The Library (3)

  The Librarian was in her garden when she heard it: a low, throbbing hum that seemed to emanate from somewhere deep inside the earth. Putting down her spade and watering can, she went to her study to check. The massive wall of unpainted brick opposite the fireplace was still there, but it was warm to the touch, and she could feel the individual bricks vibrating under her fingers. She would have a visitor soon.

  The Librarian left her garden tools where they were, retiring to her private quarters to wash up and change clothes. By the time she returned to the study, the bricks had already begun turning transparent, though not transparent enough that she could make out anything beyond the wall just yet. She decided to go up to her observatory for a while to gaze through her telescope. Then down to her laboratory, where she had carefully laid out a scroll of ancient, half-rotten papyrus on her workbench. She translated a few lines into English, then went back to her study to check on the wall again, then back down to the lab to translate a few lines more, and so forth.

  It was a bad habit, this impatience, and one she probably ought to have outgrown by now. After all, the Librarian knew full well that there was no telling when the wall would finally open. Sometimes it took 30 minutes, sometimes 2 days. Yet somehow she never managed to lose the knot of tension she felt in her stomach whenever a newcomer was approaching. Finally, after reading the same line of hieroglyphics three times, she gave up, retreating to her kitchen for a light lunch, then to the porch above her garden with a pitcher of iced tea and a book of poems to wait. She spent the rest of the day that way, whiling away the hours until late that evening, when she finally felt a shudder pass through the floor, and heard the audible thunk that meant the transformation was complete.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The Librarian returned to her study to find that the brick wall had now disappeared entirely. In its place was a stone archway, and beyond that a grand hall with oak-timbered ceilings and a round banquet table laid out for a feast. The smell of the food wafted into the study, bringing a wry smile to the Librarian’s face.

  Returning to her laboratory once again, the librarian fetched her silver bowl, placing it on the banquet table next to an ewer of water. She then embarked on a brief tour of the rooms beyond the massive double doors at the far end of the hall.

  Once she had seen that all was in order, the Librarian returned to her place at the end of the banquet table, settling into a high wingback chair to wait once more.

  * * * * *

  Name: Amelia

  Gender: Female

  Age at Entry: 40

  Affiliation: Imhotep

  Current Level: The Library (3)

  Jing: 36/36

  Qi: 74/74

  Shen: 1

  Status: Inactive

  Power: 4

  Finesse: 4

  Endurance: 5

  Perception: 5

  Intellect: 7

  Spirit: 5

  Dharma: 3

  Treasures: NA