The cat's eerie glow came as a surprise, but what happened next made me doubt my sanity. The tabby opened its mouth in a broad grin, showing off a row of pointy teeth.
"Don't you like blue?"
I stepped back, suddenly wobbly on my knees. My left hand found the cool metal of a shelf, and I hung onto it like a ship to its anchor, needing it to keep myself from fainting while I fumbled for words
"Um, sure." This wasn't a masterpiece of an answer, not even when talking to a cat. A talking cat. Was I going bonkers? I tried again. "It—it is a fashionable shade of blue, and it suits you well."
The cat blinked and folded the paws under its chest. "Ha, an eloquent young lady. So, I gather you are the new collaborator in this place?"
I shrugged, my initial shock about the talking tabby fading to leave me in a state of unbelieving wonder. "I guess. Although this is my first day, and I still have to prove that I can replace Marjorie."
The cat tilted its head, wrinkled its nose, and scrutinised me from head to toe with huge emerald eyes. "I'm sure you'll do. At least you didn't run away screaming when you saw me, like some others I could mention."
"Should I have?"
The mischievous grin was back. "I don't eat librarians, if that's what worries you. Not even assistant librarians, even if they look as yummy as you."
Was this the feline equivalent of a compliment? Yummy was a first for me. "I'm glad to hear, I guess. Tell me, what is a talking blue cat doing in a library?"
"Ha, I know a nosy one when I see one. But is our new assistant librarian clever, too? Let's see, what about making this into a riddle and test if you can find the answer on your own?"
Great, on top of a hostile coworker, I'd now encountered a riddle-playing tabby cat. Wasn't the riddle game more a sphinx kind of entertainment? This place got weirder by the minute.
Quick steps behind me interrupted my thoughts of abandoning the ship before I lost my mind and made me whirl around. Conny strode down the aisle with a clipboard, her heels clicking a no-nonsense rhythm on the floorboards. As if on cue, the lamp above me lit up again and filled the space with bright light.
"Ah, that's where you are hiding." She pointed her ballpoint at the lamp. "Is this one broken?"
At least she talked to me, even if my definition of friendliness differed from hers. I shrugged. "It seems kind of erratic, turning on and off at will."
"Hm, I remember we had that problem before. We will have to call in the janitor to fix it. It's perhaps best if you tell Marjorie—the man nurses a soft spot for her."
She took a book from the top shelf and checked its label. "I think you should go help her now anyway. A teacher is about to bring in his class of rascals for a library introduction." She shook her head without looking up. "Marjorie is way too lenient with kids."
"Sure, I'm about done here." I checked the last two shelves. They looked fine at a glance, but somehow, the cat had disappeared. Had I imagined my conversation with the extraordinary beast? I frowned and passed Conny, who picked up another book and noted something on her board. Should I ask her about the blue tabby? No, she'd probably declare me nuts, and rightfully so.
While I returned to the front desk, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that a pair of eyes watched me from behind. But all thoughts of talking cats and someone staring a hole into my neck evaporated when the ruckus of the school children piling through the door reached me.
Marjorie and a woman a few years my senior helped them out of their coats and shoes and stowed the garments. The librarian greeted me with her trademark smile. "Ah, Lynn, could you take over here? I have to bring this young lady to the restroom."
The young lady in question was, like her classmates, six years old and excited. Together with the teacher, who showed an incredible amount of patience, we brought a semblance of order into the flock of twenty-something kids and got them settled on the sitting cubes.
Marjorie returned with her guest and took her place on the sofa to introduce the children to the world of books and the library. I couldn't help but admire how she caught the attention of her young audience. The little ones hung at her lips as she told them the story of the hungry caterpillar that eats its way through a collection of various foods. When it turned into a beautiful butterfly at the end of the story, I swear I could see the insect beat its colourful new wings and lift from the pages of the storybook. Mesmerised, I let my gaze follow the butterfly as it danced over the upturned faces of the children, settled for a moment on a dark-skinned girl's nose and flitted away before she could reach for it.
Then the teacher, oblivious to the magic afoot, clapped her hands and broke the spell. "Wasn't this a wonderful story? What do we say?"
A multi-voiced "thank you" echoed through the room. The butterfly disappeared, leaving only a few sparkles, and Marjorie smiled. "My pleasure. Now, do you want to discover a few books of your own?"
They did. While the kids rushed to sort through picture books, I stared at the old librarian. How had she done it? I was sure I hadn't been the only one spellbound, even if the teacher had been exempt. Then Marjorie's gaze found mine, and she sent me a wink. Okay, so there was a secret in this library.
Determined to dig for the truth, I had to wait for a moment alone with the librarian. In the meantime, the butterfly girl pulled at my sleeve. "Look what I found."
I smiled at her. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. That's a marvellous book."
She showed me a gap-toothed smile. "My name is Alice, just like in the book. Will you read it with me?"
"Sure, if you like."
The smile grew broader, and she called over her friends. Two girls and a boy snuggled up against me on the sofa as we leaved through an illustrated edition of the classic. The elaborate drawings were full of tiny details, and the kids were more interested in the pictures than in the story. I didn't mind. After all, there were worse jobs than showing a picture book to a bunch of rather cute first graders.
When Alice flipped the page to an illustration of the Cheshire Cat, I gasped. The kids looked up at me with wide eyes.
"Is something wrong, Miss?"
"No, don't worry, I'm fine." But I wasn't, and I knew exactly where I had seen that grin before. The drawing resembled the tabby I'd met earlier this morning to the T. Even the unusual blue colouring fitted the appearance in the library. If I ran into the talking cat next, it would have some explaining to do.
But of course, I didn't find an opportunity to question Marjorie or the cat that day.
When the children left towards noon, the library got busy with older customers. Marjorie had a doctor's appointment and Conny made me clear away the returns while she assisted a woman in a wheelchair with the catalogue and processed the loans of a bunch of students.
I passed my lunch break down the road in a small café with a hot barista and a friendly ambiance. Its unobtrusive decor but comfortable furniture made the place a candidate for becoming my new favourite hangout.
Back at the library, Conny greeted me with something I hoped was a tiny smile. "Welcome back. So, are you still determined to stick with it?"
I tried to keep my face straight and not show my annoyance. If this was her best attempt at being friendly, I had to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Yes, I like this place and am grateful to Marjorie for offering me this opportunity. It's a challenge to find a job straight from university."
A shadow crossed her face. "Whom are you telling this? Well, if you're serious, it's probably best if I show you the ropes with the computer system."
I hoped she took the surprise on my face as eagerness. "That would be nice, thanks."
It turned out Coony was a gifted teacher and had more patience than I'd have attested to her after our first encounter. Perhaps we'd just started on the wrong foot? After her instruction, I was proud to serve my first customer, a man in his seventies who didn't mind my snail's speed and left me with a feeling of achievement.
Conny nodded her approval. "Well done. Now, how to issue a new library card."
With all the new stuff to learn, the afternoon passed in a breeze. Since Conny seemed to have come to terms with my presence, I was sure I'd be a valid candidate for replacing Marjorie. Once I held this job for a few weeks, it would be easier to secure another one. A few weird appearances, like a glowing cat or an illusory butterfly, couldn't deter me now. And perhaps they had just been mirages of my mind, products of my imagination triggered by the stress of my entrance into adulthood. I wondered if I should ask Conny, but didn't want to risk our newfound truce. Instead, I was determined to ignore all illusions in the future.
When the door chime sent the last customers out into the chilly evening air, I was tired, but content. All that remained to do was preparing the library for the cleaners. I stacked the returns by numbers onto a trolley, like Conny had taught me, and ordered them back into place on the shelves. In the meantime, she finished the paperwork.
It was already dark outside when only a copy of Cervantes's Don Quixote remained to be stowed in the classics section. I pushed my trolley down the last aisle when the broken lamp dimmed again, leaving me in near darkness.
With everything going on today, I had forgotten to tell Marjorie about it. Annoyed, I stepped forward. "Cat, is this your doing?"
There was no answer, and no Cheshire Cat appeared grinning on a bookshelf. I sighed and dug my phone out of my back pocket to use it as a flashlight when I spotted a figure in dark attire at the end of the aisle, holding an open book. A late visitor? How could he read in this darkness?
"Sorry, we're already closed. Do you wish to check out this book?"
The man lifted his head and stared at me out of a pair of glowing blue eyes.