Ghostly Characterizations

Raising the dead is not an easy job. Just ask Gretchen. She has been tasked with this tricky venture for years. How is it she got so lucky? Well, she sort of just stumbled into it. 

Gretchen is a 60-something, introverted, book loving, people loathing, crochet crafting librarian. Every day, she wakes up, drinks her tea, and sets out on foot to the local library where she rules the roost and rafters. She demands silence, respect, and book spines perfectly aligned on the shelves. Soldiers in the fight against screens, ignorance, and illiteracy. 

One day, as she stood at the end of a row eyeing the spines, she saw something (or someone?) move quickly past the other end. Her internal alarms sirened in her head at the disruption of peace in her sanctuary. She quickly moved to cut off the perpetrator, only to come face to face with the wide wondering eyes of a child. But, this child appeared to have drifted straight from the pages of a Laura Ingalls Wilder book in row L, third shelf down, in the Children’s Section. A small double braided head of hair turned around and tried to run away, only to stop abruptly in place at Gretchen’s authoritative scream-whispered “Halt!”

Gretchen slowly began to realize that she could see through the child’s small figure at the shelves of books behind her. Her floral dress and apron smock hung to her shins, with black buttoned boots on her see-through feet. 

What was this witchcraft? Was she the victim of someone’s optical-illusioned prank? The child could not be real. What was she doing in the library? How did she get here? 

“Yes ma’am?” the child said, and brought Gretchen’s attention back to her. 

“Who are you, child? How did you get here?” Gretchen whispered. 

“I’m Laura. Where am I?” the vaporous child asked. 

“You’re in the library, child. Where…where do you live?” 

“I live in Minnesota. Is this Minnesota?”

“No, child, this is Pennsylvania. But you’re safe. The library is a safe place,” Gretchen tried to reassure. 

“How can I get back home?” Laura asked. 

“Now that, I’m just not sure of. Yet…” Gretchen replied, trying to think of how it all could have happened. 

She thought back to the morning, and if anything unusual had occurred. She notices everything though, nothing could have slipped by her watchful eye. She arrived early and let herself in, locking the door behind her until the posted “Open” hour of 8am. She went to the circulation desk, deposited her purse in the bottom right door, then deposited her lunch of one peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich in the refrigerator. She placed her water bottle on the desk, and began to put away the books that had been returned the previous day. She put away a Grisham, a King, and two Hoovers. (She would not admit to anyone one was hers, but we know it was.) Then she remembered. She also had to put away a Wilder, making her way toward the Children’s Section and wondering if she had enough time to open the door by 8. She decided to hold onto the Wilder book, open the door, and then return it to the basement where the Children’s Section was located. But she never made it there. A man was waiting to enter, and immediately asked Gretchen to help him find some books on installing bathroom sinks. Home repair was hardly her forté, and of very little interest to her. She knew where the section was in the library, but rarely ventured there. She had set the Wilder book down somewhere as she escorted the man to the correct aisle. 

“Come, child. You are going to help me find a book,” she instructed the obedient apparition. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Laura replied, seemingly happy to have an adventure ahead. 

The unlikely pair scoured the library from top to bottom, looking everywhere for the book. It was as if the book entirely disappeared with the appearance of Laura. Could that be what happened? 

Having completely searched the library, Gretchen began to search her brain again. 

“I opened the door, talked to the man about sink repair, and set the book…wait! I know! Follow me, Laura!” Gretchen loudly whispered (it’s still a library, no shouting even when excited). 

The two went to the alcove area by the main entrance. Within the alcove, there were bulletin boards with yard sales posted, an empty umbrella holder (it had been unusually dry lately), and a small table pushed back against the wall. On the table, a beautiful clay dish had been newly added as the centerpiece. The dish was an earthen brown and dark green swirled throughout. It was glazed with a coating that made it very shiny, especially when the morning light came through the window and landed inside it. It was a donation to the library, left in a box at the door about a week prior. The note simply said “For the library, where characters come to life, and anything can happen within its walls.” There was no name included, and Gretchen had simply thrown away the note after reading it. The clay dish was exceptionally beautiful, and she knew she wanted it displayed right at the entrance. And that is where she left the Wilder book when she opened the door. She was absolutely certain of it. 

“It’s not here,” she whispered, staring at the glittery shine of the dish. 

“Are you sure that’s where you left it?” Laura asked. 

“Yes. Most sure. I left the book, then you appeared. Laura, let’s do a little experiment. Come with me to the Children’s Section. I have an idea.”

And the two set off again. Gretchen knew exactly where to go. Once in the basement, she led Laura to the Dahl collection. She squinted at the titles and ran her finger across the glossy edges of the books. She found the one she wanted, threw a smile at Laura, and pulled it from the shelf. 

“Got it. Let’s go back to the alcove. I have a theory, little one. And if I’m right, well, maybe I’ll cross that path when we get to it.” 

Gretchen and Laura made their way to the alcove, and back to the clay dish. Gretchen took the book she held in her hand, and gently placed it in the dish. 

“Now, child, we will leave that there, and get back to work. Come with me. I’ll show you the rest of the library. You can read, can’t you?” Gretchen asked, wondering if the little girl was ever taught. 

“No ma’am. Never learned yet. But my momma and sisters know how.”

“Well, looks like I have another job ahead of me.” 

“Really ma’am? You’ll teach me?” Laura asked with excitement. 

“Of course! If you’re going to be in a library, you’ll need to learn!” Gretchen replied, giddy with the thought of being able to open the door of reading to the child. 

Just then, a copy of Pride and Prejudice floated from behind them, dropping with a thud onto the circulation desk. Gretchen smiled. 

“Is that you, Matilda? Come out where we can see you!” 

And a mischievous mousy brown haired girl stepped out from the classics section, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Matilda, meet Laura. And I’m Gretchen. You two wait for me in the basement. I’m going to check out that man’s books on sink repair, then we have a lot to do together!” 

The girls linked ghostly hands, and skipped off toward the basement. Right through the man holding three home repair books, walking towards Gretchen. 

“Find what you need?”

“Yep! And if it all goes South, I’ll be back for some books on marriage counseling when my wife reminds me she wanted to call a professional!” 

Gretchen laughed as she handed over the books, wishing the handy-husband luck in his project. She could hear the sound of laughing from the basement as well. It had been quite awhile since she found herself laughing. It did not come easily for her, as it seemed to come naturally for children. 

Gretchen kept her discovery a secret. One by one, she brought to life her favorites, who then roamed the library with her and each other. She taught Anne Frank how to type on the computer, Alice (who always wondered) how to land a Google search, and Max to use Paintbrush to draw his favorite wild things. She came to see screens as something useful as she raised her ghosts, wanting them to experience more. She steered clear of bringing adults to life with the mysterious clay dish, preferring the interactions of knowledge eager urchins from her beloved tales. 

And so she continued, spending her days where indeed, anything can happen.