#37 Sojourn, part 2

(Previously, in Shelver Explorer: Boudecia reveals her powers to me and tells me I must learn more about the library. She and Ernesto lock me in a storeroom where I am attacked by what I believe to be my old nemesis, the poltergeist. The story picks up after I am backed up in a corner…)

The poltergeist stared me down, its eyes flashing an angry red. I saw other spirits swarming behind it. They each looked identical, except for one which had a book floating inside it. It plucked the book out and threw it at me. As the book reached the apex of its trajectory it exploded into a flurry of paper. Several small scraps fell in front of me, and I knew instantly that I should read them.

[You] [flushed] [one of us] [down] [the sin] [k!] [You’ll] [suffer for] [That]

They swarmed me, swiping at me with ghostly claws. Their scratches left no marks but felt cold and clammy, like a cold clam. I closed my eyes in terror; it didn’t help to know that they couldn’t actually hurt me by going full pelt as they were. I began mentally reciting closing procedures to block out their screeching.

Alert patrons we’re closing in 15 minutes. Check toilets. Turn off BOB. Collect in-house items. The ghosts must’ve realised they weren’t achieving anything, and the assaults became less ferocious and less frequent.

Alert patrons we’re closing in 10 minutes. Turn off catalogues. Turn off photocopiers. Refill photocopiers and printers. The attacks stopped completely, yet I didn’t dare move from my huddled foetal position in the corner.

Alert patrons we’re closing in 5 minutes. Turn off printers. Turn off public computer terminals. Take stats. I heard a loud grinding sound straight ahead, and when I looked up I saw the ghosts commandeering a filing cabinet, headed very slowly in my direction.

Alert patrons that the library as closed. Lock the front door. Switch off front desk terminals. Ask the librarian if there’s anything else I can…

I can… do… to help…

I picked up the decimated book in front of me and flicked through the pages at lightning speed, tearing out any relevant pages. Son I had what I needed, and carefully I tore out individual words and lay them down on the floor. The cabinet-cum-juggernaut hadn’t made it very far before I had my message ready.

[S] [orry about] [the other] [pol] [terge] [ist] {I’m} [new] [here] [I] [did] [NT] [know]

The ghosts stopped mid-attack. One floated towards me, its eyes uch darker than the others’. It looked vaguely familiar, yet implacable. The tattered remains of the book flew out of my hand, and small tears of paper fell to the floor like confetti.

[You] [will make up] [for it] [you have] [my] [blessing] [say] [hi] [to the] [living] [librar] [ians] [from me,] [book] [man]

With that, the lights began to flicker and slowly came on. When they did the ghosts had vanished. There was mess everywhere, and there was now a rogue filing cabinet awkwardly positioned in the centre of the room. There was a hole in the wall where it had been – about human-sized – and I tentatively crawled through it. I’m an explorer at heart – if I were a cat I’d’ve been killed by curiosity long ago. The tunnel curved upwards, and I could see light poking its way in. I found a trapdoor handle and pulled, revealing my location: under one of the carrels in the Reference section.

I emerged effortfully and staggered back ot the front desk where Boudecia and Ernesto were waiting for me. Ernesto smiled and patted me on the back, while Boudecia raised her chin ever so slightly to signal her approval.

“Book man says hi,” I said, before stumbling past them both and out the front door.

-Jay