August King and the Book Master

The trees started to move slower and slower as the car turned on the last street. The library parking lot was still a few feet away and the old family car was chattering its way in a snail’s pace. 

The sedan was brown and had a few scuffle marks on to the side. A small but visible dent was also present on the front bumper. Dad had said it was some fool at the supermarket that hit Bessy. Bessy was getting old and we all knew that.

 At the bottom of the stairs of the Greenbriar Library, Bessy came to a quick stop. The town’s most iconic building that used to be Mr. Greenbriar’s house. He was the founder of this small town.

“Do you have everything?” Mom asked.

I nodded.

“Water, snacks?” She continued.

“In the bag” I replied.

“OK. I’ll pick you up in four hours so at one o’clock. Enjoy reading my little Einstein” she said.

“I love you” she added with her hand waving outside the car.

I waved back at her.

I do not really know when she started calling me Einstein. If I were to guess it was when I started reading the birds encyclopedia. After visiting my grandparents I was fascinated by their bird watching activities. We would seat every day after long walks and read about different kinds of birds. That was when I started reading about them. 

I usually would come to the library for some bird research but today was a little different. I have to write a book report. It was Saturday and I was going to finish my book report so I can go see my cousin, Rodney. He has been teaching me how to ride bike.

“Hello August” Ms. Finnes said.

“Hello Ms. Finnes” I replied. Ms. Finnes was a large woman with brown glasses. She had opened the library door as I climbed the stairs.

“Fancy seeing you here on a Saturday?” she said.

“I have to finish my summer project. May I come in?” I replied

“Of course dear, you are always welcome.” she responded.

I walked past the front doors with Ms. Finnes holding the door for me. I stopped shortly at the center entrance before continuing to the middle staircase inside the house. The was also a big desk with the sign “Librarian” on the front. 

The large staircase spiraled upwards to the second level. There was a massive picture of a man at the middle of stairs, it was Mr. Greenbriar in his younger days wearing a uniform a military uniform.  

I heard Ms. Finnes follow behind me with her shoes making a clacking sound on the stairs. 

“You are the only one here today, feel free to seat anywhere.” She said.

“ We have also just received the Book Master series. It is a good read I would definitely recommend it. If you have time you should look at them on the Fantasy section, aisle four to the left, I’m making signs for the official launch on Monday” she added.

I nodded and made my way to the open tables at the end of the staircase. Ms. Finnes walked again towards the back of the room. After a few minutes she reappeared pushing a trolley with a stack of books and cut out boards. 

From the long box cutouts I could see the outline with the words “A tale of time in the Never Ending”. I was slightly curious but refocused my attention back to the table, unzipped my bag and started working on my summer project.

***

The library was silent still and only the clock arm could be heard. Each tick-tock rang with a depth of quietness. Sometimes the sounds of Ms. Finnes soft hums could be heard as she worked in the floor below. And other times the silence just dominated the building. The sun shined through two large windows and the shadows of the book cases were also moving with the sun rays. 

It was around ten fifteen when I decided to take a short stroll and see the new collection that Ms. Finnes had mentioned before. I walked slowly skipping through aisle seven, then six and five. I turned to the aisle four and peered above, the word “Fantasy” was right next to it.

The books in this section were somehow familiar. I remember borrowing some of them. I was also drawn to the other adult fantasy books but Ms. Finnes would never allow it. 

There was a giant section mark with blue and white colors. It was typical for the library to put it on the new collection or newly added books.

I quickly noticed the books arranged neatly together. The black cover was filled with red spots that looked like words written in a foreign language. The top was engraved with golden colors that matched the title at the front. The words sealed to the book as if burned by fire. The color so vivid and loud and for a brief moment a small shine ran through my eye. 

“This was the new collection Ms. Finnes mentioned” I thought to myself. 

The cover was pretty good so far. I turned the book around trying to observe the strange characters in the background but I could not read or understand them. The book had lacked a back cover to explain what it was, it just had those same words “ A tale of time in the Never Ending”. 

As I held the book I realized it was glowing with a sun. Maybe it was the way I held it, and the fact that I was close to the window but it looked a little strange. I stretched my hand along with the book so that it was now in the shadow of the book case and the book stopped glowing. This was very interesting. I repeated the movement two or three times and I smiled at this fact.

“The Book Master - The Beginning written by D.L Stark” I uttered without noticing that I had read it out aloud.

I wanted to put the book back in shelve but I felt a strange urge to open it. It was like the book wanted to be opened and because it had no descriptions at the back I decided to look inside. The cover was smooth on the sides as I pulled it up to reveal the first page. 

There was a sudden heaviness in the air and the book itself. A wave of strange soft wind brushed my hair and the book became slightly harder to hold it. The air also smelled different like flowers. I turned around to see if the window was open and where the new scent was coming from but there was nothing. The windows looked shut and sealed, only the sun was breaking through.

On the first page, a picture of man with a purple hat was in full view. It occupied the whole page. He was dressed in a fine purple jacket with little colorful ribbons on the collar. His hat had a feather attached to it. He was surrounded with jewels, rings and treasures of different color. 

He had a blank face and piercing dark eyes under the bushy eyebrows. He was smiling and his hands were clasped in front of him with rings on each finger. The background was black, marred with glimmering stars of yellow, red, blue, purple, pink and many other different colors. He looked older in the picture with some gray hair on his beard. At the bottom of the page there was a caption in black that read “The Book Master”. 

I continued to turn the pages when I noticed another interesting picture. It was a window of a building that looked much like the library. The outside was filled with flowers growing on the garden below, and others crawling on the wall. There was a boy in the picture, he had dark hair and he was standing by the window.

I turned to my left and suddenly I felt the hairs on my neck stand. I felt eyes behind me, a strange feeling of being watched. I brushed it off as the book getting to me and the silence in the library then continued to the next page. 

The image was both shocking and surprising. I jumped back quickly feeling strangely scared. It was a picture of a book shelve with aisle four written on the top. Feeling very uneasy I tried closing the book but it was not turning. The windows suddenly opened and a hand filled with jewelry appeared from outside and grabbed my collar. I was pulled out so easy and fast I had no time to utter a sound. And then it was all darkness.

I was convinced my eyes were open all the time but it was too dark to see anything. I could not feel the floor nor the sides of the room I was in. It was like falling in air but on a never ending hole. There was no wind or nothing, just emptiness. I tried to smell , touch or feel anything but there was none.

“Good morning young Master August” a heavy but commanding voice suddenly filled the darkness.

It reverberated in the void sounding like an empty room. It startled me and I gasped with my throat failing to make a sound again.

“Where are my manners, allow me to introduce myself” the voice continued.

I turned left and right, up and down, back and forth trying to see or figure out the source. I was sweating, my breath was getting shorter and I could feel blood on my palms and feet. 

There was a quick snap and suddenly I could see stars coming to life. Vivid colors of different types appeared. Yellow, blue, white, and all the colors you can think of started to appear. 

The whole room was quickly covered with light and then a man appeared just like the picture I had seen before. He was much taller and bigger than what I had imagined.

“I am the Book Master” the man said. 

He looked up raising both hands and fire works blasted in the air, cheers and celebrations sounds went out but there was no sign of people anywhere. It was like a magic show was happening right in front of me.

He continued walking towards me, I could not move or make a sound. My whole body just froze. My heart was pounding so fast it was almost coming out of my chest.

“August my boy” he said. “I just wanted to meet you today. I could not resist the moment, you are after all my true successor.” He giggled.

“But let’s not get into the details now, too soon, too soon. It is just irresistible to look at you. So young and so so tender.” he continued as he touched his own face making giggling sounds.

“Never mind me, we will meet again soon but before you go…..” he stopped mid sentence.

And in that instant, the moment stopped and he was suddenly right in front me in a flash. I did not see him move nor vanish into thin air. He just appeared to be on my face, his big black eyes inches from my face. I could feel this strange cold air radiating from him.  

“…I need you to keep this” he finished his sentence as he held up a golden coin with his face on it. 

He made a few hand movements and used my ear to make the coin disappear. And then, he withdrew back turning around so I could see his back and then I started falling. The stars started fading and all the light slowly faded with it. And it was all darkness again.  

“August? August?” I could hear a voice coming from a distance.

I did not know where it was or who it was. The voice sounded hollow, like someone was speaking in very slowly. 

The sound grew louder and louder until my eyes opened. With my vision still blurred and my head very confused I could not see clearly who was right next to me.

“Mom” I wondered still confused. As I slowly lifted my head into full conscious I noticed I was back at my desk.

“You were gone there for a minute. Where you that tired?” she asked. “Let’s go home now where you can nap on a proper bed” she continued not giving me no time to respond.

“It was all a dream.” I thought with sheer disbelief. “All that meeting the book master was a dream?” I wondered. “Was it really?” the question troubled my head.

I hastily packed my things and followed my mother down the stairs. I later learned she had found me sleeping on the desk and called my name several time before I woke up.

I could never really figure it out. I remembered being in the void with the Book Master and his last word were still ringing on my ears, that was not a dream it was real.

I got into the car still shaking but unconvinced the events were just a dream.

A few days passed and I did not have any weird dreams or strange things happen again. I was starting to forget the whole ordeal and more convinced that it was all a dream. I had avoided going to the library for a while just to be safe. 

I went into my room and as I picked the dirty laundry on the floor to take it down stairs something fell out of the pile and rolled to the side of my bed. I reached down to see if I had a free quarter but to my surprise it was a golden coin with the face side up.

It read “Book Master” and his face was grinning on the coin face.

****