The Library Lovers

Hallie poked her head around the last aisle of books in one corner of the library where a few high school students were sitting on the floor, giggling about who-knows-what.

"Ten minutes, girls."

She said it loud enough so that a few heads looked up at her and nodded. Then she turned on her heel and went back to the main desk, an eruption of laughter at the latest joke breaking out behind her. Everyone else had already left the library. Jen was going around, closing the blinds at all the windows.

Hallie could see her Indian boss, Hasaan, through one of the office windows, bent over a filing cabinet. Since Jen had already made sure the computers were switched off, Hallie went to the kids' section to make sure there were no 'C's mixed with the 'E's. Hallie had a gift for organizing. It was said that was what Hasaan liked most about her work--keeping the kiddy section 'neat'.

"I'm off." Jen poked her head of ginger curls that made Hallie jealous into the office. Hasaan's reply was just a murmur from where Hallie stood. Then Jen stepped out, waving to Hallie so that the keys in her hand jingled. Hallie looked at the window to see the slightly older woman walk to the parking lot, but the blinds kept the scene from her.

Hallie convinced herself every book was where it should be, and made the final rounds of the room as the teens finally filed out of the building.

"They were still here?" Hallie thought. Hasaan called her as she past the office on her way to the romance section.

"I'm late for an engagement." He was putting on a thin windbreaker and bumped the file draw closed with his arm. "Can you lock up?"

"Sure."

"You know how to set the--"

"Zade showed me the procedure."

"And you remember everything, so...I'll leave it to you."

Hasaan picked up his case and marched out as if he had been waiting for this moment all day. "Have a good night Hallie."

The cold neon EXIT above the automatic doors would see her leave in a minute too. Golden night lights shone softly from the top of rows of bookshelves; floor to ceiling of fiction in the lounge area, Hallie's favourite spot.

Before she could tell her mind not to go there, she was already imagining Hasaan's engagement. A pretty girl in a suit outfit and big hair probably, sitting in a restaurant waiting for him. Ever since Hallie had met him, he had been looking for the 'right one'. And for whatever reason, that was exactly what all the current sweethearts were not.

As for Hallie, romance stayed on the pages of the books she read. And there was nothing (no romance that is) on the shelf right now that she hadn't read, so she headed back to the main office to set the alarms and grab her stuff before leaving.

The light rustle of pages behind her made her turn around. She stepped to the side to look straight down the aisle. It was empty. Empty like it should be, so what was the noise? Her imagination?

Hallie slowly turned back to the office. Shouldn't this happen to people who read too much crime?

From the corner of her eye Hallie saw something black flying around the ceiling. It had large wings and reminded her of a bat. But bats belong in caves, not the local library. Hallie felt her breath catch in her throat as she tried to follow the 'thing' with her eyes; but it was too quick and she lost it.

Hallie blinked a few times and tried to tell herself it was just a shadow; the library was filled with shadows now that the main lights were out. What really went through her mind though was to get herself outta there and home before she started seeing spiders crawling down the front desk. Hallie marched decidedly down another aisle and out of the book maze, just meters from the office where her handbag was.

Suddenly, 'it' swooped down and flew past her face, not without planting a kiss on her lips first. A warm, human kiss.

Hallie had been kissed only a few times in her entire life. Her hands began to shake and her heart raced because she couldn't see anybody.

"Hello."

Hallie jumped. The voice came from above. She raised her eyes slowly to see a figure perched on a sign hanging from the ceiling panels. He was dressed in a black cape with a black hat. Half his face was covered in shadow, but his smile could have melted butter.

Hallie's mind made a grasp at the logistics as shock set in. Shouldn't the sign fall under his weight?

"Well. Are you just gonna stand there all night?"

He leapt from the sign and flew past her again, landing gracefully on the top of a book shelf.

Hallie thought she'd better answer and tried to think of something to say. "Did you just kiss me?"

"Was I too forward?"

Hallie raised her hands. "What I mean is, you look like you just stepped out of a Jack the Ripper novel."

He laughed. It was deep and rumbly like his voice, but it didn't sound sinister. He jumped down to the floor and landed in front of her.

"Not quite. But you always wished you could see someone like the lovers you read about. In fact, that's not all you wished for."

Hallie didn't know what to say for a minute. "You really are from a novel, aren't you?"

"And you couldn't guess which one. You've read about me in so many. The way you've read the stories makes me wonder if you don't have any of your own?"

He paced around a little, sometimes flinging his cape so that it ruffled like a hoisted flag on a windy day. Without realizing it, Hallie had followed him back to the lounge area. The golden light made his eyes gleam.

"And now I think you're convinced that I mean you no harm. Do you really have to lock up just yet?"

Copyright 2023 Misty Rumsley