The Midnight Library

Moonlight Library

Somewhere, up high, the stars twinkled, and the moon shone, but they were obscured by the ethereal veil of fog cast across the London cityscape. There was something different about the air that showed itself only at night. Cora shivered at the thought as her pace quickened. She has never heard of the Moonlight Library until she applied to work there. After getting into a fight with her neighbour a couple weeks ago, mother set an ultimatum: move out or work. Her bruises were still healing from Sunday, but this time she was better at hiding it. Cora never thought of herself as a librarian, but something about that job posting piqued her curiosity. It mentioned a ghost, lenient borrowing terms and unique opening hours. The supernatural part was rubbish, of course. Believing in magic was a coping mechanism that Cora crushed in herself years ago. Santa doesn’t bring lost fathers back and the tooth fairy’s services don’t include getting families out of debt. Lampposts glowed in the living darkness, coating the alleys and streets with a faint golden light that pierced through the fog. In the distance, a tall building emerged from the brume.

The library was redbrick, Victorian, sitting self-importantly at the top of a hill. Curiosity tingled in Cora’s belly the same way it did the first time she saw it. It felt as if something, someone, was watching her, dragging her closer to the secrets she wasn’t ready for. There was a tall maple tree growing next to it. The bark at the base of it looked like an old women’s face, twisted in a grimace.

“Hey Witch,” Cora said, waving at the tree.

She opened the heavy wooden door, with a sign hanging on it, yellowed with age.

The Moonlight Library

Hours of operation: Dusk until Dawn

Eyes adjusting to the dark, musty space, she sighed. Like expected, there were stacks of books towering towards the tall ceiling, and even more covering every inch of the shabby, old shelves. The leather spines lined up perfectly, a whole room filled with valuable first editions. By the looks of it, they’d all been sitting there for quite a while, more and more thrown haphazardly on top of each other like a game of Jenga. What she did not expect was all the dust. It looked like the whole library hadn't been touched for a decade, maybe more.

“They don’t need a librarian,” Cora whispered. “They need a janitor”.

One of the wooden multi shelved units displayed a long leather-bound row of The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. She'd not seen them before, and never realized how many volumes there were in one edition.

“That was the only way to find information back in the dark ages.” A deep voice came from behind Cora, making her jump with a yelp. “How would you like having to wade through that lot?”

She turned around to find a tall young man in a hazel knitted sweater, with a copy of The Great Gadsby in his hands. Just like everything here, there was something mystical about him Cora couldn’t quite place. The pea green of his eyes was a bright contrast to his olive skin and dark curly hair. He was looking down at her with a hint of a smile, amused by her reaction. Cora got a familiar urge to punch someone.

“Bloody hell, Anik, don’t sneak up on me like that,” she said, face turning hot.

“Language, Freckles,” Anik said, smile widening. “What happened to your face?”

Cora bit back a laugh. You should’ve seen the other guy, she thought. She pulled a strand of ginger hair over her black eye.

“Shut up or you’ll get a matching one”, Cora said.

Anik shook his head, laughing. Then he took something shiny out of his pocket and held it out to Cora. She noticed, with a start, that he was missing half of his ring finger.

“Every staff member has one. It’s time you finally get yours,” he said, dimples showing. “Welcome to the team”.

 The golden key felt cold and heavy in her hand. It had an ornate top with a detailed crow head of olden days craftsmanship, but there was something magical about it. All these years of use and it looked as if sunshine itself had polished it anew. Holding the key felt as if something precious was finally returned to her. A sudden surge of energy coursed through Cora’s veins. For the first time in years, there was a hint of a feeling she thought was long lost.

  Anik went on to explain that the owner, who Cora spoke with over the phone, will be back today. She’s been waiting to meet Madam Everly ever since Cora started working here a couple weeks ago. The tasks were simple enough; keep the library clean, organize the collections of books and today Cora will get to greet customers for the first time. The library turned out to be even bigger than Cora initially thought, with tall windows and lush carpets. There was something haunting about this place, as if the books were containing more voices than the building could hold. A velvet-covered staircase spiralled upward towards even more bookshelves. Upstairs, all books were in Latin, Hebrew and Arabic, Anik explained.

The bell chimed, and the front door opened with a lazy creak. Cora ran to the circulation desk, hastily trying to smooth out her curls.

“Welcome to the Midnight Library,” Cora said, looking up at the visitor. “How can I help—". She stopped, taken aback.

The man in the doorway could have passed for a regular guy if it wasn’t for his abnormal height and paper-white skin. He wore a white button down, black trousers and was holding a cane with an antique brass handle. He raised his thin brows and stared down at her through pink eyes.

His voice came, high pitched and cold, “I need a book”.

It took a moment too long for Cora to find her voice. “Yeah—yes, of course,” she said, clearing her throat. “Do you have a title in mind? Or genre?”

A South Asian cookbook, the tall man, who introduced himself as Vladimir, told Cora with a faint Slavic accent. He surprised her further by specifying that all recipes had to be vegetarian. Cora gave Vladimir a couple recommendations and he picked East by Meera Sodha, a solid choice. Vladimir thanked her on the way out and Cora could’ve sworn she saw a pair of fangs beam in the dim light.

It’s still not clear if next visitors were real or imagined. It started when Cora felt a brush of cold air against the shell of her ear. The hooded shadowy figures appeared seemingly out of nowhere, accompanied by the choppy pieces of a distorted, animalistic voice. Cora thought she was going to faint but then the figures reappeared with a stack of Goosebumps floating in front of them, or so it looked. Cora checked the books out for them, forcing a polite smile.

Cora was still recovering from her last encounter, when the doorbell chimed once more. Fully prepared for another bizarre costume, she was surprised to see a handsome man with high cheekbones and mischievous eyes walking inside. He had long hair, sun kissed skin and wore a crimson tunic, that was pinned at the shoulder by a golden sun clip. His presence alone was enough to make the library appear brighter. He smiled at Cora and it lit up his face so much, Cora couldn’t help but smile back.

“I’m looking for Aniketos,” the man said.

Cora opened her mouth to reply when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

“Helios,” Anik said, coming to stand beside Cora. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Anik’s lips twitched, his voice cold.

“Brother, I’ve been looking everywhere for you”.

“I’m afraid the sentiment is not mutual”, Anik said. “I told everyone to leave me alone. You included”.

Helios stared at Anik; mouth set in a hard line.

After a moment, Helios said, “She is alive”.

Silence stretched out. Cora looked up at Anik and saw him gazing back at Helios, brows furrowed. A muscle moved in Anik’s jaw and he narrowed his eyes.

“Get out,” Anik said. It came out quiet, barely above a whisper. If Cora didn’t stand right beside him, she might have missed it.

“Aniketos, you can still save her,” Helios said.

“Get out”.

Helios lifted his palms up in surrender, eyebrows raised. As he grabbed the door handle, he glanced behind his shoulder and for a moment looked like he was going to say something else. Then, he shook his head and opened the door, the gentle chime of the bell announcing his leave.

Cora was organizing returned magazines when something fell from a nearby shelf with a dull thud. She turned around with a frown and picked up a book. Bound in red leather, cracked and dry with age, the thin volume smelled faintly of pipe tobacco and dust. The pages within were brittle and what remained of the book’s original stitching was barely holding it together. The title was barely legible, faint letters worn out by time: The Odyssey. A faint scrawl on the inside of the cover declared that the novel once belonged to Helena Costas. Cora’s frown deepened.

“That’s the third one this week”, she murmured. “Anik, look”.

Cora turned to him. Anik took a step back, an almost-swaying motion of a man in the grip of nausea. He stared at the book, face ashen.

“Where did you get this?” Anik said in a cold, terrible voice. “Put it back”.

“Sorry, I just keep finding all these books on the ground”, Cora said, blinking rapidly. “We should really check for pests; it’s getting kind of creepy—”.

“I said, put it back”. Anik ripped the book out of her hand and tuck it back on the high shelf, out of her reach. Cora took an involuntary step back, her heart racing. Anik, always sarcastic and irreverent, now had an icy quality to his gaze she didn’t recognize. Over some damn book, Cora thought. In the warmth of the musty room, she felt herself turn cold.

There was a sudden whip of wind, as a window burst open with a bang. Cora yelped, tripping over a book and hit the tufted carpet. A piercing caw rang in the room, as a white crow flew inside, its feathers shinning. It circled around the room before settling on a chair with surprising grace. Cora almost swallowed her heart, but Anik just rubbed his brow with a sigh. The crow tilted its head and watched her with beady eyes. Then, as if sensing Cora’s uneasiness it shook its head and chuckled.

“Hello, child”, it said in a smooth female voice. “I didn’t mean to frighten you”.

The crow then gave a small bow with its head, “Anik”.

“Madam,” Anik said, warning in his voice.

He looked down at Cora, but it was too late.

Her jaw went slack, colour leaving her face. She scrambled backwards wide eyed, thoughts racing. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Libraries didn’t have ghosts and talking birds. She just hit her head too hard during the last fight and this will all be gone by morning.

“Cora,” Anik said softly. “I know it’s a lot. I can explain”. He crouched next to her, touching her shoulder gently, fury from moments ago seemingly gone. As if burned, she slapped his hand away. Madam. Madam Everly. She owns the library.

Cora turned to the white crow in horror, “You are not real”.

Madam Everly replied with a scornful laugh, “Oh, but what would be the fun in that?”

The wooden door slammed shut with a thud, as Cora stumbled outside into the cold night air. The rain was numbing; pallets of water spitting in her face and clouding her vision. In pre-dawn darkness, the streets were empty, save for the growing paddles on the pavement. Cora slumped on the damp ground by a lamppost, her breathing quick and shallow. Something hard was digging into her side and Cora took it out of her pocket. Staring back at her was the golden crow head, its beady eyes beaming in the night light. Hello, child. Nausea crept from her abdomen to her head and the world went black.

Cora walked down the twisted book maze, stumbling in the dimly lit space. After searching for a way out for so long, she wasn’t sure which path to take. There was a clearing with a familiar maple tree with the witch’s face on it. Under the tree sat a little girl in a white nightgown, with a book in her hands. She looked like an angel; her dark curly hair draped around her pale cheeks.

“There you are,” said the girl. “What took you so long?”

“Helena,” Cora heard herself say.

Helena closed her book and rose, a golden key hanging around her neck. The book maze started to shift and turn green, slowly turning into a forest. Dark vines and ivy were crawling towards the girl, cocooning her.

“We don’t have much time”. Helena’s little voice was blurred by the leaves. “Find the sleepless soldier”.

Cora was too stunned to move. She looked down at her shaking hands and realized that half of her ring finger was missing.

Cora woke up with a gasp, a wet towel falling from her forehead. She found herself in a brown leather couch, under a under a warm wool blanket. The Midnight Library looked darker than usual, lit only by the occasional tall candles. Beside her, Anik was slumped in a chair, snoring softly. She looked at his arms, crossed over his chest. The finger was missing on his right hand, just like hers was in the dream.

“Anik,” Cora shook his shoulder gently. “Anik, wake up”.

He yawned, rubbing the remainders of sleep from his eyes and gazed at Cora.

“Don’t get too excited,” Anik said. “I won’t carry your dying body next time”.

Cora bit her lip, thoughts racing. This couldn’t be happening. There was no logical way to explain what Cora just saw or what she’s been feeling ever since she started working at the library. Growing up, Cora knew her responsibilities were to finish college, work, get married and eventually get a divorce, just like her parents. There was no room for miracles or mistakes. The reality of life was boring and mundane, but there was a comfort in following a predetermined set of steps. However, when the mystery is too impressive one does not dare disobey. She had to choose her words carefully, plan everything out in advance and not trust anyone. Nothing in this crazy place is as it seems. Instead, the words came out before she could stop them.

“Who is Helena Cortes? What is really going on in the Midnight Library?”

Cora fought an internal groan at her own idiocy. Anik’s eyes widened, but he stayed quiet. After a pause, Cora carefully went on to explain her dream and the books that have been falling off the shelves. All of them with Helena’s name written inside. When she was done, Anik looked down at his hands, fighting an internal battle of some sort. Cora waited. When he looked back up, he met her gaze evenly, his mouth set in a hard line.

“I will tell you everything, but you have to promise to wait until I’m done to ask any questions”, Anik said.

Cora was so stunned by the words; she didn’t realize that he was waiting for her reply and gave a small nod. The candles flickered quietly, not doing anything to ease the eerie atmosphere.

“There is a lot more to the world than you think,” Anik said. “Vampires, fairies, ghosts and witches, they all exist. The folk come out at night, so most humans don’t know about their existence. Madam Everly opened the Midnight Library as a way to help them feel accepted in this world. None of the customers you served today were human”.

Thin hysteria threatened for a moment; Cora thought of Vladimir, the vegetarian vampire.

Anik went on to explain that he and Helena were born in Greece a long time ago and that one day they got in an argument with a god and were cursed. He’s been looking for his sister ever since.

“I was cursed to never sleep, and Helena was cursed to never wake up,” Anik said. “How ironic that I ended up working at the Midnight Library”.

 When Anik finished, Cora was sure she had a concussion. Life as she knew it was collapsing before her very eyes. She forced the thought aside. She looked down at the golden key in her hand.

“Helena mentioned the sleeping soldier”, Cora said, looking up. “Do you know where we can find him?”

Anik held up a finger and hurried upstairs. He came back with a dusty beige scroll, rough at the edges. When Anik rolled it out on the carpet, Cora realised that it was a map. He pointed to an island in corner of the Atlantic Ocean. Cora wasn’t a geography expert, but she surely has never seen that island before. Then, he pointed to a group of wavy lines in the middle of it.

“This is the Sleepless Soldier Mountain”, Anik said. “About a month away by boat”.

A month. Mother would be furious. But then again, Cora was almost twenty and was more than capable of making her own decisions. What if everything Anik said was real? That means that there would be mermaids, fairies and ghosts. There would be magic and adventure. Cora looked up at Anik and saw her excitement mirrored in his eyes. Screw it, let’s do this.

 She touched the golden key to her lips and put it in her pocket.

“When do we sail?” Cora asked.