#58 Agartha

Dear diary,

The day began as any other. We opened the library to the general public, and enjoyed a steady flow of customers. Agartha is also known as the underworld capital of outer Victoria. There was several dodgy figures hanging around the library, including one guy who, as far as I could tell, was taking bundles of free bookmarks from the stands and selling them around the corner. The police came in for a ‘random’ drug bust of the premises. Twice. But otherwise things seemed quite normal.

We closed the Mobile Library at 1, and Heb went off on his lunch break while Pepper and I held another video conference with the staff back at the ‘immobile’ library back home. It was good to catch up with everyone. Goldie had made a delicious-looking cake, which she said she wanted to share with us. She took a photo with the library’s high-quality digital camera, loaded the ink cartridge on the fax machine with the ink fro those scented textas, and faxed us over a copy. Not quite as good as the real deal, but close.

We had a brief update on current affairs. Sylvia has hired some volunteers to come in once a week to teach internet classes to people from multicultural backgrounds. The fact that the volunteers don’t speak a word of English, nor or each other’s languages or those of the ESL groups, is a minor downside but she doesn’t think it’ll be an issue. Shannon reported that the library’s unofficial ‘ghosts’ have instrumental in making storytime more exciting in Pepper’s absence, and are now a permanent fixture in the program. Boudecia says she has officially received Talia’s notice of resignation, and that TJ says she sends us all her love from her current charity work posting in a small town in Victoria called Yahweh.

We were about to log out when there was a knock on the door. I answered it but there was no-one there, just an envelope on the floor addressed To The Librarian. It was a ransom note, made of bits of shredded books, demanding we pay $500,000 if we ever wanted to see Heb alive. Pepper and I exchanged glances, then I quickly unplugged the computer, shutting off the connection. I didn’t want Bron hearing about her son like this.

Pepper and I dialed the number on the bottom of the note, and were confused and slightly disappointed when we were met with the library after hours recorded message, edited for ransom purposes. It told us in a courteous manner to come to a shady club in own, without telling the police, and to bring the money in a library bag.

We went together, both nervous about Heb’s and our own wellbeing. We walked in cautiously, Pepper’s arm around mine, practically crushing it out of fear. As we made our way to the stated meeting spot I heard familiar music playing upstairs. It was Ursula’s band! When we got there we saw Ursula singing, and Heb and a very familiar face sitting over in the corner.

I walked over and demanded Heb be released. Viktor looked up at me slyly, and smirked. He had tied to take over the library only a few months ago, but had been chased out by Boudecia; he still had the claw marks to prove it. He explained to myself and a bewildered Pepper that he had been on the run from the BiblioTech secret police, and when he had heard we were touring here he’d come for revenge. As he said this he lifted his gun, which until now had been hidden under the table, and laughed maniacally. But they were the only fifteen seconds of fame he would get.

Ursula had noticed us, and clued on that something wasn’t right by the looks on our faces. When she’d spotted the gun she reacted impulsively, bringing her guitar down on Viktor’s head, knocking him out cold. Pepper clutched Heb to her bosom, engulfing him in her cleavage while she whispered to him that he’d be okay. I called the olice and within ten minutes Viktor was being driven off in a divvy van.

Ursula and I parted ways for the second time out the front of that club. We embraced awkwardly, then looked at our respective shoes and made comments about the weather. I couldn’t find the words to thank her enough for saving our lives, so instead I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before smiling and running off to join the others at the Mobile Library. I immediately pitied myself for my sheepishness, and when I turned back she was gone. I hope I get to see her again.

-Jay