fandomhigh | The Library is Open (11/30/05)

Parker re-shelves The Secret Life of Roses and turns to walk farther down the aisle. "Some of them are referred to in other books-- there's a couple societies that are *nuts* about making lists and codexes of every harmful book out there-- and we check the ones we have against the list. Some of them came with letters attached to the cover, so we know to be careful." She sighed as they rounded a corner. "And some of them we just don't touch because there's no way to tell, and they look fairly frightening. Also? The Necronomicon, the one we put on the application? Never. Ever. Ever. Give that one out. And if someone asks, refer them to Dr. Pierson *immediately*."

The shelves have changed from metal to fine-grained wood, and another staircase is nearby, but it's curving brass-and-mahogany, not steel. The door is no longer visible from where they are, and the lights are now brass electric lamps hanging from above.

"Here's another thing: if the lights are on, all is pretty much okay. If the lights are off get to the exit. As fast as you can."

Angela tilts her head back and turns, looking at the collection spreading all around her. It's vaster than she can understand and seems to have no end.

"Lights on, good. Lights out, run," she parrots. "And what does The Necronomicon do?", she asks, stumbling over the word. "I mean, I get that necro- is death, so .... does it kill you when you open it or something?"

Parker shudders. "From all reports? Makes you crazy, raises demons, and possibly ends the world. We're not eager to find out how accurate the press is, though. So we're just not gonna go there."

Stopping at a cross-turn, she pulls out a map. "Okay, here's the map to tell where you are. The place changes sometimes, so it's just a general reference, but it does help you find your way among the more stable stuff." She points back toward the doors. "Those are the normal-but-rare books, and the less dangerous ones; marked here in green, see? Near the door. We're in Magic and Magic History now," she says, gesturing around her. Some of the shelves are now made of carved stone, with reliefs carved into the bases. "Written in orange. It's just beyond the green section, to the west. We're going into purple now, the really arcane sutff, and, uh. Things get fuzzy here. Stay alert."

Angela's hand scrabbles at her necklace again. If something scares Parker...

"I am insanely alert," she says honestly. "Really." She smiles. "But this is kind of cool back here."

Parker grins, and takes a turn to the right, into the wooden bookcases. "It is, isn't it? I was really weirded out at first, because it's bigger than it should be, but I got used to it after a few weeks. I just want to show you the books that are chained down, there's a good reason for it."

Something swings by above. And if you're paying attention, you can hear an "Ook ook ook!"

Angela listens to Parker closely, twisting a piece of hair. She glances up at the sudden sound. "Um, Parker? Are there monkeys back here, maybe?"

A violent "OOOOK OOK ook ook OOK!" is heard, and several books are tossed down at them, clearly aiming for their heads.

"Crap!" Parker ducks, and grabs Angela's arm. "Possibly, yes! C'mon, over this way!"

They run down an aisle toward the darker, more crowded shelves, ones that only let one person at a time squeeze by. Some books are piled on the floor here, and the lamps are candle-lit.

A few more books follow them for a shelf or two, and a dark shape with incredibly long arms swings by.

"OOOOK!" it howls after them.

They lose it on the second left.

Angela's gloved hands are still clasped above her head against the falling books, and she sees the shape only out of the corner of her eye.

She narrowly avoids knocking over a teetering stack of books and leans against a shelf, gasping. "So ... think the monkey is a big reader?"

Parker laughs shakily. "Could be. I think it was wearing a waistcoat. I wouldn't put anything past this place." She pats a bookshelf hastily. "Not that we don't like you! No!"

She lowers her voice. "It likes Zero, and us. But we don't want to take any chances."

Sighing, she looks around, then gets out her map. "Hang on a second, while I try to figure out where we are now."

A stack of books goes floating by, one aisle over.

"It likes us?" Angela asks. With her right hand, she reaches down to the stack of books she almost toppled. "Nice books. Yes. Thank you for letting me help look after you," she says, tone utterly serious.

Then che glances back up and sees what's in the next aisle. "And, um ....do the books usually float?"

Parker glances that way out of the corner of her eye, and says in a low voice, "Sometimes. Or maybe it's an illusion. I tend to avoid the books that aren't staying put. Why take chances?"

She straightens up, and re-folds the map. "Okay. This way, back into the orange."

The bookcases are now alternating wood and metal-- some gold, some brass, some a mish-mash design. They open back out, and the lamps are brighter, and Parker stops in front of a bookcase with books chained down. "These books tend to both bite, and explode. The notes say they're alarmed, too, so it's probably not a good idea to take them off the shelf. Dr. Pierson has some metal gauntlets in case we need to check them."

"Good idea," Angela says, adding Don't touch moving books to her mental list from the expedition.

Wishing she had brought a notepad, she pokes an experimental finger at the bookcase of chained books, then withdraws it quickly. Keeping all her parts and remaining girl-shaped are still her main goals on this mission.

"So does the weirdness ever get less weird?," she asks. "I mean, you seem pretty cool with all of this stuff."

Parker cocks her head, and considers. "We only go in here about once every couple weeks, really, to get a request, and when we catalog we stay in the green section, or out in the main library, so... the weirdness stays pretty low-key, most of the time." She smiles wryly. "I think the monkey or whatever was Special Collections' idea of a joke. Although having a professor disappear in here is never going to make it safe."

They round another corner, and Parker stops, consulting her map. "Nuts. Okay, I think we took a wrong turn. If Zero were here, she could just point us to the exit, but we'll have to go back."

"Oh, right, the religion teacher," Angela says. She smiles wearliy, clearly attempting to brush it off. "Maybe he's still looking for his book."

She looks at the map, attempting to trace their route with her finger. "Okay, I have no idea. You think you can backtrack?"

"I think so," Parker says, turning around. "The fittings are usually a good clue, if you can remember what you went past. We want the wood ones, but off to the left of where the monkey with the fashion sense got mad. This way."

The went past two long rows, down another, and into an open area between shelves, with large globe in the center. Parker stopped and looked around in frustration. "Damn. I could've sworn there was a fountain here. It must've moved again." She ducked into one of the shelves, and took down a book. "Another way to check? Is to see what's on the shelves. That can give you an idea."

She frowned at the book she'd taken down. "Alice's Journey Behind the Moon? The hell...?"

"A book not written," Angela says, going pale. "I mean, unless Carroll published something I didn't know about." She shrugs, embarassed. "I had this whole fantasy about being Alice when I was little. Read everything."

She turns, trying to get her bearings. "Yeah, I have no idea where we are."

At Parker's comment, someone discreetly coughed behind them. "May I help you young ladies?"

A tall, thin man, wearing pince-nez, a dark vest with a watch-chain, and with hair that sharply feathered back, was looking at them with some confusion.

Angela almost jumps at the man's voice. "Um, we're library aides? For the Fandom High library?" she adds, a creepy feeling on the back of her neck suggesting she might need to specify. "And we're lost. Do you know the way for us to get back?"

The man's eyebrows rise, and he clicks his tongue. "Dear oh dear. You're awake. This is most irregular." He studies them both over his glasses. "But wait. Fandom? Oh, that makes more sense." He turns and motions them to follow him, leading them past the brass globe and over to a set of white wood bookcases.

Parker hurries to catch up, and asks, "Why does that make more sense? And if you don't mind my asking, who are you? Sir," she says, not wanting to offend their guide.

"It's a soft place, like this is." He nods to Angela. "You're quite right, that book was never published. Nor written. Reverend Dodgson merely had it in mind for some time. You've wandered into the Library of the Dreaming, I'm afraid. This way to the egress." His lips crimp at his joke.

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Re: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS