Thursday was overcast, and the drizzle had me longing for the snow from a few days ago. The chilly rain made winter even more depressing. I was the first to arrive at the library and glad Marjorie had handed me a key the night before. At least I didn't have to wait outside for Conny.
With the low clouds, the interior remained gloomy, and I hurried to switch on the light before too many ghosts could pop up. But Cat sat already in the middle of the reception desk and yawned.
"Good morning, Miss Assistant Librarian."
So much for my suspicion—or hope—the strange visits would cease when Marjorie wasn't around.
"Good morning, Sir Cheshire." I took off my jacket, hung it to dry, and placed my backpack next to the desk.
The cat licked a paw and blinked. "Cat will do. Everyone calls me Cat."
"Okay, nice to meet you then, Cat. My name is Lynn."
Cat stood and stretched his back, his blue fur bristling, before he sat down and folded his paws under his chest. "The pleasure is all mine, Lynn. And now the proper introductions are done. How can I help you?"
I switched on the computer and sat down. "Help me?"
"Yes, like answering your nosy questions or showing you the ominous treasures and secrets of the library."
I wasn't sure I could stomach more secrets, not without the support of Marjorie, or at least Paco's down-to-Earth presence. Cat seemed to read my thoughts, and his mouth twitched into his trademark grin. "Ah, I'd have taken you for more adventurous. But don't fret, there are no bodies hidden underneath the floorboards."
As if on cue, I stared at the polished floor. "Such a relief. Well, since you're the local expert, what can you tell me about Luca?"
"Fascinating how you steer straight to the core. I must admit, you catch up fast."
"He was hard to overlook, and since Marjorie couldn't tell me much about him, I wondered if you might."
Cat winked and twitched his tail. "I might."
A deep sigh escaped my throat—communication with this feline could be outright frustrating. "Okay, while you think about it, I'll be doing my round. Perhaps Luca will enlighten me himself." No need to tell Cat I hoped I wouldn't run into the blue-eyed ghost.
He snorted. "Ah, you must learn to cope with a good-natured joke. Besides, I'd be surprised if our lost boy talks to you. Listen—"
I never got to hear what he was about to tell me. The cheerful door chime announced Conny, who folded her dripping umbrella over the floor mat.
"Good morning. I swear I can't wait for spring and warmer weather."
Despite her miserable and exhausted expression, I didn't dare to ask what ailed her. "I agree. Spring sounds nice. But I'm grateful I still have a few weeks of work until then."
"That, I can imagine." She steered for the kitchen and I followed her, but not without a glance at the spot where Cat had lounged a moment ago. As expected, he had disappeared. While we waited for the water to boil, Conny twisted her wedding band around her finger. I had never seen her do that before and wondered why she was so fidgety today.
"This library means everything to Marjorie, and she often overworks herself to keep it running. Some days, I fear she'll suffer a breakdown with all the activities she organises, and I feel bad I'm not a great help."
While I was glad Conny had given up her reservation about me, I didn't know why she told me this.
Once the tea was ready, she filled two cups and drew in a long breath. "I can't work the evenings and weekends. Danny is still at an age where he needs my attention, and Amber—well, she's fourteen and growing into a real teenager, now. I try to be a good parent to them."
The way her shoulders sagged told me she didn't believe she succeeded, and I felt sorry for her. "From the little I've seen, both your kids are wonderful. I'm sure you do a great job with parenting."
"I have my doubts. Sometimes, Amber seems to give her best to drive me out of my skin. And Danny—I wish he'd be more social and less withdrawn." She swirled the liquid in her cup. "It is three years today since Marcel died of leukaemia. I'm not at my best, forgive me."
"I'm so sorry." My words seemed inadequate, and I couldn't even imagine how a blow like losing her husband would weigh on her and the kids.
"It is fine. Well, it isn't, but life goes on, and we have to cope, right? What I wanted to say, I'm glad Marj hired you, and I hope you can stay at least part-time after her recovery."
What a change of subject, and what a surprise. "That would be wonderful. Do you think it's possible?"
"We will have to talk to Marj, and she'll have to convince the manager. The last time the higher-ups hired a helper, it didn't work out. That's why I feared I'd have to run this place solo on top of all else."
"You don't. I'm here and together, we got this. Although the opening of the exhibition makes me nervous. I wish you could be here for it."
The corners of her mouth lifted. "I will, but I'll have to bring the kids. At least Danny, but he won't mind. Martinez is his private hero since he repaired his scooter last month. Amber might prefer to stay at home. These days, I don't dare to predict her behaviour."
"No one can read the mind of a teen girl, and that's for the best. I know. I've been there not so long ago."
"You're right, even if it's been much longer for me. Gosh, I am glad Marj gave you the job and not to the woman we had last time."
There seemed to be a story to her reluctant welcome the first day. "That bad?"
"Worse. She behaved as if the fact she had a degree in literature and aspired to become an author made her superior to a simple librarian. I had to run everything, loans, returns and the reading hours on top of my job. The final straw was when she disappeared on a Thursday when an author's night was scheduled. Her so called inspiration break forced me to stay here while my children got stranded in front of our apartment without a key. After this, I bought Amber a smartphone, but I don't think she trusts me anymore since."
I was at a loss for words again, thinking about the stress this put on an already fragile family. "That's horrible. I'm sorry."
"Thanks, Lynn." She finished her tea. "But I should get started. There is still a lot to do for the audit. Can you cope with the loans?"
"Don't worry, I got this. If I run into a problem, I'll call."
Her lips twitched. "Marjorie was right, calling you a gift from heaven."
Wow. That was perhaps the nicest thing anyone ever told me. To think I'd feared to work with this woman only three days ago. "Are you sure? My dad used to call me a brat from hell."
She laughed and turned towards the office. "That's how a parent's view can differ."
With a sense of elation, I did my round and rearranged the sitting cubes. The library was prepared for another day.
As usual, the hours before noon were quiet, and I used the time to fit new arrivals with a label and sort out books in need of a new binding or other restoration. When I was done, I checked my watch, realising Marjorie underwent her surgery now. I hoped she'd be fine.
"Of course she will. For a human, she is a tough lady."
Cat's reappearance on my desk made me jump. "Hey, can you stop doing that?"
"Doing what?" He sat in the same spot as in the morning and yawned. "You must be more precise with your statements, my dear Lynn."
"Materialising out of nowhere. I'm not used to it." Okay, that was probably a lame argument, considering Cat was a magical being.
"I don't materialise." He blinked and curled into a fluffy, blue, glowing ball. "You got this all wrong. I've been here and watching you the whole time and am not more or less solid in the moments you see me."
"Wait, I thought you—well, somehow change your state of aggregation? From invisible spirit to blue-glowing semi-solid?"
Cat grinned his trademark grin. "That's an interesting view, but we are not talking about the physical world here. Try to imagine another world existing in parallel to your bland, everyday one. They coexist and overlap, of course, but are mostly separate."
"Okay, like two planes of the multiverse. I guess it is weird but makes sense. And where do they touch? Somehow, you can shift between the planes, so there must be a gate, right?"
"Now you get it—I knew you were a clever girl." He ran a paw over his whiskers. "Still, I don't leave my world, or plane, if that's what you want to call it. There are zones of friction between your physical and my spiritual world, pockets of probability, where the boundaries blur. This library is one of them, but there are others."
While I tried to stomach this, I rubbed my temples. "So, you can't appear in my apartment, for example?"
"Only if it lies in a friction zone, but I doubt it does. You might know by vivid dreams or seeing the protagonists of the books you read come to life."
A wave of relief washed through my veins. While I had dreams, they never included visitors of the blue-glowing kind.
Cat closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment. "However, I don't know all the potential zones, and they shift over the centuries."
"Huh. Is this how Lewis Carroll got such an adequate description of you in his Alice books? Did he pass through this library or another zone where the planes touch?"
"Ah, he was an interesting case. I dare say the man was obsessed with finding the friction zones. You're right, I had a few enlightening talks with him. And of course, I might have inspired some of his books."
"And how does this relate to Luca? Marjorie said the appearances are possible for popular characters out of books only."
"Hm, interesting point, and she could be right." He twitched his whiskers and grinned. "My world is populated by many interesting people, but only a few are drawn to the friction zones. But how can you be sure they haven't visited your plane before they appeared in a book?"
"Oh." I leaned back in the office chair. "You suggest they appeared in a story only because they visited our world and sparked the imagination of an author?"
His grin grew broader. "It's the dilemma of the chicken or the egg, right?"