Ye Olde Library

It was a foggy afternoon in the city. Claire had finished her shift at the convenience store and was making her way back home. Having lived in the city for so long, she had gotten to know all the short cuts and alleyways. She made her way towards one of the alleyways, but instead was greeted by a red sign saying ‘Road works’. Claire huffed, before turning on her heels and walking towards another of the alleyways

She rarely used this route, as it was longer than her usual walk, but also the roads were cobbled which made them difficult to walk on. Through the fog, she saw a dim light on the right-hand side of the road. As she got closer, she realised the light was emitting from a small store. A sign hung from a metal frame jutting out of the wall. It was square with gold writing inked onto it, reading ‘Ye Olde Library’. This sparked Claire’s interested. She looked at her watch, she had plenty of time to kill before she needed to get home, so she wandered over.

The store itself seemed to almost blend in with the rest of the houses that surrounded it, had it not been for the sign above it. The wooden framework had worn away in places. Filigree that was once carved into the wood were now just lumps and grooves. A message hung loosely in the window, even the paint on that had come away in patches. It read ‘Open’. Claire put her hand on the door and pushed.

As Claire entered the store, a small chime came from the bell above as it rattled against the door. Claire looked up; a semicircle had been worn into the door from the years of the bell moving across it. Inside the store, the books appeared to be worn down as well, covered in a thin layer of dust. But there were so many books. Books stacked in the shelves; sideways, vertical and slanted. Books piled on the floor, taking up almost all the walking space that there was. The place itself was so small, the books made it even more cramped. The wooden floorboards had worn away in areas, while other areas still maintained their varnish. These were more obvious in corners and against walls where books had been piled. The wooden framework extended to the interior as well. Everything was the same colour of brown throughout, though the golden light from the oil lamp styled light fixtures made it seem homely.

She picked up one of the nearby books and examined the cover, attempting to beneath the dust that had settled on it. She opened it and flipped through the pages. As she did so, a cloud erupted from it. Claire was taken aback by this eruption and began to cough. Then she heard footsteps. They seemed to be coming from the back of the library, perhaps even down some stairs. As the steps moved closer, the floorboards began to creak. The steps were heavy and deep. A figure then rounded the corner.

Claire audibly gasped. Before her stood a tall man, made taller still by the slight incline of the floor. He barely fit through the frame of the doorway; his shoulders touched the sides and he had to duck to get under. He was bulky all over, his arms and legs like trucks of trees. His face was hidden beneath a cloud of beard. It cascaded over his chin and rested on top of a pile of books he was holding. His hair was greying, but below his burrowing brows were kind, blue eyes. His hair was pulled back by a headscarf, exposing his forehead. His clothes were dusty, worn and tattered. They seemed to match the rest of the interior of the library.

“Sorry to keep you waitin’, pet” He chirped. His voice was much lighter than Claire was expecting. He turned on his heels and dropped the pile of books on top of another that was next to him. A cloud of dust exploded from under it as the piles met.

“It- It’s ok,” Claire mumbled, pulling the book away from her face so she could peer over it. “I was only browsing.”

“Then carry on!” He chortled. He went back under the door frame and into the rear again. Claire, still peeping over the top of the book, relaxed. She hadn’t realised how stiff she had gone suddenly. She exhaled, looking back down at the book she had in her hands.

After some time, she put the book back on top of the pile and reached for another. Before long, she had looked through several books and had them piling up at her feet. The minutes seemed to fly by in this place. Many of these books were very old, dating back some decades. The pages had yellowed, and the spines had started to weaken in placed. Yet, they all seemed to be well cared for. She scooped up her selection of books, waddled up the inclining floor and hovered at the doorway to the rear of the store.

“This is a cute place.” She said, struggling to hold everything in her arms.

“Aye, it is!” The man called back. Claire peered around the corner of the door and to the right were some spiral, wooden stairs. His voice was coming from down here “Don’t get many visitors mind you though.” He continued. The floor began to creek as he forced himself up the narrow stairwell to be level with Claire.

“Is it yours?” She asked, still processing what she just saw. He reminded her of sausage meat being squeezed into its casings, or a cat pushing itself under a door. For a big man, he seemed successful at getting through tight spaces.

“Nay, it’s not. I volunteer here a few days a week.” He smiled proudly. He pulled himself up the final few steps, his hands gripping onto the railings. Claire felt her face drop when she saw the size of his hands, they could cover her whole face, she thought. She quickly batted the idea away and resumed her gaze with the man.

“That’s nice,” she said, her voice slightly wavered from holding the books for so long.

“Oh, lass! Ye should ‘ave said.” The man said, taking the books from Claire’s arms. Claire rung her arms out, getting the blood to flow back through them again. “Would ye like to borrow these?” He lifted the pile, gesturing to Claire. She nodded in receipt.

“How long have you worked here for?” She enquired. He smiled down at her.

“Many years, pet, this place keeps me sane. This and me gardenin’,” He replied. “Before that I was a builder. Quite the career change, no?” He laughed. Claire nodded feebly in response; her eyes widened in awe.

He signalled for her to move backward, gesturing to the doorway. She began to shuffle backward. As he went through, she pushed her body against the wall, her legs rubbing against the piles of books behind her. The man walked over to the opposite wall. He balanced the pile of books in one hand and leaned down, the other reaching between book piles on the floor. He pulled out a bag, which looked as if it had been stuck there a while. With a shake, it shed enough dust to coat the books in another layer of grey.

Claire moved off from the wall and felt movement behind her knees. She quickly grabbed down, stopping the books from wavering too much. The pile furthest from her began to wobble. She stuck out her foot and tried to hook it onto it, but a couple of the books on top dropped down. The landed with a thud against the floor, another puff of dust erupted from it. This alerted the man, who snapped his head round to the source of the noise. He could see Claire awkwardly squatted on the floor, one leg outstretched and her arms flailing over the piles. He gave out a bellowing laugh. He pulled the bag handle over his wrist, took a small stamp from his pocket, grabbed the top book from the pile in his other hand, flipped over the cover and began stamping. Once the pile was depleted and in the bag, he moved over to Claire. He grabbed hold of her jacket and lifted her back to her feet. She squealed, grabbing hold of his huge hand in some attempt at restraint. He let go of her before bending down and picking up the two books that had falling.

“Want to borrow these too, eh?” He laughed again, dropping those into the bag as well. Claire looked over herself, she was now covered in patches of dust. No wonder he looks so rugged, she thought, shaking off and brushing down her clothes. The man held out the bag, to which Claire took it. She grunted under its weight, surprised by how heavy it was. He made it seem so effortless.

“When do I bring them back?” Claire stammered, lifting the bag onto her shoulder. A wide grin spread across the man’s face.

“When ye like. Always ‘ave more for ye to read!” He beamed, crossing his arms over his chest. Claire smiled back at him. There was a moment of silence between the two, before Claire looked down at her watch.

“Oh! I must get home!” She exclaimed. The man laughed once more, moving sideways to allow Claire entrance to get through. She waded her way between his body and the books, making it rather miraculously to the door without anything else falling over.

“See you soon pet” The man said, taking his hand out of its cross to wave and putting it back again.

“Bye! I’ll come back again soon, promise!” Claire smiled, opening the door and jumping through. She waved back, allowing the door to close on its own. She turned to her right and continued up the cobbled path. The man watched her go, sighing happily to himself before turning and ducking back under the doorway.

Once home, dinner eaten and chores done, Claire sat down on her armchair. She pulled out one of the books she had obtained earlier and dusted off the cover. With a cup of tea in hand, she flipped over the cover and snuggled in and began to read. How excellent that my normal route home was blocked today, she mused.