Main Inked

The stairway kept winding down,seemingly never ending. Both Jasper and Emile were becoming more and more anxious,after everything they went through,after so much,what could be so important that her grandma’s dying wish was for her to go on this journey.

Her thoughts were cut short-she nearly ran into the door that appeared at the bottom of the stairway. “Emile,I think we’re here,” Jasper said, sending a nervous glance at the door.

“Well, I'm not blind,I can see that we’re here”, Emile sarcastically snapped back.

Jasper stepped closer to Emile,nervously grabbing her shoulder.She immediately shook him off, a tad bit annoyed at the action of physical contact. She stood there staring at the door,not once taking her eyes off of it. She couldn't look away- “Are you gonna open it”? Jasper managed to speak.

Emile rolled her eyes, “Yes,I’m gonna open it . . . just, give me a moment . . .” She slowly reached her hand towards the door knob. Her hand was shaking, she closed her eyes, the knob turned . . . the door opened.

Both their eyes widen in unison. It was confusing, but amazing-the two walked in ,Jasper holding the back of Emile’s coat. They were surrounded by books, huge columns of books, with a huge glass dome ceiling. It was a library,with tables and chairs! A gigantic fireplace was a centerpiece with lounge chairs. The two continued walking,staring in awe of the sheer size of the library.

Jasper glanced to the right,spotting a sort of help desk. He tapped Emile on the shoulder, “Emile, look-do you think someone works here?” He inquired.

“Well, fires don't just light themselves,” she spat back.

Warily, the two made their way over to the desk. A small bell sat on the dark oak wood. Jasper slowly reached for the bell- “Well, it seems we have company on this dreary morning.” Both turned immediately around to a man,carrying a stack of books. He had glasses,with a tucked in shirt and tie,his posture was stiff like a board,his face was angular,set in annoyance. But at the moment,he eyebrow was raised,looking down at the two children. “This is a library,not an appliance store,that you may find down the street,so if you would kindly escort yourself out that would be much appreciated”.

Emile thought she would never find anyone ruder than herself,but that impossibility stood right in front of her. “Well,your sarcasm isn't very welcoming to your patrons'' Emile shot back

. “You are not my patrons, I know each one by their faces,and you two have never been here before”,the librarian quickly retorted.

Jasper quickly piped up,grabbing the black butterfly notebook from Emile’s hand, “We were led here”. The librarian glanced up at Jasper,then down at the notebook. Bending over slightly.

Adjusting his glasses to take a closer look, “It seems you two have an heirloom” The librarian informed.

Jasper was practically bouncing up and down at the fact he knew what the book was. The librarian reached out his hand and Jasper placed the book in his palm. “Yes,a family member gave it to us to follow wherever it led,but if we knew how much trouble it would have caused,we probably would have never gone”. Emile gave the notebook a dirty look.

“Well,it’s quite obvious why, only an imbecile wouldn’t know”- The man paused, Emile glaring at him. “Or someone simply uneducated”,he coughed uncomfortably.

“Well, looking at the cover,shape,and design-”, the man explained while walking behind the desk. Opening the notebook,seeing a name written on the inside cover, “You're related to Daisy Brown”? He asked. A warm sensation bubbled behind Emile’s eyes, “Yeah,she was the one that gave me the book..it was her dying wish for me to follow wherever it led..” Emile painfully finished.

Jasper placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The man gave an annoyed sigh, “Well,that’s a shame”. “What do you mean ‘shame’”? Emile was almost enraged from the tone of his voice alone.

Placing the notebook on the counter, “Well,I remember when Daisy first came to this library,she was ecstatic about the prospect of her family heirloom,I truly thought she was going to be transferred..I became annoyed quite quickly when she began explaining the journey the book took her on. She appeared to fit all the criteria”, The man looked condescendly down at Emile that stood in front of him, “It appears we aren't remotely close to the criteria this time”. Emile scoffed at his words.

“It made us travel to all these different places”, Jasper informed him.

“That shouldn't be a surprise, your heirloom is obviously fantasy themed. It took you on a ‘quest’-undeniably a waste of complete time and energy, going on that quest was completely worthless and didn’t add up to anything you did”.

Jasper looked down in disappointment. Was everything they did really a waste of time? Emile hated seeing Jasper so distraught,her fists clenched into a ball. “How much profit did you bring?” The librarian quickly moved on from the subject.

“Profit?” Emile asked.

“Profit: an amount that will add to your comings inside the world, normally a larger sum will mean better quality,” the Liberian finished.

“Oh . . . we both wondered why my grandma gave me such a large gift for this trip since we didn’t leave town, is that what you’re referring to”? Emile asked.

“Knowing Daisy, and how your mother had that same amount when she arrived here as well, I would assume that would be a safe conclusion to your inquiry.” Emile took that as a reason to take out the envelope her grandma had given her, “She gave 20-”

“Yes, 20,000 dollars, I already stated I knew the amount thanks to your mother's visitation, I do not need to hear it again.”

He typed vigorously into his computer,taking the envelope and letting a machine retrieve it from his hands.A small tube led from the machine and into the desk. With the envelope taken,a small yellow orb traveled through the tube and underneath the notebook. A subtle yellow glow came from underneath the book due to the glass it laid upon.

The book’s pages began to flutter. The Librarian stood back, they mimicked his actions.The pages fluttered more, suddenly swooping up into the air speeding into the main room of the library, leaving a dissipating trail of glowing yellow particles behind itself. The two glanced back at the librarian. He walked out from behind the desk,hands behind his back,posture straight, heading in the same direction the notebook had flown. The two looked at each other and quickly followed after him. They entered the main room of the library they saw before but only this time were they able to absorb the entire area. A railing outlined the center of the library, with pillars just on the other side. Each pillar had a book opened, with floating quills quickly jotting away at the pages, “Are-are those books writing themselves”? Jasper asked.

The Librarian didn't look back, he only nodded his head to send confirmation to his question. The constant sound of crinkled paper from the pens filled the room.

Emile took a step forward, suddenly Jasper grasped onto her shoulder and pulled her back before she could finish her step. A huge tome,a volume,flew right past her head at a high velocity. It was freshly written,taking a perch on a nearby shelf-tucking itself a way. They both stood in awe. Jasper glanced over his shoulder to see where the Librarian had gone,tapping on Emile’s shoulder for her to hurry and catch up with him.

The librarian stopped next to the pillar where the notebook had flown to, it was open, floating in the air, prepared for the quill to embed ink into its pages. “ Your grandma was the most disappointed out of anyone I have seen come into this library. She unfortunately could not get the book to write, she even came back a few times during her lifetime to try again…. and again, yet, nothing worked. Even I was disappointed that the book wouldn’t accept her, but there was nothing I could do. Once you’re ready, all you have to do is grab a hold of the pen and it should begin to write,” the librarian explained.

Emile looked at Jasper, she slowly moved closer to the notebook. Stepping on a wood block so she could reach the quill. Her nerves caused her to shake tremendously,all of her curiosity of grandmother’s dying wish. She could cry, flashbacks flooding into her mind: Her grandmother laying on the bed of the hospital, when the doctor told her to choose her words wisely because she didn’t have much time. When she pulled out the notebook,and gave it to her, saying“This is the only thing I couldn’t forget”,and placing it in her hands. How important could an empty book be?

She hesitantly reached for the quill,her fingertips barely making contact. “I would advise you to complete any unfinished business before you try the pen’s fate. Maybe take a stroll outside or say something to a loved one. Once started you will be completely engulfed in the writing process”. The librarian suddenly warned.

Jasper and Emile glanced at each other, feeling the awkward need to do what the librarian said so they wouldn't have to say no, “Umm,sure-can we look around the library”? The librarian turned around and began strolling away, “You may do as you please,it certainly isn't any inconvenience on my end”. He finished

Jasper was nervous,while twiddling his fingers he looked at Emile,who only looked back at him and shrugged her shoulders. She stepped down from the wood block and let her eyes follow the walls of the library. There were many doors,shelves, and books. More doors...more and more doors..a lot of doors.. “Emile, are you alright”? Emile looked at Jasper.

“Yeah, I'm okay, just nervous”?

Jasper stepped up on the woodblock,reaching his hand out for her to grab. She hesitated but reached out for him. “We can do this together, if you want?”, he asked. She felt her pride swirl inside her, she didn’t need his help, she wasn't afraid.But she swallowed her pride and gave a weak smile. “Sure”.

She took a deep breath and looked back at the feathered pen.With Jasper’s grasp in hand, She silently reached out towards the quill, feeling the metallic surface at her fingertips. They both simultaneously hold their breath. Her hand completely engulfed the quill.

….

……..

……..

The two looked at the quill that was surrounded by Emile’s palm,nothing happened. Both glanced at each for a moment and then stared back at the utensil. Emile’s fingers began to unwrap from the hard metal,a slight glowing suddenly appeared. Butterfly markings engraved into the pen’s body began to illuminate within itself,a blinding light flashing the entire room-bright yellows swirling. Jasper clung tightly onto Emile’s sleeve, she tried to let go of the pen,but she couldn’t. Something was pulling on her body,it was stuck to her hand! Her head became faint and began to spin, she could barely stand,the light becoming brighter and brighter until-

The light instantly stopped. The room had cleared. But there was no one standing on the wooden block that was in front of the pillar. The elegant quill began writing on the first page of the butterfly book.

The librarian sat at his desk,looking down at a finished story in his hands. While reading he glanced up at the podium,only to look back down at his book, an amused smirk appeared across his face. Almost comical,he murmured to himself “Hmph, I guess she was a main character”.