Novel & Cerita The Librarian Of Burned Books

Then the poetry. Handwritten. Sometimes sonnets. Sometimes messy, jagged pieces that felt like they’d been ripped straight from his chest. One read: If I could be the rain that slips down your shoulder, If I could be the sky you look up at in rage I’d let you strike me down, again and again, If only to stay close to your fire. I threw that one in the trash. Three hours later, it was tucked inside the cash register. And then came the books. First editions. Stories I’d loved. Stories I’d once read aloud to Damien in the Blackwood library when we were young and tangled in something that felt like forever.

Danger. I turned. And there she was. The librarian. Standing at the door, her frail frame outlined by the torchlight. Her eyes wide, mouth parted in shock. I stiffened, caught mid-theft like a pup with blood on his muzzle. “Well,” I said dryly, closing the book with exaggerated calm. “This is awkward.” Her lips trembled. “W-who are you? What are you doing...” I lifted a hand. “Shhh. I’m the friendly neighborhood bookworm. Here to… improve my literacy.”

I was about to enter when I heard footsteps, so I hid so no one could notice me around. When I felt their presence was far from me, I looked at different corners. I need to make sure that no one will witness me coming into the library. I felt guilty for keeping a secret from Almera. I feel like I am sinful and wasting their trust in me. I was in the library for the whole day; what's the use of the library if they don't have a book containing contents about the disease? “Useless book!” I screamed in frustration; I wanted to burn all of these useless books in front of me. I was about to leave when I saw a big book; it was the only book at the top of the shelf.

A portal into a world I’d only ever read about in books. Now, I found excuses and gaps in my timetable to sneak in here. The only place where the whispers and the glares stopped, where I could just shut my brain off in peace. “Hale!” The librarian’s voice made me jolt. “You need to leave.” She was an older lady with greying hair and large spectacles that magnified her hawk like eyes. She reminded me of the librarian from Monsters University. “Yes,” I said quickly, scooping the thick history textbook in my arms. “I’m leaving. Just putting this back.”

He mused as he looked at me with a glint of excitement. “Why is that?” I asked, frowning a little. He shrugged, “Being a librarian is far more interesting than working as a servant.” “So what is this book and why is it in this glass case?” Victor scratched his chin as he had a faraway look in his eyes. “Let me recall. This book is said to be evil and I think when King Brigdain’s army fought with the witch who cursed them, she accidentally left the book behind. But it had something sinister about it. The book could not be destroyed in any way no matter how hard one tried. Not knowing what to do with it, King Brigdain put it in this toughened glass that is hard to break and put it in a corner,

I said, and she nodded. “Sometimes the biggest weapons, the strongest and deadliest are hidden in a library, Diablo.” She said, opening the door. The two of us walked inside and she nodded at the librarian. The woman did not even bother getting up. It was as if she was aware of our presence. She was aware of what we were here for. Maybe she was.

Don Bryant, who was standing nearby, asked anxiously, "Is there really nothing else that can be done to save Oliver, Cynthia?" I shook my head, replying calmly, "There's nothing that can be done, Don Bryant. You see, once someone is tainted by a black witch, the damage is irreversible. It's only a matter of time before his life force is completely drained. Your best course is to begin making funeral arrangements for Oliver now, Don Bryant." Having said that, I took William's hand and walked away, deliberately ignoring the heart-rending cries of despair that erupted from Oliver behind us. …

I lingered in the bathroom for a solid 10 minutes, dragging my feet before I finally stepped back out. I was just about to step into the banquet hall when I spotted Winter in the hallway, her back to me. A knot formed in my stomach, and I considered ducking away, but she spun around, her eyes rimmed with red. "Jeffrey, I never thought I'd bump into you here again." I stumbled over my words, "I... I didn't mean anything, I just wanted to put it all behind me." "Put it behind you?" She moved closer, her voice barely above a whisper, "That was my first time. You took that from me, and now you want to just forget?"

I couldn’t wait to finish the novel and then upload it to Zoodago, the sight where I published my works and had so many loyal readers. As I typed, a sharp voice cut through my concentration. "Humans aren't welcome in this section of the library." I looked up to see a stern-faced librarian glaring down at me. She had on round black glasses and a plastic-looking hairdo pulled back so tightly, I could see the strain around the edges of her face. Her eyes were cold and completely filled with disdain. "Excuse me?" I stammered, taken aback by her hostility. "You heard me," she snapped. "This area is reserved for special students. Not humans."

The grey ash in the sky turned back into ink and rain, falling over the Library like a dark, healing mist. Vespera shrieked as the Redaction turned back on her. Her memories, her ambition, her name, her greed began to leak out of her eyes in silver droplets. She collapsed on the steps, a blank slate, staring at the sky with the eyes of a newborn. The fire was gone, but the Library was a ruin. Thousands of books lay in sodden piles on the grass. I slumped back, my hands raw and shaking. Kaelen was there in a second, pulling me against him.