The Janitor, The Guard and The Wise Woman

The fireplace crackled and hissed. It danced enigmatically on Julian’s profile as he stared blankly through the window into the sleeting rain. It had been raining more frequently these past few months. Ever since his father was overturned in his car while attempting to save a poor deer caught in literal headlights. Julian’s father was a sweet man in that way. Always thinking of others before himself.

The fire continued to whisper sweet nothings into the dense air hoping to dissolve the malaise that was filling the room.

The embers of last night were quiet. Julian was awakened by the morning sun as it blared through the living room. He lazily followed the smell of the coffee brewing from next door not aware of what awaited him just over town.

Julian barged into the quaint coffeeshop. His coffee was already steaming on the counter.

Julian didn’t say anything. He slumped onto the stool and started sipping his coffee as it scolded his upper lip. He didn’t even wince or flinch, but Fern noticed.

“Hey Jewels, why don’t you go over to the used bookstore on the other side of town?”

“It’s open?” asked Julian.

“The owner just opened it back up since the fire,” said Fern.

Julian nodded. He took one last sip of coffee before rushing out.

***

On the other side of town, I stood across the street from High Chair Books. Whenever I was in the store, it always felt like the owner was unethically intruding on my thoughts as well as everyone else’s. I can guarantee you that if you walked into High Chair Books right now, from beyond the fog that gathered just outside it’s windows, the nameless owner would tell you exactly what book you needed that you didn’t know you needed.

One time, I even heard that he started playing the exact song someone was listening to right when they walked in those large wooden burly double doors.

As I walked through, the owner was peering at my shoes from beneath the bridge of his glasses and smirked. Strange man.

I took a straight shot down to the poetry section.

As I tapped on each book hoping one would excitedly tap back, I saw one with no writing on the spine. A little black book. And as I tapped it, it looked like it nudged back. How was this even possible? I picked it up and I noticed there wasn’t a price or a title. Right when I opened it, the wind whistled through the book as the pages turned wildly.

I saw symbols, equations and long and pressing paragraphs with bodied titles like, How To Manifest Gold Without Lead and The Ways of The World in Dimension 5.

I’d never seen anything like this. I hurriedly picked up another book that it neighbored entitled, The Daisy Man and His Journal about a man in love with a girl named Daisy and his letters to her that he journaled and never sent. Fitting.

I walked to the front and the nameless owner had already charged me for the novel. I waved the little black notebook and smiled at him and he smiled right back. I paid only for the novel and walked out.

***

Having the key to Julian’s house gave Fern an excuse to take many breaks from managing the coffeeshop. Fern began to pick through The Daisy Man and His Journal. He never understood why Julian was quietly manifesting a life filled with unrequited love. Fern’s way of life was simple. He tended to a jungle of plant life in his home. An ivy orchard of oxygen flourished from his bedroom to his bath. Fern nourished his plants before he did his own self. His nickname was earned righteously.

Suddenly, a faint whirring resounded. His eyes furiously scanned the room, his ears tuning. On the desk, to his right he took notice of a little black notebook.

As Fern reached for the notebook, the pages violently turned and halted.

He peered over carefully and began to remember.

“Jewels?” Fern urged once again, “Julian!” Fern screamed with excitement dabbled in terror.

Julian quickly appeared, “What? What happened?”

“Do you know what this is?” asked Fern.

“No, but it was the weirdest thing —“

“— I had heard of this notebook before, but I didn’t think it was actually real,” interrupted Fern. Julian stared at Fern strangely as Fern continued to rush through his words.

“I can’t believe this is real! Years ago, I was in my circle and each person was taking their turn to talk about the experience or person that changed their lives and someone mentioned this little black notebook and if you solve the riddles, you attain the treasure that is fated for you. Obviously no one believed him,” said Fern, “Let’s just see what happens. If anything, this will help take your mind off your dad."

Julian sighed in agreement.

Fern flipped through the pages until he found the section entitled The Treasure Is a Reflection of Your Inner Reality. Julian looked over Fern’s shoulder as he read the riddle aloud.

There is a man who adjusts the world at night yet the world commits ruin in the day.

They sat there diving deeply into the potentials. If it was meant to be then the answer would fall delicately in their lap reminiscent of a feather fresh off a flapping wing.

“Who fixes the world at night while the world messes it up during the day? No one is even awake at night,” said Julian.

“People who clean! Those are people who adjust…. janitors!” Fern blurted out the answer.

“The retired janitor who lives a few streets over from the bookstore!” said Julian.

***

“Yes?” The Janitor said as he opened his door. Julian decided to get to the point and not waste this poor old man’s time.

“There is a man who adjusts the world at night yet the world commits ruin in the day,” blurted Julian. The Janitor examined them. After a few moments, he closed the door to Fern’s surprise.

“Wait what? Why didn’t you say hi? Like just randomly blurting out riddles isn’t weird —“.

The Janitor opened the door and handed the boys a brass sphere with what looked like star impressions all over it and said, “The key is for a door that unlocks only at night,” as he gently closed the door.

***

Julian and Fern were speeding through the little black notebook to find hints to no avail.

They ruminated for hours until falling asleep. As the sun modified it’s position each passing moment, it attended to the other side of the world. While the starry-filled night blanketed the sky, they were awakened to a clicking sound. The brass sphere slowly flowering to expose a key held at the core.

Julian picked up the key as he repeated the riddle. This all too quickly became normal to them. “The key is for a door that unlocks only at night,” repeated Julian.

“What unlocks only at night?” Fern asked.

“Well, the stars are on this… globe and the sun just set so…”

“But that place has been out of commission for years… are you talking about the observatory on the other side of the state?” Fern asked.

“Yes, the door only unlocks at night because the stars only appear at night!” Julian said.

***

After hours of relentlessly hoping they were right, Julian and Fern reached the observatory. The rust and ivy had transformed this place from an oracle into a forgotten wasteland.

They whacked through all the bush designed to keep them out and the key fit perfectly. Less than a moment later, The Guard appeared and handed them a crystal ball filled with water and said, “what looks up exactly at you when you are looking down”.

Both Fern and Julian examined the ball and pondered as they walked back to the train station. There wasn’t another train until dawn. So they sat.

Julian longingly held onto the glass ball hoping that somehow it was going to guide him. He kept repeating the riddle to himself.

Julian was flowing through his childhood memories with his father and how they used to row out to the middle of the lake and throw bread even though ducks barely ever came. It was just something they did. A ritual of sorts.

Then the answer was drawn out of him. “Water,” he said calmly. Fern looked over. “Water. When you’re looking down it looks up at you… exactly. It’s the reflection in the water”.

As they poked through the notebook to see if they can discern which body of water to flock toward, Julian realized it must be the one where he and his dad frequented.

***

At the far edge of the deserted lake, they saw a quirky misshapen cabin. As they arrived, the door creaked open. Inside, a woman was murmuring to herself while a fire played in the middle of the room.

She waved at Julian to take a seat on the thick blanket across from her. Fern smiled graciously and stood at the door looking out onto the water. “Julian. You have journeyed a long a path many do not believe to even exist. Accompanied by a loyal friend many people are not lucky enough to call their own.”

Julian sat in utter studentship. He had never been completely mesmerized. This woman spoke fluidly like the water droplets hanging from her ceiling. The Wise Woman exposed her palms to reveal beautiful abstract designs. Julian felt compelled to put his hands in hers.

As Julian closed his eyes, The Wise Woman spoke to the living among her, “Let us always hope for new beginnings dusted with hope generously. Let us pine and carve from the dead, anew. Let us have ceremony for that which must be buried so as to not have any experience be shallow or in vain.” As she continued, Julian opened his eyes. He felt for the first time in his life, exposed. He felt liberated. No longer scurrying to hide. The scar of the loss of his father becoming undone.“Remember, not everything you do is in vain. You’ve been seeking wealth your whole life and for you, it is where your greatest wealth already lies,” said The Wise Woman.

Their meeting was brief and he felt it was already time for his departure.

“Can I ask you one question before I go?” he said. The Wise Woman nodded. “Who are you people?”

“All the answers to your questions are within you,” she answered.

***

Julian sat down on the sandy shore with his eyes closed.

He heard a whisper delivered in the wind, “The boat”.

“Fern!” Julian waved Fern over, “it’s the boat. My dad’s old boat. The one he and I used to row together.”

***

As dawn broke, they were already poking around the humble boat. Julian noticed a small crack between two wooden boards. He mightily removed one of them.

There was a folded piece of paper.

Julian

“Dear Julian,

If you find this letter, this means that I have passed. And it means you have passed into the end of the journey. You will find enclosed a modest $20,000. It is what I have spent the past 50 years of my life saving during my time as a The Gatekeeper. My only wish is for you is to do what you love most.

Love,

Dad”

***

Years later Julian was sitting with glasses perched on his nose writing a letter as a young girl excitedly walked up to his counter holding a little black notebook with no title and no price.

As she anxiously searched for her money, Julian simply smiled at her and waved his hand. The young girl smiled back and hopped out of Julian’s bookstore unknowingly beginning her journey.