The Hunt for Treasure Island

I hate driving at night. I watch the old street light flicker on and off, on and off. The parking lot- and my Civic -are about five paces from it. The blue-tinged glow of my laptop fights for my attention. The intercom chimes to life; The library will close in ten minutes. Please bring any material for checkout to the front desk now.

I sink deeper into my chair, sneakily tucked between two bookshelves. The children's section is always quiet on weekday evenings. Do I finish this draft now or pretend I'm responsible and do it at home? Do I even care about passing this course? God, why did I take an English course... My eyes refocus on the street light, blinking away. I wonder if a firefly ever got confused by their incessant indecision. I wonder what the firefly would get out of the luminescent morse code.

I look back at my work and jump in my seat as I lock eyes with the darkest iris's I've ever seen.

They look dirty; matted hair, worn clothes hanging off their slim frame. Their eyes are glued to me. I smell something. They're so still, how did they get here? As if they popped out of a war book three aisles over.

They say something, mouth hardly moving. Quietly, timidly.

"Sorry?" My voice cracks, I haven't spoken in hours. I clear it, too loud. The children's section is always quiet on weekday evenings.

They lean forward, nearly unnoticeably. "Where may I find Treasure Island?"

My back is flush against my seat. The old street light flickers on and off in the corner of my vision; my laptop takes a cue and shuts off. Their dark eyes shift downwards- they noticed.

"Oh, Treasure Island?" Think, you useless psychology major. "That one should be two aisles down, that way."

I point in the opposite direction of the exit. They mimic me with a slow flick of their wrist. I nod once, forcing a smile into my quivering cheeks. After looking that way, slowly- too slowly -they shuffle off.

I shove the laptop under my arm, my hand clutching the straps of my bag and speed walking against the carpet, bless the carpet for muffling my steps. I walk through the shadow of where they once were, the stairs are just a few paces ahead, I won't dare look back. My waterbottle would have to wait in the lost and found. Three figures greet me by loudly walking up the stairs- two security, Olivia from the front desk.

"Hey, you got a ride waiting outside?" Blonde security man is too loud, too casual, his tight lipped smile faker than fake. I nod once.

"You're not in trouble, I'd just like to walk you to your car." I nod again. His buddy walks past us with Olivia, holding her lanyard of keys in her left hand. I wish I could warn them, provide literally any advice or details. My voice fails me.

Blondie and I were halfway down the stairs when we heard the gasp. As he paused, hand on his belt, we heard it: "Call an ambulance!"

With a glance towards me, he jogs back up. I sit on the steps, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows. At the old street light flickering on and off.

* * *

I hate driving at night. I heave a tension-filled sigh as I plop my bag down, laptop peeking out and begging for attention. Fuel, food. I open my fridge, straining my ear for Bella to run down the stairs and pine for a morsel of anything not kibble. I wonder where my parents are.

Wow, we gotta go grocery shopping. I decide on cereal, halfway through closing the door and turning to the pantry-closet, and lock eyes with the same dark irises.

I freeze, mimicking them. They're just as still as before, just as dirty, matted, ominous. They watch me as I watch them.

"Hello."

My voice betrays me before my braincells can catch up. "Please don't hurt me."

They shake their head, gently grabbing ahold of their wrist with their left hand. "I'm just... looking for a book."

Oh my God- "Treasure Planet?"

"Treasure Island." They're so quiet, if the AC turned on I would have to strain to hear them. The fridge beeps and I jump, letting out all the air stuck halfway up my throat. I cough unceremoniously and the stranger looks at the stairs leading upstairs, politely giving me eyeline privacy.

"Okay, um... I don't have Treasure Island, sorry." I shut the fridge door, wincing at the sound.

The person keeps watching the stairs as Bella, the queen of knowing when to make an entrance, pads down the stairs and does a luxurious stretch, making biscuits on the rug. We have a moment of watching my fat cat shake herself off, sniff around, then walk over to the stranger and rub herself against their dirty jeans.

"Okay..." I rub my forehead, the weight of whatever is happening resting squarely on my skull. "What if- I think, like, Barnes and Nobles is open, you want to check them out?"

"Barnes and..."

"It's a bookstore, I can buy you the book and you can- do whatever you want with it, I don't know."

The person watches Bella sit at their feet and chirp, requesting food payment for their bare minimum cute service. Just as I thought they didn't hear my request, they nod. Once.

They don't walk as much as they appear where they need to go. Though my instincts told me to not turn my back to them, I quickly found them waiting with Bella as I grabbed my purse again, then at the cramped foyer while I tie my boots on and shuffled to my porch when I held the door open, only to somehow be sitting in the passenger seat of my Civic waiting for me when I swiftly turned around to locked my front door.

"Um... the drive is, like, fifteen minutes, I hope that's okay." I click on my seatbelt, eyeing my gas gauge. "Do you... like any music?"

They purse their dry lips, the most expression I've seen from them yet. "Talking Heads."

A quick search later and we were on our way, Road to Nowhere was softly playing from the speakers. I kept my eyes on the road, though I spotted no movement from the passenger seat from the corner of my eye. The seatbelt light never turned on. The car filled with a smell that was neither unpleasant nor remarkable- just wet.

We made it with twenty minutes to closing. I quickly sped walked inside, turning around after realizing I should've opened the door for them and seeing my car sitting there, empty. Sure enough, they were in the kids section, staring at the adventure section.

"I googled it, the book is pretty old." I walk up, scanning the hundreds of titles. "I'm not sure if you'll find it with other children's books."

An employee glances up from their monitor, spotting a girl with long dark hair and a striped green cardigan pointing at a book on the top shelf.

After some wandering around, I looked over to find them staring at a hardcover copy on the shelf. Their dark eyes shining, they continued looking at Treasure Island's brown and golden cover as my eyes flickered down to the price.

"Uh... do you think they have a paperback?" They didn't look over at me, their silence speaking volumes. "Right, okay, fine."

Soon we were walking out as a teenage employee locked the doors after us. I grabbed the receipt and offered the book over- they held their hands out without hesitation, gingerly grasping at the sturdy cover.

"Alright, um... is there anywhere I can take you?"

"You said Treasure Planet, before."

"I did?" I wracked my brain, the night stretching before me as I tried to remember. "Oh yeah, I did. It's a movie, I think they made it based on the book."

They look up at me, dark eyes shimmering. The wind blew my hair around my face as they remained still, unbothered.

A few minutes later we were parked at a Denny's parking lot, laptop open with Treasure Planet's score filling the car. Aside from a few wayward glances from passing diners, we watched the movie in peace. I found myself wrapped in the plot, the animation, even laughing a few times and looking over for a reaction. They simply kept watching, eyes alight and unblinking, taking in the magic. I hope they loved it as much as I did.

Past midnight, I was driving back home when they suddenly pointed with a crooked finger. "Oh, you wanna be dropped off here?"

I pulled over to a well-lit street, leading as far as the eye can see. I wasn't sure where we were, I must've taken a side road.

"Thank you." They took their eyes off the hardcover to meet mine. "This is all I wanted. You did that and more."

"Of course, I'm happy I could help." I pause, building the question in my head as they trace the gold details across the spine. "Why were you looking for this book?"

They watch the illuminated road ahead of them, eyes glimmering towards the night. "It was my favourite as a child."

I nod, once. "I loved the movie. Maybe I'll give the book a read."

They didn't open the car door and walk off into the evening, or disappear under a lamppost to continue reading. They simply weren't there anymore. I rolled their window down and drove back home slowly, savouring the early fall air. As I somehow made my way back to the main street and past the library, the street light flickered once more before settling on a dim, steady stream of light onto the pavement.