The Other Side

Ch. 13 Library of the Past

October 20th, 2014

Jesse

"Let's go Madam! Let's go, let's go!"

That morning I was eager to get to the library as soon as possible. The sun's warmth was pleasant. With a slight breeze blowing in the air, it seemed like it'll be a good day.

I was hopping around in my shoes, waiting for Madam to come out. Then, the door swung open, and Madam came out with her signature hat.

"Are you ready to go Jesse? Doesn't seem like you are." She said as she adjusted her hat with the morning sun.

"What! But I am ready!"

"Okay okay, just had to be sure first." She smiled her sweet smile.

"Yup, now let's go!" I said as I started to walk. For whatever reason, Cynthia told me to get a certain book. One she said was filled with 'all the information anyone could ever need'. It seemed like it was a book of legends... I had to see it for myself.

"Slow down! My golden days of speed walking are long over now."

"Huh? Oh I'm sorry Madam!" I was accidentally speed walking too fast. I slowed down a bit for Madam. The library wasn't gonna go anywhere anyway.

******

It was a decent walk to the library with Madam. We arrived at the building in good time. The library seemed small from the outside. The walls were dirty, and the paint was losing its color. We walked inside and I was amazed at what I saw. Brown walls and tiled floors made up the interior of the library. There were many windows, letting in plenty of natural sunlight to light up the inside. There was a center lounging area for people to sit and read. Surrounding it were the rows of tall bookcases. Organized by genre, from fantasy and mystery to history and nonfiction, there was something for everyone.

There was also a gigantic spiraling staircase leading to the second floor. It looked like something straight out of a book. Unfortunately for me, there was an 'Authorized Personnel Only' sign hung up on the little gated door at the start of the staircase. Disappointed, I looked away from the magnificent stairs.

"Go ahead and take a look around Jess, I'll be over by the magazines if you need me." Madam said. She went off to the right side of the library.

I went into the first aisle closest to me on the left. After one quick gaze around the rows of books, it became clear that finding just one book in a library is near impossible. I think the book Cynthia wanted me to get was some type of encyclopedia. So at least I was in the right area.

"Butterflies of the World... Coral: An Amazing Sea..." I read off a few titles as I passed through the aisle. None of the books seemed like the right one. "Insects... Money... Philosophy..."

"Excuse me young man, do you need some help?" Someone asked me from behind.

"Yes please. I'm looking for a certain book," I turn around to face them. It was an older lady. She had graying black hair tied in what looked like a very tight bun. Dressed in a sweater and sweatpants, she seemed nice. "I think it's around here in this section, but I couldn't find it."

"That's ok! That's why I'm here to help," She smiled. "Now what was the name of the book?"

It dawned on me that Cynthia didn't tell me much about the book at all. I didn't even know for sure that it was an encyclopedia...

"I'm sorry I don't know the name of it, a friend just told me that it has a lot of information on... stuff."

"Stuff?" She asked.