FEBRUARY 2015 - NEPAL
Frustrated I looked at the screen, but it showed nothing special. I sighed. It had been going on like this for three weeks now, and still I hadn't found anything. I was getting impatient because time was running out.
I studied the laptop again, looking for things I had missed. The screen showed a map of the Earth, on which I had added a radar that indicated weather changes. So far however, nothing abnormal could be seen. It also showed magnetic fields; especially the Bermuda Triangle was an intense colour of purple.
I had been staying in my apartment all the time to keep an eye on the computer screen. Luckily I didn't really need anything basic like food because I got never hungry, so I didn't have any reason to leave. There was only one problem, and that was the book I had borrowed from the library. The information I found wasn't complete; for some reason it stopped in the middle of a sentence, and some pages were smudged or ripped, as if the information in it was not meant for others to see. On one of the pages however, the name of a certain book was still visible. The title was familiar to me somehow... I just wasn't sure where- I perked up. Wait a minute. I rummaged a bit trough my folders. Was that really... Oh my god. It was! The book from my assignment! Finally, I had found a clue. Hmm, maybe the librarian knew more about it.
I decided to go to the library and talk to the woman. I'd have to leave my laptop behind for a second but if I was quick I wouldn't miss anything. I secured my laptop with a security program and shut it down. Then, with the book in my hand, I closed the door of my apartment.
After a while I reached the library, but when I walked up the little steps I saw the sign 'closed' hanging on the door. I checked my phone; it wasn't even 4 o'clock yet. Why would it close so early?
I walked to the side of the building into a small alley. Maybe there was a door that lead to the back? There wasn't, but there was a window three meters above my head, and it was open. A container stood against the wall behind me so I pushed it under the window and swiftly jumped onto it. Then I grabbed the ledge of the window to pull myself up, and I crawled inside, jumping down softly at the other side of the wall. Quickly I checked my surroundings. All the lights were out, but I could still see I was in a small room that was stacked with books. On my left was a door; opening it, I saw the familiar wooden desk and the bookshelves alongside the walls. Some of the lights were still on. I walked towards the desk but there was no one behind it - of course. Rummaging through some drawers I found nothing special; there was lists of returned books and a list of the complete collection of the library. I went to the character 'T' on the list, but before I could check any names I was startled by a high shriek.
Turning around I saw the librarian standing a couple of meters from where I stood. She looked shocked, and suddenly she started yelling.
"I will call the police! I will call the police!"
"No!" I yelled quickly. "I only need some information about books, I'm not here to hurt you! Calm down!"
The lady continued yelling however, and didn't seem capable of stopping any time soon. I ran to her and placed my hand over her mouth while I took both of her arms in my other hand. Then I pinched her shoulder hard with my fingers. At the same time I whispered a few words in an old language, not spoken anywhere here on Earth, in her ear. She immediately stopped yelling and became limp. Carefully so I wouldn't hurt her I placed her on the ground and shushed her while she was still murmuring things. I looked around for something I could give her to relax and saw a coffee machine in the corner, so I made a cup of coffee and waited for her to regain enough mobility to take it from me. She looked up at me with a confused look on her face, but then the expression on her face changed and she gave me a little smile.
"You better hurry, I have to close the shop," she said.
As I had expected she had forgotten about the whole situation. Now she was thinking she hadn't closed the library yet. I felt proud; the training hadn't been for nothing.
"Yes of course. I only came to return this book."
"Ah, yes," she said while she took the book from my hands and walked towards the desk.
"Actually, I also have a question."
She turned around and looked at me.
"On page 394 somebody wrote the name of another book. I wondered if you had it in your collection as well?"
She turned to page 394 and I pointed out the title to her. When she read the name of the book she frowned. "Why do you want this book?" She asked.
"I just need it for some work," I replied.
"Hmm... I know this book, yes. But it's not here. It's.. Wait, I'll look it up for you."
She searched through some drawers and eventually found an old looking book, its pages yellowed. When she found the right page she said: "I think the book you are looking for is in Milan, Italy. These are old records though, but it's the only place that I know of."
"Really?" I asked, astonished by the fact she found it so fast. How come it hadn't turned up in my search results? Maybe this information was so old it hadn't been registered in the computer systems. "Could you give me the address?"
After thanking the librarian I walked back to my apartment, the note with the address on it in my pocket. When I closed the door of my apartment behind me I carried out a quick check of the room. All my stuff was still here and the files were untouched. Relief washed over me; now I finally knew about the book I didn't want to waste any more time checking my laptop; that could wait another hour. I took my jacket from the chair and prepared myself to travel from Nepal to Milan. With my eyes closed I thought of Milan and the address I had to be. The feeling of the pull, like a force pulling me down, came and sounds of traffic faded in the background.
As soon as they had faded, the sounds came back again; I heard the noise of cars, the siren of an ambulance and people talking everywhere. But also the sound of glasses and dishes of what was probably a restaurant; I could hear Milan.
When I opened my eyes I noticed I was standing in an ally, probably close to a busy street. From where I stood, all I could see were some restaurants and a couple of shops. The antique shop must be somewhere close by.
I walked down the street for some time until I saw an old shop on my left. It was called Duffer. That was it! Walking up the steps I tried to peer inside already, but the windows were so dusty that I couldn't. When I opened the door, a bell rang.
It was a very old shop and it smelled like dust. Alongside the walls all sorts of antique was stacked. Wooden furniture stood against the right wall and above the furniture hung a huge collection of paintings. The left wall wasn't even visible behind the big tapestry that hung there and on the ground were piles of books and vinyls. A big box full of old toys, which looked like they originated from the Middle Ages, was dumped in the corner.
"Oh, hello there beautiful," a friendly, old voice said in Italian.
An old woman had come into the store. She had white hair and walked a bit crooked with her walking stick in her hand. Her eyes beneath her pink glasses were a bright colour of blue and she wore colourful clothes; she actually looked like a piece of candy.
Though she spoke Italian to me, I could still understand what she said and reply in Italian as well. Perks that came with the job.
"Hello," I said.
"Can I help you with something?" She asked.
"Yes, actually I am looking for a certain book," I replied.
"Well, what's it called?"
"The Satanic Rituals."
"Ah yes." The woman nodded, a kind smile on her face. "I think I might have it right here somewhere."
She kept talking as she disappeared between all the piles of stuff.
"Oh honey, why would you want such a book though? You look like a sweet girl to me, not like that filthy scum with all their piercings and ugly tattoos. You have such beautiful long hair, just like my niece. You know something homey, look exactly like her. Luckily for you, you are here and not in that awful town of London. My niece lives there and oh my, how the weather in London is horrible! Dear Madonna! Enormous storms ravage the whole city. They have never seen such thunderstorms since 1898! Almost couldn't believe my ears. But I've called my niece and fortunately she is just fine. She goes to college there. She wants to study medicine and become a doctor later. How wonderful is that? I am so proud of her. What do you want to do with your life bella? Are you going to college here in Milan? Oh I can tell you, they have very reputable universities here. Ah, I think I have found the book you were looking for."
She finally stopped talking and reappeared between two dusty bookcases.
"How much does it cost?" I asked when she handed me the book.
"Oh honey, you can have it for free. I've always hated that book. I am glad I can finally get rid of it."
"Thank you, that is very kind of you," I replied politely.
"You are welcome bella. Would you like a drink?" she asked.
"No, thank you Madame. I really should be going home."
"Oh that's a pity. Don't forget you can come by any time you like. Then we could have a cup of coffee. You look a lot like my niece, you know."
"Yes, I will!" I said waving her goodbye.
I left the shop and kept walking until I reached the ally again. A perfect spot to travel.
When I opened my eyes I stood in my apartment, right in the middle of a big mess. All my clothes lay on the ground. The mattress lay upside down next to the kitchen. Food scattered over the ground as well. And worst of all, my laptop was gone. And so were all the files.
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[A/N]
Cliffhanger (;
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