Trouble at the Library

“He’s here again,” Judy whispered.  “He’s been here for the last two weeks.  He always sits in the same chair, watching and reading.  Then he disappears.”

“Does he ever check anything out?” Mrs. Kern asked.

The librarians all shook their heads.

“It is rather curious behavior, but he's not doing anything wrong,” she admitted.  “I’ll keep an eye on the situation and let you know what happens.”  As library manager, Mrs. Kern had information that had not been disclosed to the staff in general.

Other branches were facing issues regarding their degree of responsibility concerning children left at the library unattended.  A child had almost been abducted from one of the libraries in town and she didn’t want anything happening at hers.

Intrigued, the manager hovered around the door awaiting the man’s arrival the next day.

“Welcome to the library,” she greeted.  “We’re doing a survey about the library, if you have a moment.” 

The man answered all of her questions politely.  “Lastly, do you have a library card?”

Fumbling for an answer the man stuttered, “Uh..I did but…I…um…lost it…I think.  Yes.  I lost it.”

Not wanting to scare him off, Mrs. Kern laughed.  “Oh, that’s not a problem, sir.  It happens to everyone now and then.”  She smiled warmly to gain his confidence.  “It’s easy to apply for another one; just bring in a current utility bill as proof of your address and we can get it all set up for you.”

“Uh, I’ll do that…uh…next time…a current utility bill?” he stammered.

Mrs. Kern nodded and thanked him for completing the survey.  She hurried to her office just in time to receive a fax from the Administration Office with a drawing of the man she had just spoken with.  She lifted the phone and keyed in three numbers:  9-1-1.

300 words

F.A.Q. regarding this story: 

1)  Yes, this was written for a contest.  The word limit was 300 words, hence the brevity and "lack of detail".

2)  Yes, I plan to expand on this brief story, adding more about the man, the librarians, the setting, etc.

Thanks to everyone who has written wanting to read more.