous maggot makes its way onto his eyeball and starts digging straight down into him.

  The knight's screams are heard for miles, and keep many other adventurers awake all night long.

  Jess

  "This doesn't look like a library," I say, as Duncan and I look up at the huge wooden door. We're standing outside what looks more like a giant fortress, guarded by a massive stone wall. There's bracken and moss all over the wall, but the entrance to the library seems to be deserted. It's hard to believe anyone else has ever been here; the whole place looks a bit like a wall that leads into a giant's garden, except Duncan insists that it's the door to a massive library.

  "What's a library supposed to look like?" Duncan asks.

  "I don't know," I say. "Smaller. More booky. Less terrifying."

  "Not this library," Duncan replies, stepping forward. A small bell is set into the wall next to the door, and Duncan reaches out and grabs the rope. "Shall I ring?" he asks.

  I shrug. "I guess so," I say, and he goes ahead. The bell itself is rather small, and it's hard to believe that anyone on the other side of the wall will hear it. "What's this library called?" I ask.

  "Nothing," Duncan replies, coming back over to join me. "It's just... the library."

  "Just the
library?" I say. "Isn't that a bit presumptuous?"

  "Not really," Duncan says. "It's huge. The reason other libraries all have to have names is because if you speak to anyone with half a brain and mention 'the' library, they'll assume you mean this place. It's connected to the Underworld, although the rules here are very different. For one thing -"

  Suddenly there's a loud creaking sound. We look up as the door slowly starts to creak open, and eventually I see that there are half a dozen peasant-looking men pushing it. Looking through the entrance, all I can see are a series of huge bookshelves stretching as far as the eye can see. It's definitely bigger than the library near my house when I was younger.

  "Where the fuck are we?" I ask. "Don't tell me it's a library, because it's blatantly not."

  "It is," he says. "It's all the other libraries that aren't really libraries. This one makes them all pale into insignificance. Seriously, this is the perfect library. Every book that's ever been published by any man, woman or other type of creature. Every. Single. Book. In every conceivable language, and every conceivable edition. Everything. Except ebooks. They don't do ebooks. There's not much call for ebooks around these parts." He pauses. "Granted it's a bit bigger than you might have expected."

  "How big?" I ask.

  He takes a deep breath. "From here to the furthest point, about twenty thousand miles. That's almost the same as the circumference on the planet."

  "Hang on," I say, realizing that he might be talking rubbish, "if this place is almost as big as the planet, how come no-one knows about it? How's it stayed hidden? I mean, it's not on Google Maps, is it?"

  Duncan smiles. "That's because it exists concurrently with other locations. Well, one location. The whole library is contained within a grain of sand, really, but a grain that is able to repeat infinitely and with infinite variation." He looks at me, and frowns as he sees that I'm not understanding what he's saying. "Have you ever played a computer game?" he asks.

  I nod.

  "And the worlds in those games fit inside your computer, even though they're much bigger, don't they?"

  I nod.

  "So that's kind of how the library works."

  I pause. "It's inside a computer?"

  "No," he says. "It's not inside a computer. But it works."

  "It doesn't make sense," I point out.

  "Nevertheless," he replies, sounding a little annoyed, "here it is! So obviously it works something, doesn't it?"

  "Whatever," I say.

  Duncan sighs. "Fortunately, you can still go into the library even if you don't understand how it works. So let's get going. We've got a long walk ahead of us."

  "You're kidding," I say.

  "I'm not kidding," he replies. "I never kid. Well, I do. But I'm not now. I'm deadly serious. Some people take pilgrimages to specific sections of the library. They spend years and years traveling to the right section so they can find a specific book. Sometimes they die along the way. I should warn you about that. There'll be dead bodies in here. Lots and lots of dead bodies." He sighs. "It's not the safest library, that's for sure."

  "I'm not walking twenty thousand miles," I say.

  "Of course not!" he says. "We're only going about fifteen miles in. I need to find a reference book that contains information about Excalibur, and fortunately that's in the Arthurian Legends section, which is relatively close to the entrance. All we have to do is go to the correct shelf, find the book, take a look at a few chapters, and leave."

  "Can't we check the book out?" I ask.

  "It's not that kind of library," he replies. "The books have to stay inside. But don't worry, it won't take us too long." He grins. "It'll be fun."

  "Are you coming in?" asks one of the peasants. "Only we'll close the gate if you're not."

  "Of course we're coming in!" Duncan says, grabbing my arm and pulling me after him as we walk through the entrance. "Ignore the smell. You'll get used to it."

  I instinctively put a hand over my nose. "What the hell is that?" I say, feeling like I might throw up.

  "No idea," Duncan says, "but like I said, a lot of people who come into this library don't make it out again, and as far as I know there's no body collection service."

  "So people rot where they fall?" I say.

  Duncan nods. "It's not always a pleasant place," he says, looking up at the huge, looming shelves. "It's full of knowledge. There's more knowledge concentrated in this place than in any other place on the planet, and with knowledge comes danger. That's why we're not going to loiter. We're going to get in, find the reference books on Excalibur, research the subject, find out what we need to know, and get out. No straying. No wandering off alone. No trying to be smart and falling flat on your face. None of that. We just get in, get out. Deal?"

  "Deal," I say, as the door starts to close behind us.

  "Hello!" Duncan says, turning to the peasants. "Do you have a moment to help us out?"

  As the door slams shut, the peasants ignore us and start hurrying away.

  "Hey!" Duncan calls after us. "Can one of you help?"

  One of the peasants stops and turns back to us. "Sorry," he says, "we can't be seen talking to visitors. The last guy who did that, ended up losing his head. Literally." He turns and hurries away.

  "Right," Duncan says. "That's friendly, but I guess rules are rules. Nothing can go wrong, so long as we just stick to the planned route and get to where we're going." He pauses. "I wonder if the war in Ethnography is still going on. Perhaps it's spread. We should be careful."

  "War?" I ask.

  "This place is huge," Duncan continues. "There are a lot of people here. Sometimes they argue, and wars break out. Whole civilizations have risen and fallen between these bookshelves. It's a remarkable place. That's why it's so dangerous." He turns to me. "Okay. Jess. There are three rules to surviving this library, and you have to stick to them without exception."

  I shrug. "Hit me," I say.

  "First rule. Don't help anyone. If you see someone in trouble, leave them be. If you find someone dying by a bookshelf, leave them to die. It sounds cruel, but it's the only way to survive. Don't get involved in the life of the library. Okay?"

  "Okay," I say, feeling that Duncan is taking this a little too seriously. "Next?"

  He pauses. "Second rule. Don't go wandering off. I know this place. I know the route to the exact book I need, and I know the route back. Some aisles are safe. Some aisles aren't. Stick close to me. Trust me."

  I find it hard not to laugh a little. "Okay," I say, smiling.

  "Third rule. Do not, under any circumstances, approach the librarian. If you see him, ignore him. Try not to make eye contact and don't do anything to attract his attention." He takes a deep breath. "Got it?"

  "Got it," I say. "But what does the librarian look like?"

  "You'll know him if we're unlucky enough to run into him," Duncan says. "But as long as you stick close to me, I guarantee you won't have any problems if you stick to me. I'm well-known for my aversion to trouble."

  "Are you?" I say.

  "I am," he replies. "Now let's get going." He turns to walk away, and then he turns back. "There's a fourth rule," he says. "Sorry, I forgot, but it's important." He pauses. "Watch out for bookworms. They're not cuddly."

  "I never thought bookworms were cuddly," I say.

  "They're deadly," he continues. "Don't touch any books that look to be in poor condition. Bookworms here look like maggots, but they're far nastier. They can kill. They attack in swarms and once they've locked onto you, it's almost impossible to get rid of them."

  "Okay," I say. "No bookworms. Got it."

  We start walking along the aisle that runs from the main door towards the interior of the library. Above us, the sun is shining bright in the midday sky, and I start to realize that when Duncan said we were "taking a trip to the library," he meant more of an epic trek through a library. We have a few snacks to keep us going, and Duncan insists that it won't take us too long to get the book we need and get
out. But looking either side of us, seeing aisles of books stretching off into the distance, it occurs to me that this is one of the few times when I should actually follow Duncan's advice. This is the last place I'd ever want to get lost, and -

  Suddenly I stop walking.

  "What is it?" Duncan asks.

  I point at a dead body that has been left leaning against a bookshelf. It looks like the remains of a man, his skin dehydrated and ragged, and a patch of blood directly beneath him. It's not clear what killed him, but his face is raised towards the sky and his mouth is wide open as if he was screaming. He's wearing a gray business suit, and there are little white maggots crawling all over him.

  "Bookworms," Duncan says, grabbing my arm. "Come on. There's nothing we can do."

  "What do you think killed him?" I ask as we keep walking.

  "I don't know," Duncan says, "and I have no intention of finding out."

  After we've been walking for five or six hours, it's starting to get a lot darker and I realize that the sun is setting. We've been making our way in a straight line since we got here, with Duncan occasionally glancing at a map he keeps in his pocket, but while the library is pretty creepy during the daytime, the thought of being here at night is another matter.

  "Do you have a torch?" I ask, feeling a little nervous.

  "No," says Duncan. "Do you?"

  "No," I say quietly, though I wish I did: it feels like the kind of thing that would've been useful. I look back over my shoulder and see the vast, seemingly never-ending rows of library shelves receding behind us. We've been walking and walking and walking, and it seems like we're getting no closer to our destination. "Shouldn't we find somewhere to sleep for the night?" I ask. "I mean... somewhere safe?"