The Library

The Library

One

         “Philip, have you seen your son today?”

         Philip turned his attention from his video newspaper to the man who came up his walk.  He was in his middle years, clean shaven with a white polo shirt and dark slacks.  “Oh Lyle, I didn’t hear you.  Yes, David said he was going to the library.  Why do you ask?”

         Lyle sat in one of the wicker chairs beside the table of the same design on the porch.  “You should give this set to a museum.  They would pay you handsome for it.”

         “I’ve had offers, but it’s been in the family for generations, and has held up very well until now.”

         Lyle turned his attention from the wicker set to Philip who sat across the table from him in a powder blue polo shirt and white slacks.  “When did he leave?”

         “It was right after supper.  Said he had some homework to do, and needed to go to the library to do it.”

         “They’ve been about again.”

         Philip put his video newspaper down.  “When did you hear?”

         “An hour ago, that’s why I came to ask.  The way they target the children is abominable.”

         “Is your girl safe?”

         “Meghan also went to the library soon after supper.  I’m going there now if you want to come along.”

         “Surely the library’s safe.”

         “It’s how they get them you know.  They lure them there with a need to do their homework only at the library.  They tell them they can’t use their computers so they have to leave their home.”

         “David did tell me his homework was for his literature class.  The teacher teaches the old school of thought.”

         “Yes, the way Meghan was telling me about it, they don’t use the computer, calculator, or anything the kids are familiar with.  They have to do their homework the old way, and then when they get them to the library, they take them.”

         “You don’t know that for sure.”

         “It’s a theory I heard passed around.  The library always seems to be involved.”

         “There was a story last week in the newspaper that told about missing children,” Philip said.

         “I saw it, and I talked to one of the parents of a missing boy.  They are very upset, as you can well imagine.  I want to make sure Meghan is safe.”

         “We’d best get to the library, we’ll take my car.  No use taking two cars when we’re both going to the same place,” Philip said.

         “Right.”  Lyle followed him to his car docked at the side of the house.

         “My grandfather told me about his great grandfather and the kind of school he went to.  Back then he didn’t have any of these new fangled gadgets, as he called them.  He had books that didn’t talk and he had to write everything down on paper with a pen or pencil.  Before he died my great grandfather told me he had a computer lab at the beginning of the twenty-first century, but it wasn’t for all his classes, only for one, and it wasn’t required until he got into high school.  He said my generation had it made: Computers for every class, with built in calculators for math.  Today they are even more advanced.  Imagine a newspaper made of paper, and didn’t talk to you.  Back then it was considered cheating to use a calculator to do math, but the math problems we had needed a calculator, they couldn’t be done any other way, and nowadays, well it’s simply impossible without the built in calculators for solving the new math.  I don’t understand it, that’s for certain.”

         “Yes, I heard about science projects they worked on for a whole year, and it was judged by judges at the science fair at the end of the school year.”

         “And books were for reading.”  Philip looked at Lyle.  “You don’t suppose they are reading those books that have been off limits since our grandparents graduated from school do you?”

         “You mean books like Tom Sawyer or To Kill a Mockingbird?”

         “Or the Bible.  I forget their teacher’s name.”

         “His name is Mr. Maran Athah.”

         “That’s right.  What kind of name is Maran Athah anyway?”

         “I never gave it a thought.  A name’s a name.”

         “But this one is different, and have you seen him?  His clothes are like what I saw in a museum once, a long coat and tie, and he has a beard.  I looked up what he was wearing on the computer and found they were from the Civil War era.”

         Lyle leaned on the hood of the car, and looked across at Philip.  “I went to the open house and saw him then.  He was different from the other teachers, I will give you that.  When he told us what he had planned for teaching our children I was intrigued.”

         “I was too until the children started disappearing, and they all seem to be from his class.”  Philip touched the key pad on the door handle, the doors on either side popped up, and he slid inside.  Lyle got in the passenger seat.  The automatic doors closed and seat buckles adjusted around them as the dash lit up.

         “Destination,” the computer navigator said.

         “Library,” Philip said.

         A moment later the car lifted from the ground and merged with local traffic that hovered above treetop level, while other cars could be seen higher up in the fast lanes as they headed in every direction.

         “Meghan was telling me about a car they saw in a museum last week on a field trip.  It ran on gasoline and never left the ground.”

         “I can’t imagine it.  My great-great-grandfather used to own one like it, and my great grandfather did for a time, until anti-gravity cars came into existence.  I can’t imagine being grounded.”

         The car hovered above the library before it docked on a landing pad.  The automatic doors opened and the seat belts released them.

         They walked up the nearest steps of the Gothic style block sized library with its six marble columns at each of three entrances on each side of the building.  Stone statues of different mythological characters sat on the tops of the stair ledges, and at the peak and edge of each gabled entrance.  “Your daughter walked didn’t she?”

         “Yes, your son too?”

         “Yes, he left his hover board at home.”

         “Strange isn’t it?” Lyle said.

         Lyle and Philip placed their palms up to the door sensor and waited while the door opened.

         The inside was immense.  Marble columns formed a circle around the reception area with escalators beside the four sets of marble staircases set at compass points around the circle to take patrons to the next level.  The library was seven stories with a stain glassed dome center that shone down on the marble floor with pictures depicting scenes from such classic novels as Moby Dick, Treasure Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Sherlock Holmes, Robinson Crusoe, Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Count of Monte Cristo, Dracula, Gone With the Wind, Gulliver’s Travels, Oliver Twist, The Three Musketeers, Peter Pan.  The library had stood the test of time indicated by the cornerstone on the library which read 1850.  The Gothic dome had undergone renovation at the beginning of the twenty-first century when the stained glass dome was put in place.  The seven story structure was the largest in the city back in 1850, but was now dwarfed by other skyscrapers throughout the city.

         The quiet sign had not changed in all the centuries and greeted them as they entered along with the librarian, though not as ancient or old fashioned as the sign.  She was a young woman in her middle years, her short copper hair waved around her elfish face.  “Can I help you?” she whispered.

         “We are looking for our children.  They were to come here to do their homework,” Philip said.

         “What do they look like?”

         Philip and Lyle brought out video pictures of their children.  The librarian scanned the pictures against the other patrons in the library, and shook her head.  “They did not come through my doors tonight.”

         “They had homework for Mr. Maran Athah’s class.”

         She pursed her lips.  “He’s a one, I can tell you.  I have more parents looking for their children because of him.”

         “So he’s behind the disappearance of our children?” Lyle said.

         “I can’t say that.  He’s never come here, but I’ve seen the student requirements.  It is my understanding that Mr. Athah requires his students to read only bound books.  Those are kept in the archive on the top floor.  If your children did get past me, which is doubtful, as they would have had to scan their hands to get in, they might be there, but I don’t think there is anyone up there at this time.”

         “We’ll just take a look for ourselves,” Philip said.

         “You’re welcome to, be sure to put any reading material back where you found it before you leave the archives.”

         “Do you have a lot of archive material checked out?” Lyle said.

         “Books in the archive cannot be checked out.  Policy you know.”

         “I didn’t know,” Philip said.

         “The books are fragile, and if let out of the library might come to permanent harm.  The atmosphere in the archive is such that it keeps the books from deteriorating.”

         “But it’s all right if we go there,” Lyle said.

         “Of course.  You will pass through two rooms before you enter the archive.  The first room, a hallway really will scan you for micro-organisms harmful to the environment in the archive, the second hallway will prepare you for the archive.  You will not be able to enter the archive until the green light is on.  If you attempt to go in while the red light is on, the alarms will go off and the library will lock down.”

         “Do many people go to the archive?” Philip said.

         “Mostly our senior citizens prefer a bound book to our talking books.  School field trips come to see them, but we can only take them in small groups at a time.”

         “I would imagine they prefer the talking books,” Lyle said.

         “They are intrigued by bound books, opening the covers, turning pages is all new to them, though students still have to know how to read before they can check out a talking book.  We let them sit with a book for a few minutes to feel what it’s like to hold a book in their hands.  It’s fascinating to watch them, especially the younger children just learning to read.”

         “We’ll take a look up there,” Philip said.

         “Like I said, they didn’t come through my doors, but you’re free to take a look.”

         “Thank you,” Philip said.

         Philip and Lyle had the choice of taking the marble stairs or the escalators to the top floor.  They took an escalator.

         It was their first time going to the archive and they were intrigued by the security necessary to get into the room.  As soon as the green light turned on they opened the door and entered a room as large as the one on the lower level.  Row upon row of shelves met their gaze.  Out of curiosity they went down several rows and looked at the spines of the various books.

         “Pride and Prejudice,” Philip said.

         “I have here The Last of the Mohicans.”

         They thumbed through the books before they put them back where they got them and looked around the floor for evidence that their children had been there.

         “She’s right.  They’re not here, and there is no evidence they were here.  As she said they would have needed to present their palm to enter,” Philip said.

         “We better get home, maybe they’ve returned and can give us an explanation for their whereabouts,” Lyle said.

Two

         When they reached home there was still no sign of their children.  “I’m going to have a look through David’s room.  Maybe there are some clues to his disappearance.”

         “Mind if I come with you?  My wife and I looked through Meghan’s room, but there was nothing to indicate where she might have gone.”

         Philip touched his thumb to a pad on the side of the doorway and it slid open.  The room was in disarray with clothes on the floor or bed.  Papers covered all available work space on the computer desk, and there were video posters on the walls of various music artists.  “Quite a shambles.  I’ll need to speak to him about his room, if he returns.”

         Lyle picked up a piece of paper off the desk.  “Imagine doing homework on paper like this.”

         “I wonder where he got it from.  He didn’t ask me about getting any.”  Philip looked through the drawers of the desk and found what he was looking for.  “A pen.  This is what he used to write with.  Fascinating.”

         “You didn’t know he did homework in this manner?”

         “No.  Does your Meghan use paper and pen?”

         “Now that you mention it, I did see some paper in her room, but gave it no thought.  I was more concerned with her absence, especially when I saw it in the newspaper.”

         Philip looked through the papers until he found something.  “Look here.”  Lyle looked over his shoulder.  “It looks like some kind of class schedule.  Look here, it talks about the library.”

         “But we were just there,” Lyle said.

         “Look at the address.”

         “That isn’t downtown.”

         “No, it’s on the high school campus.”

         “That’s clear across town, and they didn’t take their hover boards.”

         Philip looked through other papers on the desk.  “Copies of permission cards.”

         “Field trips.  I remember Meghan going on those trips.”

         “Let’s go.”  Philip left the room behind Lyle and the door slid shut behind them.

         It didn’t take long for them to get to the high school campus and the address listed in the papers.  The car docked on the landing pad and they made their way to the building with the word

Library

across the top of the door.

         “Well that explains where they went,” Lyle said.

         “There’s no hand scanner.”  Philip tried the door.  “And it’s locked.”

         “There must be a custodian around who can let us in.”

         “But where to find him.”

         “Her, how can I help you?”

         They turned to see a slim woman in a custodial uniform.

         “We’re looking for our children.”  Philip showed her the paper with the address on it and tonight’s date and time.”

         “This is certainly the place.  Looks like Mr. Athah took a group of children on a field trip again through the library.”

         “A field trip through the library?” Lyle said.

         “Through the library?” Philip said.

         “Mind you, I haven’t been in here myself, but I’ve heard talk from students who have, and if you tell me, it’s the cause of all the disappearances of the children.”

         “But children do reappear?” Philip said.

         “It is just a field trip, though some field trips take longer than others.”

         “Longer?  How so?” Lyle said.

         “Mr. Athah came highly recommended a few years back.  The disappearances didn’t happen right away.  He had to have the library built first.  It took the board of governors’ okay to approve the plan.”

         “How long has Mr. Athah been a teacher here?” Philip said.

         “Ten years.  The children all come back you see.  It’s just a field trip.”

         “Have your children been on one of his ‘field trips’?” Lyle said.

         “I don’t have any children.”

         “But they do all come back.  Do you have a key to get in?” Philip said.

         “They’ve all come back eventually.  Some go in and come right out again.  It’s all rather odd.”

         “Do you have a key?” Lyle said.

         “Key?  Oh yes, the key.”  She took a special key from her pocket.  It had the head of a lion on it.  “All very peculiar if you ask me.”  She unlocked the door and they went in together.

         “This is your first time in here?” Philip said.

         “I’ve never had the reason to come in here.”

         “You don’t take care of the Library?” Lyle said.

         “Oh no.  Mr. Athah takes care of the Library himself.”  She found a bank of light switches and flipped one on.

         “Very curious.  Old fashioned lights too,” Philip said.

         They looked around the library.  It looked a lot like the top floor of the library they had been to earlier: Row upon row of book shelves.  At the end of the room they found an arc near the ceiling that said: Portal to Adventure.

         “What do you think that means?” Lyle said.

         “It’s a library.  Libraries are known for their books, adventures into distant faraway places,” the custodian said.

         “Past, present, and future,” Philip said.

         “Yet nothing here indicates what happened to our children.  Did they meet here for their field trip and then take a transport somewhere else?” Lyle said.

         “No, no transports here.  Never are,” the custodian said.

         “Have you seen children go in here?” Philip said.

         “Oh yes.”

         “But not come out?” Lyle said.

         “I told you sometimes they come right out, sometimes it takes a while.”

         “Did you see any children go in here tonight?” Philip said.

         “There was a group of them a couple hours ago.”

         Philip and Lyle looked around the library.  It was neat and orderly.  Not a speck of dust anywhere.  On the walls were messages: Unlock your imagination.  Your key to adventure awaits.  Walk the streets of history.  Find the secrets of the ages.

         Philip stared at the arc at the end of the room.  “It has to mean something.”

         “I’m sure it does.  The messages on the walls are like riddles: Unlock, key, walk, secrets.  What do they all have in common?” Lyle said.

         Philip looked around the book shelves again and noticed something he hadn’t before.  “Look here.  Keys on book spines.”

         “Yes and there’s a key on the end of each shelf,” Lyle said.

         They walked down the row of each shelf looking for something out of place and found some books leaning on others.

         “Books have been checked out, but where is the librarian.  How are they checked out?” Philip said.

         Lyle picked up a book.  “Solve the mystery of John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s Assassination.”

         With the book in his hand the area under the arc faded and became a video picture.  Through it they could see the streets of Washington D.C.

         “That’s it.  These books are keys.  They transport our children through time to another era of their choosing,” Philip said.

         “So where did our children go?” Lyle said.

         A desk appeared near the entrance.  “This wasn’t here before,” the custodian said.

         “Put the book back,” Philip said.

         Lyle did so and the desk and portal also disappeared.

         “It’s the check-out desk,” Philip said.  “Take out the book again.  I want to check out this desk.”

         Lyle took the book from the shelf again and headed over to the check-out desk.  On the desk was a ledger.  Philip opened it and a male librarian appeared, dressed like a character from the book Lyle had in his hands.  “Destination?”

         “We are here looking for our children,” Philip said.

         “I am the Guardian of the Library.  Books cannot leave here without being checked out.  Please sign the ledger if you are taking out a book,” the guardian said.

         Lyle took the book to the end of the room where he could see the streets of Washington D.C., and touched the wall.  “It’s only a video picture.”

         “You must sign the ledger to take out the book,” the guardian said.

         “Lyle come here.  There are pages of children’s names.  Some of these children haven’t been seen since the library was built.  The names of the books they checked out are with their names.”

         “David and Meghan’s names?”

         “Are on the last page.  They signed out books at seven tonight.”

         Lyle put the book back on the shelf and the desk and video picture disappeared.  “Keep that book in your hands.  It’s a key to this mystery.”

         “Any book would be a key.”  Lyle took the book from the shelf again and went over to the desk and the ledger.

         The guardian appeared again.  “Destination?”

         “Do you have multiple copies of each book taken out of the library?” Philip said.

         “You will find a list of the checked out books along with the borrowers name under the date they were checked out,” the guardian said.

         The portal at the end of the room activated.

Three

         Philip and Lyle turned from the guardian and the ledger to the portal.  The image of Washington D.C. faded to a blank wall.  Children came through with books in their hands, excited looks on their faces.  They stopped and stared at Philip and Lyle standing at the desk in the corner.

         One of the boys looked up, his smile faded.  “Dad.  What are you doing here?”

         “There were reports of missing children, and I was concerned you were one of them,” Philip said.

         “I told you I was going to the library,” David said.

         “Is Meghan with you?” Lyle said.

         “No.  She went to Camelot.”

         “And where were you?” Philip said.

         A man came through the portal at that moment.  “Can I be of some assistance?”

         “You must be Mr. Maran Athah,” Lyle said.

         “I am the literature instructor for the high school, yes.”

         “And you had this library built,” Philip said.

         “To my specifications,” Mr. Maran Athah said.

         “And just what are those specifications?” Lyle said.

         “The library is the key to any adventure they want to participate in.”

         “They participate in the books they check out?” Philip said.

         “What better way to experience the classics than to live them.”

         “Some children haven’t been seen since you built the library,” Lyle said.

         “They will appear eventually.  Some adventures take longer than others.”

         “And your field trip tonight?” Philip said.

         “The field trip tonight was to prepare them for the adventure they want to embark on.”

         A young girl stepped through the doorway to the portal.

         “Meghan.  Thank the good Lord you are all right,” Lyle said.

         “Father!”  Meghan had a bewildered look on her face.

         More children came through the portal until at least twenty children were crowded at the end of the room.

         “All the children who step through this portal are all right,” Mr. Maran Athah said.

         “But they don’t all return.  You said that this field trip was to prepare them for the adventure they want to take,” Philip said.

         “There is nothing to worry about.  Each child that takes on an adventure has a failsafe key that brings them back through the portal at the first hint of misfortune,” Mr. Maran Athah said.

         “A failsafe key?” Lyle said.

         “Yes, this is the key.”  Mr. Maran Athah pulled the key from his pocket.

         “It’s a book,” Philip said.

         “Not just any book,” Mr. Maran Athah said.

         Philip looked down at the book in his hands.  “The Holy Bible.  This is the failsafe key?  This book was outlawed over a century ago.”

         “Man has tried to outlaw this book, but has never been able to do so,” Mr. Maran Athah said.

         “It really did keep me safe,” David said.

         “Where did you go?” Philip said.

         “I went to fight a giant named Goliath.  The story is in the Book.”

         “You fought a giant from this Book?”

         “Yes, I used a sling shot and five smooth stones, and then cut his head off too,” David said.

         “What, you become the characters in these books?” Lyle said.

         David turned his attention to him.  “We can take on the character of anyone in the books.  I chose David, though I had a different book when I went through the portal.”

         “What book did you check out?” Philip said.

         “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.”

         “At least you’re safe.  Let’s get you kids home,” Philip said.