Pitter Patter in the night

Ann fell asleep at her desk again. That was the third time this week. Everyone said she was working too hard, but she didn't think so. Being a librarian had been a lifelong dream. To be surrounded by books all day was a fantasy, and now that she was living it, she didn't want to disappoint anyone. It was well past sunset, and darkness had enveloped the library. She should've gone home when everyone else did. Now she was alone; the thought sent a shiver down her spine. 

The library was old and not maintained; that's what happens when communities lose funding for things governments don't deem important enough. The dimly lit atmosphere and the old creeky walls had always been a comfort, but tonight the atmosphere put Ann on edge. She didn't know why. She pushed aside the books on her table and walked towards the exit of the office. Not sparing a second glance for the coffee that was staining the carpet. She must've knocked it over in her sleep. She would clean it up later. The clock above the check-out desk said it was three am, which meant it was about two-thirty in the morning. No matter how many times she tried to fix it or replace it, it just kept breaking. Still, she made a mental note to go buy a new one tomorrow. 

Thunder cracked overhead, and she jumped. Squealing to herself and the empty building. She didn't remember hearing anything about a storm on the news, but it wasn't shocking; the storms had been horrendous this summer. A long sigh escaped her lips; there would be no driving home now; the wind and the rain would make the streets uninhabitable. That was frustrating. The walls started to creak and rock more violently with the picking up of the wind. If she didn't know any better, it sounded like a ghost was howling through the walls. 

Knowing she wouldn't fall asleep against the storm and that she couldn't leave, she started to look for something to do. Anything that would occupy her mind until that dreadful wind stopped. She looked around for just a moment before finding a cart stacked full of books that needed restocking. Perfect. A job. The wind howled again, and she rushed back to her office to grab a sweater and a flashlight. It wouldn't be a surprise if the building lost power. Once she reached the cart again, she began to push it to the far aisle. The wheels groaned and cracked under stress, and one kept catching. Causing the cart to wobble on the uneven floor. 

Something crashed in a distant corner of the library, and another involuntary jump made the book in her hand fall to the floor. The wind must be terrible; another loud crash vibrated through the building. It's just the wind. She repeats it over and over, convincing herself that it's true. When did she get so paranoid? A shiver crept up her spine. A knot twisted in her gut. She had never believed in the folk tale that the library was haunted; small-town folk had a tendency to be superstitious. They made up lies to comfort themselves because there was no such thing as ghosts. Yet tonight, the tales began to creep into her mind as she listened. She went back to putting away books and tried to hum a tune loud enough to drown out her fear. 

She moved sections and listened to the methodic roll and clunk of the cart. A small pitter pater came from behind her. A rat? it sounded like a giant rat, but she was almost relieved to have company. Rats were real, they could be seen and touched, and the thought gave her comfort. They were real. They weren't folktales. So it was a rat. Another loud howl, but it seemed closer, as though the wind was trying to creep up on her. She kept working and humming, trying to drown out her thoughts. 

Another pitter-patter, but there was more this time; it sounded like a herd of rats scampered behind her. Making a mental note to call an exterminator, she went back to putting books on the shelf. A yawn cracked her lips, and she heard the pitter-patter again; this time, it was so close it almost sounded like little feet. She was just tired; she had never been here this late past close; it was going to her head, that was all. Or she was actually going insane like everyone kept telling her she would. Another loud crash echoed through the building, and similar to the wind, it sounded like it was getting closer. 

She was scared now. She didn't know why but she felt like she had to be; her guts were turning, her fingers were twisting through her long hair, and she couldn't help the way her feet stepped back and forth, her heel clanking on the ground. It was all in her head. It wasn't real. Pitter patter. Crash. Pitter patter. Crash. Pitter-.

"Miss?" A tiny voice called out to her, and her heart sank. She couldn't have made that voice up. She wasn't that crazy. Which means she wasn't that alone. 

"Hello?" She managed to stammer back. 

"Miss, I'm down here" She looked around and then down to her feet. There standing in front of her, tugging on her dress, was a tiny man. He barely reached halfway up her calf and wore a black outfit adorned with gold stitching; his hair was short and his ears pointy. An elf? that was crazy. She was defiantly crazy. "Miss, what are you doing here? It's not safe."

"I,, I fell asleep in my office, then the storm. What do you mean not safe?" She was talking to it. Why was she talking to it? It was just her imagination. It had to be. 

"Miss, my friends and I " He made a gesturing move, and fifteen of the little elf creatures crawled out from the bookshelves and crevices of the library. Appearing as if from nowhere. A faint gold light lingered from where they emerged and then disappeared. "Will have to keep you safe; you can't leave now. He knows you're here. Perhaps it's why he is so angry, breaking and crashing things, yelling like this. He already hates storms. Not safe" She stared down at the tiny creatures that were now standing around her ankles, looking up with concern. Their eyes glowing gold. 

"Who knows I'm here? What am I in danger of? There are humans here all the time."

"Not at night. Nighttime is his. You must come. Quickly quietly. More time to talk in your office." He motioned again, and they ran off, the faintest pitter-patter coming from their movements, and against every voice in her head, she followed the creatures to her office.

 Halfway there, standing near the clock on the wall, the wind howled through the building. Shaking the foundation. Ann listened closely, and it sounded like a man, he wailed in anguish and anger, and it felt like the sound ripped through her. She knew she didn't imagine it when the elves looked at each other, fear dancing in their eyes. The power went out. And the building grew unnaturally cold quickly. She couldn't take her eyes off the stairwell that led to the upstairs. Her breath danced in front of her. Her body shivered. A small layer of frost started to creep its way down the banister and the steps; it coated them in sheer ice, a black shadow crept behind it. The elf tugged on her skirt, snapping her out of the trance. "Miss. Hurry, almost too late" A sudden urgency filled her, and she fled to her office, the elves following behind. 

When she sat down in the chair, she noticed the layer of sweat coating her skin. The little elf ran around her office, muttering. She couldn't make it out, but it almost sounded like they were chanting under their breath. The exits started to glow with a vibrant gold hue. It was pretty breathtaking. The one who had spoken to her turned and sat cross-legged on her desk. 

"Now we wait." 

"Wait for what?"

"Miss, the ghost, he's not a nice man. We protect the library, usually don't have to protect people. But you should be safe." 

"You live in the library? What?" 

"Miss. We are the library; we are its keepers" something slammed against the door of her office, the lock rattled, but it held firm. She was shaking again. Somewhere between the shelves and her office, disbelief turned to terror. 

"Who's out there?" She whispered. She felt as though if she spoke at a regular volume, whatever it was would hear her from the other side of the door. 

"Miss. Were not sure. He's been here longer than us. An angry soul, a tortured soul, he looks for something but only comes out at night. That's why you shouldn't be here" Another slam against the door, and a bloody wail echoed through the building. Followed by a hollow scream. Who was screaming? Was she crying? She didn't know how to feel scared anymore. She was petrified. 

"Is there someone else? In the building? Who is screaming?"

"Him, Miss. The magic binds the door he can't get in. We anger him" She didn't have anything else left to say. She pulled her knees to her chest and took a few deep breaths trying to calm her heartbeat. It thumped in her chest, rattling her bones. The elves all stood firm, and their concentration never wavered. After a while, the entire room was glowing. 

"Has he ever…..Gotten someone?" 

"Yes, Miss. We can't save everyone. The town covers it up because they don't know. The little girl was the last, blond hair, blue eyes, her parents cried for so long. She was found in the library; we didn't know she was here. So quite." She thought back to disappearances in her area. There weren't many. But she did remember a little girl going missing when she was young. She wondered if it was the same one. 

The storm had started to die down, but something continued to beat at the door. Rattling the lock with every attempt. Frost crept in from under the door, her breath continued to dance. After eternity sunlight cracked through the windows. 

"Miss. We must be going now. Sunlight is not our friend. You should be safe, but don't come back at night. We can't always save people." 

"Please don't go" She was shocked to hear the pleading tone in her voice. 

"Have to" He walked over and put a tiny hand on her shoulder, and drowsiness started to overtake her body. She had been up most of the night. They said she was safe. So she laid down her head on her desk and drifted off. 

`****

She woke up several hours later with the worst cramp in her neck. She stretched her arms over her head and got dizzy for a split moment when the blood rushed back to her limbs. She had the craziest dream. She figured that's what happened when you slept at your desk. She turned and found a spilled coffee on her carpet. Degavue crept through her, but she ignored it. She went to the mirror in her office and straightened out her hair. People were bustling around outside her office. They were probably already open. She thought of the little elf in her dream, that gold light, that otherworldly cold. It felt so real, but it couldn't have been. There's no such thing as ghosts. She stepped out of her office, and a coworker waved her over. 

"Did you sleep here?" He looked at her messy hair and wrinkly skirt.

"Accidentally"

"Any reason way the top floor is a mess. The kid's section is destroyed."

"The storm? It was windy."

"Not that windy. We must have a had break-in, like I thought. Police are on their way. Glad you're okay." 

"Mmm"

"Also, were you re-shelving things in your sleep?"

"What?"

"Someone left a cart and books all over the floor down the far aisle." 

"No, I wasn't. But ill go clean it up" Ann walked over and bent to pick up the books. Someone had made a horrible mess. She reached for the book closest to her. It really was a gorgeous book, black with gold lettering that read Folktales. But she had never seen it before, it didn't even have a code to tell her where to put it. She started to flip through the pages, thumbing for a clue, when a small piece of paper fluttered down to her feet. She bent down and unfolded it. "Miss. Don't forget what I said. It's not safe at night. Stay away. Please" She let out a small gasp, and the paper gave off a slight golden glow, making the words disappear. It wasn't a dream. There was a ghost haunting the library, and tiny elves saved her life. At least she wasn't crazy.