The Librarian…29…the final chapter.

“Hey, Zeek,” said the detective, nodding at him.  Is that short for “Ezekiel?”

“That it is, that it is,” he said, grinning.

“Does it bother you that the Librarian calls you Zeek?”

“She can call me a rat’s rear end, if she likes,” he said, chuckling.

“You seem afraid of her or, at the very least, wary,” said the detective, frowning.  “Everyone seems a little wary of her.”

“She didn’t tell you who, or what, she is, did she,” he said, knowingly.

“No, she didn’t.”

“Well, look at that,” said Zeek, softly, staring at the Librarian and Dusa, walking toward them.  “You look absolutely…”

“Strong?  Like I could kick your ass?” chuckled the Librarian.

“You read my mind,” said Zeek, kissing her hand.  “And Dusa, you look lovely, as always.”

“Why thank you,” she said, giving him a little bow.

“The party starts in ten minutes,” said the Librarian, “so we’ll meet you both here, afterward, okay?”

The men nodded and watched them go.

“I hope you’re not falling for her,” whispered Zeek.

“Why?”

“Well, she’s not human, for starters and she’s…”

“She’s what?” asked the detective, turning toward Zeek.”

“I’m not sure she’d want you to know,” said Zeek, thoughtfully.  “I mean it’s her story to tell, isn’t it?”

“I honestly don’t know,” said the detective.  “But, tell me anyway.”

“The Librarian’s not like other…”

“Women?  Beings? Angels? Whatever you are?” asked the detective, helping Zeek along.

“Do you want to listen, or do you want to talk?”

“You’re right.  I’m sorry,” said the detective.  “Please continue.”

“She’s not like anything, or anyone, else.  She’s The Unmaker,” he said, looking over his shoulder.

“What exactly does that mean?”

It means that she can UNMAKE anything and everything.  She can unmake you, me, this planet, the entire universe and anything that’s left over.  There isn’t a single thing that The Librarian cannot UNMAKE.  In essence SHE is everything that exists and everything that doesn’t.  She is all possibilities and everything that has already taken place.  She is, in the most literal sense of the word, EVERYTHING that has ever been and everything that can ever be. She is passion, obsession, beauty horror, She is the past, preset and future, and she can unmake all of it.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Then you weren’t paying attention.”

“She has that kind of power?” asked the detective.

“No.  She IS that power.”

“Dusa’s not afraid of her.”

“They go way back,” he snickered.

“So, aside from the fact that she’s not human, she’s god.”

“The Librarian could Unmake any god you humans could ever think up.  She’s EVERYTHING, every thought, every word, every blade of grass.  What part of that don’t you understand.”

“All of it,” he sighed.  “It’s too big to understand.”

“That’s probably true, I mean you are only human, after all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” said the detective.

“It means that you have a tiny mind and live on a tiny planet from which you cannot escape.  It means that you don’t have the faintest idea of what exists outside of this place, or yourself, and you don’t know anything at all.”

“Oh,” he said, not disagreeing.  “Can you tell me what she really looks like?”

“She can look like anything she wants to look like.  Her true form, however, is  thought.  She’s a spark.  An idea.  She is Creativity, made into matter.  She makes things, to amuse herself.  That’s what all of this is for,” said Zeek, waving his arms around, “her amusement.  She made you, she made me, she made the solar system, she made gravity and Issac Newton.  When she grows tired of what she made, she’ll Unmake it and begins again.”

“How do you know so much about her?”

“She creates me over and over again and lets me remember.”

“Does she do that with many of you?”

“Not many,” he said.  “Dusa, of course, and sometimes Gabe.”

“This is a lot to think about.”

“For you…definitely,” snickered Zeek.

“Is she Mother Nature?”

“Yes.”

“The Devil?”

“Yes.”

“An angel?”

“Yes.”

“The flowers in that vase?”

“Yes.”

“You’re just going to keep saying yes to all my questions, aren’t you,” said the detective.

“Yes. Because the answer to all of the questions you can think of, will be yes.”

“So, do you think she’ll have dinner with me?”

Zeek burst into laughter.  “Good one.  You wanted me to say yes, didn’t you.  You humans, and your egos.  I have no idea why she designed you the way she did, but I don’t think she’ll ever do it again,” he wheezed.

“I don’t say terrible things about your species,” growled the detective.

“That’s because you don’t even know what we are, and besides, we’re prefect.”  He started laughing again.

“If she erased everything, wouldn’t she be alone?  I mean alone with absolutely nothing at all?”

“She’s done that many times.  She can even erase herself, if she wants to take a break.  But she can’t die, remember.  All she can do is disconnect for a short time.  Besides, she’s nothing, as well as everything, so nothing is something to her.”

“This is complicated,” said Detective Stone.

“Again…it is to you.”

“Aren’t you tired of making snide comments?”

“Not even close,” said Zeek. “I’m having a great time.”

They finally ordered pizza, fries, onion rings, breaded mushrooms, shakes and a whole cherry pie.

They ate in silence and when all of the food was gone, the detective said, “What if I’m in love with her?”

“What if you are,” said Zeek.

Detective Stone shrugged.  “I didn’t expect this.”

“If we expected everything, where would the surprises be?”

“Could you hold off on the philosophy and just give me some advice?”

“My advice would be to walk away,” said Zeek.

“Give me different advice.”

Zeek smiled. “Do you want advice, or do you want me to tell you what you want to hear?”

“The second one,” laughed the detective.  “Definitely the second one.”

“She’s easy to love.  I mean, she IS love, that’s another reason you should walk away. You aren’t used to that kind of intensity.  Well, your violence is the closest you come to real focus.  You guys just love killing everything. I think that’s a major flaw in what you are, but I’m just guessing.”

“You don’t like us at all, do you,” said the detective.

“You’re kind of boring, to be honest.  Always whining about this or that and you can’t even fly.  I mean flying should be basic, am I right?  You have to learn everything…you don’t just KNOW things.  You aren’t born with any skills at all.  If someone left you alone you’d die.  Blind, mute, except for screaming, which you never really outgrow, you just lay there.  Even a deer gets up right away.  But you guys…nope.  You’re like lumps that breath and get carried around.”

The detective stared at Zeek, then smiled and said, “You’re absolutely right.”

After that, they chatted until the women returned.

“How was the party?” asked Zeek.

“It was fabulous,” said Dusa.  “They gave the Librarian a book they made up just for her and they all gave speeches about how she changed their lives, and how they finally felt free.  It was a lot of fun.”

The detective looked at the Librarian.  “How about you?” he asked.

“It was nice but the women did everything by themselves.  I didn’t do very much to get all that credit.”  Then she looked at food boxes on the library table.  “How many people were here?”

“Just the two of us,” said Zeek. “We were hungry.”

“You told him, didn’t you,” she said.

Zeek nodded. “He really wanted to know.  What could I do?”

The Librarian looked at the detective.  “I suppose you don’t want to take me to dinner any longer.”

“I do,” he said.

“He does,” said Zeek. “He’s crazy about you.”

The detective growled at Zeek, who started laughing again.

“Wanna go dancing, Zeek?  I’m all dressed up,” said Dusa.

He held out his arm and they waved, as they walked away.

“Well,” said the Librarian, “it looks as if we’re alone, maybe you’d like to stay a bit longer,  if there’s anything special you’d like to do?” she asked, running her hands down his arms.

Detective Stone, bent down to kiss her when….

“Why didn’t anyone wake me up?” shouted Mr. Waters, bursting into the room.  “How long have I been asleep?  What time is it?”

The Librarian took the detective by the hand and whispered, “Come with me.”  Then she led him toward the stairs that would take them to the stacks and the hidden room behind the wall.

THE END

P.S

Well, it’s the end for you.  Those guys will continue, of course.  I mean, the characters in stories don’t just stop existing because we’re finished reading about them.  No, they keep going, forever and ever…making up their own words and situations.  I think the characters in this story will have a lot of fun.  I mean they have gargoyles, for goodness sake. How much fun is THAT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Librarian…28

“This pizza’s great,” said Zeek.

“Uno’s,” said Dusa.

“What’s that noise?” asked the detective, taking another slice.

Everyone listened to the droning.

“If you’re all wondering what that noise is,” said Gabe, slamming through the doors, “It’s Zeek’s followers.  Some of them are standing outside, humming his praises.  It’s enough to make me wish I could die.”

“I can help make your wish come true,” said the Librarian, happily.

“They love me,” chuckled Zeek, grabbing the pizza off Dusa’s plate.

She slapped him, took her pizza back, bit into it, and stuck out her tongue.

He chuckled. “Can’t blame me for trying,” he said, bumping his shoulder against hers.

Gabe fell into a chair, grabbed a piece of crust, since that was all that was left, and said, “This new religion has already spread across the globe.  All the half and halfs believe they’re special and the magic they hear, is a gift from Zeek.  Looks like our problems are pretty much over.”

“It won’t be solved until you stop having more offspring,” said the Librarian.

“There’s no way to stop it,” he said.

“I can be very creative,” said the Librarian, staring at him.

Gate turned his attention to Zeek.  “Where do you want me to keep your followers?”

“Send them home.”

Gabe nodded, got up, bowed to the Librarian and left.

“Dusa,” said Zeek, merrily, “let’s go dancing.”

“It’s noon,” she said, wiping off her mouth with a napkin.

“Who cares what time it is,” he laughed. “There’s always a party going on somewhere.  Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand.  “Come dance with a new god.”

“Go,” said the Librarian.  “Have fun.”

“Can we go too?” asked Wilson.

“Sure, why not,” she said.  “I’d lay low for awhile, if I were you.  And check in with me every morning for a few days.   If you don’t, I’ll find you, and you won’t like me when I do.”

“Right,” said the brothers, pushing their chairs under the table. “Every morning.”

“I’m tired,” said Mr. Waters.  “I’m going to take a nap in the stacks.  We can keep the library closed until tomorrow.  Assuming nothing horrific happens in the meantime.”

“Sweet dreams,” said the Librarian.

“I’m going out to play,” said Buttercup.  “If you don’t need me, that is.”

“No, Buttercup, thank you.  I call if anything comes up.”

“Alone again,” said the detective, once everyone was gone.  “Is it true that you can’t die?”

“Yes.”

“How is that possible?” he asked.  “And why is everyone afraid of you?

“Everyone isn’t afraid of me.”

“You mean Dusa?”

The Librarian put her feet up on the table.  “What do you need to close the case on all the dead guys?”

“Their next of kin have been notified.  Funerals will take place, or memorial Services.  We’ll tell everyone we’re looking into their deaths.  If there were only one or two, we could just say they were robberies gone wrong, but there’s too many of them for that.  What do you think about dinner sometime?”

“Are we interrupting anything?” asked Nancy.

“No,” said the Librarian.  “Come in.”

Nancy and Marcy put their tire irons on the table and sat down.  “The movie Ann made went viral,” said Marcy.  “Parents are horrified and pulling their kids out of school.  A lot of the guys who have been named, are going into hiding.  They are being threatened by pretty much everyone.  Some law suits against the school and against the men, are also going to be filed.  The Dean said we couldn’t carry tire irons around all the time and we told him to show us a law that said we can’t.  There is no law against it, so he can’t stop us.  I think we’re okay on all fronts.  And Ann’s cat, Snowball, had kittens, so if you want one, let her know.”

“You’re amazing,” said the Librarian. “I’ll take two kittens for the library, if that’s okay with Ann.  What about the curfew for men?”

“Starts immediately.  Men have to be in their dorms, or housing, by nine, during the week, and ten, on weekends.  And no alcohol.  Fraternities will be monitored.  This is spreading to campuses everywhere.  Parents are already demanding it.  They’re paying a fortune for tuition, some are going into life long debt, and their daughters are in constant danger.  The video made them see that.”

“What you’ve done, in such a very short time, I might add, is truly amazing,” said the Librarian.

“There’s going to be a party in the gym on Saturday night.  You’re the guest of honor, so be there at eight,” said Nancy.  “Oh, and male sports teams are decimated, so now women’s teams will be getting more funding.”

“Finally,” said the Librarian.

“So, see you Saturday, at eight,” said Marcy, getting up to go.

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything,”

The two women left and the detective said,  “Before more people stop in, I have something to ask you.”

“Okay.”

“You said the Aces were so good that the women they were with, would never forget them.”

“And?”

“Does that include you?”

The Librarian, leaned toward him and said, “Oh, detective.  I’m soooo much better than they are.”

 

Tomorrow…last chapter

 

The Librarian…27

“Slow down,” said Detective Stone.  “He took your car?”

Mr. Waters nodded.  “I don’t think he meant to steal it, I mean, I think he’ll bring it back, but when he saw that the body they had marked Wilson Cormack wasn’t his brother, he kind of lost it and grabbed my keys, then went running out of the morgue.  When I got to the parking lot, my car was gone.”

“I wonder who the dead guy is?” said the Librarian.

“I have no idea,” said Mr. Waters.

Just then Zeek and Dusa popped in.

“WE HAVE RETURNED,” said Zeek, standing with his arms out.

“We can see you,” muttered the detective.  “We know that you’re back.”

“You’re gonna love this,” said Dusa.  “When we got there it was a free for all, well the Aces were actually just beating the other guys but anyway, they were fighting.  When the half and halfs saw Zeek they just about fell over.”

“SOME OF THEM DID FALL OVER,” snickered Zeek.

The Librarian got up and went over to Zeek.  “I am NOT going to tell you again.  LOWER YOUR VOICE, or you won’t HAVE ONE.”

Zeek took a step back.

“Go ahead, Dusa,” she said, sitting back in her chair.

“So, the Aces started freaking out, in a quiet way, and then, all the half and halfs started bowing to Zeek.  So, to make a long story short, there’s a new religion and Zeek is their god.  That ended the fighting immediately, and the halfs are wondering what color robes their order will wear.”

“Seriously?” asked the detective

“Yes,” said Zeek, in a much lower voice.  “I’m  their god and there’s a collection box already.”

The detective groaned and put his head down on the table.  “I could invoke the Rico Act, I guess, but what’s the point?  If a new religion keeps everyone alive, busy and quiet, why should I care, right?”

“Right,” agreed the Librarian.

“It’s gonna be a fun religion,” said Zeek, happily.  “A lot of dancing and eating, a lot of…”

“What are the rules?” asked the Librarian.

“Rules?” asked Zeek, obviously confused.

“Yes.  What’s you mission statement?”

Zeek turned to Dusa and said, “What’s she talking about?”

“Can we talk about the dead guy and my car?” asked Mr. Waters.   “Their stuff seems to be under control, for the moment, so…”

Wilson’s brother and another guy walked in, went to the table and sat down.  The brother passed Mr. Water’s keys to him and said, “Thank you.”

Mr. Waters pocketed his keys and said, “You’re welcome, but next time ask.”

“I need to tell you something,” said Wilson’s brother, who was still covered in blood.  “This is my brother Wilson.”

Wilson nodded at everyone.

“Hi Wilson,” said Zeek.  Everyone looked at him and shook their heads.

“I took the spell and they wanted it back.  Wilson didn’t even know what was going on.  I had hired a guy to pretend he was my brother, he’s the dead man in the morgue, so that if things went sideways, my brother would be safe.  I didn’t think anyone would get killed but I couldn’t take the chance that some one would want to hurt him, or use him, to get to me.  Which, is exactly what they did.  They grabbed me, but I didn’t have the spell on me.  I told Allen, the guy I hired, to get the book from the library, or at least tear the page out and bring it to wherever the Aces set up the drop.”

“I’d say that didn’t work out,” said the detective.

“Right.  it didn’t.  Apparently the Librarian found Allan and wouldn’t let him have the book.  The buyers I had lined up were getting antsy and I was taped to a chair and couldn’t contact them.”

“How much were they willing to pay?” asked Dusa.

“Thirty million.”

“It’s worth more than that,” she said.  “You were getting robbed.”

“Where’s the spell now?” asked the Librarian.

“I gave it back to them,” he said, miserably.  “What was I supposed to do?”

“Not steal it in the first place,” said Dusa.

“Did you make a copy?” asked the Librarian.

“Did you?” asked Wilson, staring at his brother.  “Tell them.  You said you would tell them everything.”

“Yes.  I made a copy.”

“Where is it?”

“On my phone.”

Everyone stared at him.

“Plain sight, right?” he asked, passing the phone to the Librarian.

“Why are you still alive?” asked the detective.

“They got a call about a riot some where.  I think they were supposed to bring half and half for the coffee, but they all left in a hurry.  I managed to break the chair and escape.”

“Do you want to join my new religion and worship me?” asked Zeek kindly.

“Not NOW, Zeek,” hissed the Librarian.

“I was just asking,” he said, his feelings obviously hurt.

“Is THIS the only other copy?” asked the Librarian.

“It is.  I swear it.”

She took off her boot and smashed the phone to bits.  Zeek applauded and Dusa smiled. Buttercup dropped from the ceiling and jumped on it until it was dust.

“Thank you,” said the Librarian, and Buttercup a back flip.

“Is that a….” said Wilson.

“Gargoyle?” asked the detective.  “Yes, it is.”

“She’s cute,” said Wilson, and a few pebbles hit him on the head.

“I heard that,” said Buttercup.

“It was a compliment,” said Dusa.

“Oh,” said Buttercup, shyly. “Sorry about the stones.”

“Can we get a pizza, or ten?” asked the detective.  “I’m starving.  Let’s take a break.”

They all mumbled, but finally agreed that a it had been a long day and a short break wouldn’t hurt anyone.  At least that’s what they thought.

 

 

 

 

 

The Librarian…26

The detective leaned back in his chair and looked at the domed ceiling, where Buttercup was practicing her loops.  “She cute.”

“She could kill you before you even knew you were in a fight.”

“Tell me again, about the places where violence doesn’t exist,” he signed.

“You’d be bored.  Even I get sick of all that smiling.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.  Earth and those happy places are like extreme opposites.  Earth is a Death loving planet and the non-violent ones, just give me a headache.  Really, the weather is always perfect, the food is always delicious, but the same.  That’s the problem.  Everything is so perfect, the beings who dwell there, don’t feel the need to change anything.  They don’t believe that they could improve on what they already have, so they are boring and stagnant…but happy.  There’s very little creativity, but no violence at all.  They wouldn’t even be able to understand the concept. But trust me, all that smiling makes me think there’s something wrong with them.  Smiling, like every other expression, should mean something.  When smiling is all you see, well, it’s meaningless and more like being caught in a horror movie. But it’s a different place, so their rules.”

“I never thought of it that way,” he said, leaning forward on the table.  “But I do know what you mean about too much smiling.  That can drive anyone crazy.  What if Wilson Cormack isn’t any more dead than his brother?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if we’re being played,” he said.

“How?”

“What if the Cormack brothers are up to no good. What if they are the ring leaders of whatever’s going on?”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“Maybe,” he said.  “What if they’re running a scam of their own?  And do you always look the way you do right now?  I mean is this your normal form, because you sure look human to me.”

“Why are you asking all these questions?”

“It’s the first time we’ve been alone,” he said, staring at her.

“We need to check on the brothers and yes, this is close to my normal form.”

“Can you turn into a lizard or a teacup?”

“Have you read all the Harry Potter books, detective?”

“Yes.”

She laughed.

“Who’s Zeek and what’s going on between you two?”

“Wow,” she said.

“Too personal?” he asked.

“It would be, if there was anything personal about our relationship.”

“Good to know, since he could beat my ass without even trying.”

“What are you saying?”

“I want to take you to dinner.”

“I’m not human.  You know that.”

“So what.  Diversity is the spice of life, right?”

Just then James Waters burst through the doors of the library and said, “We went to the morgue and he said the dead guy wasn’t his brother, then he stole my car.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Librarian…25

“You’re Wilson’s brother?” asked the Librarian, staring at the disheveled man.  “I thought you were supposed to be dead?”

“I escaped.”

“Well, I hate to be the one to tell you, but your brother is toast,” she said.

“Toast?  What does that mean, exactly?”

“It means he’s dead,” said Mr. Waters.

“Dead?  How can he be dead?” asked the man, starting to sway a little.

“He was stabbed in the chest and bled out,” said Detective Stone.

“But, he can’t be dead.  He’s my brother.”

“Yes, well, that doesn’t really mean anything,” said the Librarian.  “Now do you want something to drink before you go, or are you okay as you are?”

“Go? Go where?”

“I have absolutely no idea.  You must have come from somewhere before all of this happened, so go there,” she said. “You certainly can’t stay here.  Would you like me to call an ambulance for you?”

“Why?” he asked, looking down at himself.  “Oh, yeah, I guess I look…like a mess.  Do you know where my brother is?” he asked, wiping at the blood on his shirt with his hand.

“No.  The EMT’s took him to the hospital yesterday.  I don’t know what happened to him after that.”

The man nodded, and tried to run his fingers through his hear, which was completely impossible.  “It’s my fault, you know.  He didn’t really want to do it, but I told him that stealing the spell would make us rich.  I mean, it was only one spell.”

“Bad plan,” said Dusa.

“Do you have a gun I could borrow?”

“Why?” asked Mr. Waters.  “What are you going to do with a gun?”

The man shrugged. “I’m going to kill the guys who beat me and killed my brother, then I’m going to kill myself.”

“No,” said the detective.  “We don’t have a gun you can borrow.”

“Okay,” he mumbled.  “Thanks anyway.  Did you see a gargoyle flying around outside, by any chance?”

“No,” said the Librarian,  “Did you?”

“I did,” he said, nodding so hard he almost fell over.  “I didn’t know they could fly like that.”

“Is there anything else we can do for you?”  asked Dusa.”

“What hospital was he in?”

“Northeastern Memorial, I think.”

“Thanks.”

“Good luck,” said Mr. Waters.

The man waved goodbye and staggered toward the doors.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” asked Mr. Waters, biting his lip.

“Of course he’s not going to be okay, Jim,” sighed the Librarian. “He’s been beaten, told that his brother’s dead and he doesn’t have a clue what he’s up against.”

“Maybe I should help him.”

“Be my guest,” said the Librarian.

“Hey,” shouted Mr. Waters.  “Wait up.  I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

“That was nice of him,” said the detective.

“We have bigger problems…”

A gigantic male, made of solid muscle, with a face, and body, so perfect, that it put fashion models of either sex to shame, appeared on the table. His wingspan was such that the tips of his wings almost touch wall to wall.

“You rang?” he said, staring at the Librarian.

“What?  No fireworks?  This entrance is a bit much, even for you, isn’t it, Zeek?” she said.

“Are the Aces screwing up again?” he bellowed.  “They never seem to learn.”

“Okay, first of all, lower your voice, unless you want to break all the windows in the library, and second, lose the wings.  Third…I sent you a full report.”

“You know I hate reading those things,” he whined, jumping to the floor.  “Just tell me what’s going on.”

She did.

“Idiots,” he snarled.  “What do you want me to do with them?”

“Shouldn’t that be up to you?  I mean you are supposed to be in charge of these things. This is your JOB, if I’m not mistaken. Right now you might want to check on the battle taking place between the Aces and their offspring.”

“Did you hit Gabe?” asked Zeek, smiling, already knowing the answer.

“She did more than that,” laughed Dusa, and not just to Gabe, either.”

“I wish I could have seen that.”

Dusa took out her cellphone and said, “You can.  I took a video.”

“You what?” asked the Librarian.

Zeek was wiping tears from his eyes, and replaying the video again.

“Go to the next one if you want to see her cut John,” said Dusa.

Zeek started pounding on the table and letting the tears flow freely.  “You are one tough cookie,” he said, patting her on the back.  “I’m glad you work for me.”

“I don’t work for you,” sighed the Librarian.  “I never HAVE worked for you.  Why can’t you ADMIT THAT?”

Zeek shrugged, “Because I want you to work for me, so I just pretend you do. You did call me.”

“BECAUSE YOUR IN CHARGE OF THOSE IDIOTS.”

“Either way,” he said, putting his huge arm around her.  “You could work for me.  You know that, right?”

“Don’t make me hurt you, Zeek,” she said, suddenly still and smiling.

He removed his arm and nodded.  “Right,” he said.  “I’ll just go check on the fight then.  Dusa, will you come with me?”

“Sure,” she said.  And they were gone.

“He’s afraid of you,” said Detective Stone, in amazement.  “He’s ten times bigger than you and he has muscles that would let him tear a mountain in half, but you scare him.”

“Whatever.”

“No.  Not whatever.  What are you?  What could you possibly do to him, that would make him afraid?”

“More to the point,” she said, “what are you going to do with the knowledge you now have?”

“I don’t know.  Nothing is really the same.  I mean my people may come up against something we think is human, when it’s not, and they won’t know to fight it.”

“That happens all the time.”

“There will be cases we can’t solve.  Violence we can’t stop.”

“Yes and yes.”

“Can you tell me more?  Can you tell me what to expect, how to see them, and how to fight them?”

“I can,” she said softly, staring at him.  “But once they know that you know, who and what they are,  they won’t be nearly so nice.”

 

 

The Librarian…24

Sam, who had flown to where the Aces were staying, looked through the window and saw the battle begin.  He flew back to the library, went through the open window in the tower, dropped down to the first floor and skidded across the library table, where everyone was seated.

“Sam,” said the Librarian, running her hand down his rough back.  “Any news?”

The gargoyle made a noise, that passed for laughter, and said, “The fighting has begun.  Their children are going mad, around all that concentrated magic.  Their spell to quell the  desire in them, isn’t nearly ready.  I don’t know what the Aces are going to do.  I saw more of their children headed toward their building.”

“Thank you, my friend.  I’m grateful to you, Jen and Buttercup, for all that you’ve done.”

“Our pleasure, Librarian.  I’m going to the roof to keep watch,” and with that, he took to the air, leaving more long gouges in the hundred year old table.

“Okay, I have to say it,” sighed Detective Stone.  “Just how many women did these guys sleep with?”

“There are more Aces here than you think,” said the Librarian.  “Actually, there’s more of everyone, from everywhere, than you think.  Your government blinds you with disinformation and pretends as if everything that happens is science fiction, instead of reality. I mean think about it. Your species were making handprints on the walls of caves, not long ago.  Do you really believe that you got this far, this fast, on your own?”

“Well,” sighed the detective, “when you put it that way.”

“So, they weren’t zombies?” asked Jim, for the tenth time.

“NO!” they all shouted at him.

“Do you think the Aces will start killing them?” asked Dusa.  “I mean, what are they going to do?  They won’t be able to control them.”

“Is that really our problem?” asked the Librarian.

“You said you didn’t want them killed, so then yes.  If you don’t care if they kill them, then no,” said Dusa.  “One thing for sure…you need to report them and stop this from continuing.”

“I already did,” said the Librarian.  “They won’t stop.  They’ll just try and kill the magic in their offspring.  And, it’s obvious, that they won’t stop using human women, who have no idea that they are being taken advantage of by other worldly beings.  I think because of everything they have been doing, for so very, very long, they’ll lose more than just their wings.”

Dusa nodded.  “I agree.”

“What will happen to them?” asked the detective.

“Well, if my guess if right, according to the rules, they’ll lose their wings and be exiled to a pocket dimension, shut off from others, pretty much forever.”

“Harsh,” he said.

“They knew what they were doing and what they were risking.”

“Still,” he said.  “What’s a pocket dimension?”

“It’s a slit in time-space.  It’s like a white room,” said Dusa.

“You have to understand,” said the Librarian,  “what they did to those women will leave a mark and have lasting consequences.  You don’t sleep with an Ace and forget what it was like.  Believe me, no human male could ever live up to THAT experience.  But Aces don’t stick around.  It’s not as if they’re going to get married and settle down, so for the rest of their lives, the women they were with will be searching for what they felt when they were with them.  Aces can give off unconditional love, at least that’s what you call it, and they know exactly what each woman wants.  Think about what that means in a place like this.  A place where men are too often violent, thoughtless, cold, selfish….”

“Fine,” said the detective, frowning.  “I get it.”

Dusa smiled and sighed loudly.   “She’s right, you know.  They really are….”

“Wait,” said Jim.  “So not only will their kids be searching, but so will their mothers?”

“Exactly,” said the Librarian.  “The Aces aren’t from here, they aren’t human.  They are destroying lives, with their actions.  Leaving humans longing for things they can’t have.”

“But is seems to me,” said Jim,  “that the Aces are longing for human women.  They seem addicted, since they can’t stop wanting them, no matter what the cost.”

“That…is a very good point,” said the Librarian.

Just then a man, with muddy feet, a torn, button-down shirt, and hair that looked like it had been styled with an egg beater, walked into the room.  “Uh, I’m looking for my brother.  His name is Wilson Cormack.  Someone said he was here.”

 

The Librarian…23

James Waters was standing in front of the library doors, swinging a broom at the men trying to get inside.  He was tiring fast. He was short, overweight, and out of shape. “Drat,” he wheezed, “I should’t have eaten that third donut at lunch.”  He kept thinking that fighting in a zombi apocalypse wasn’t part of his job description.  And, where was that damned Librarian when he needed her.

A group of women, all brandishing tire irons, came around the corner and started breaking knees.  They were strong, well practiced, and fast.  Sometimes they had to break both knees on a man, otherwise he kept crawling.

The Librarian, Dusa, and the detective got out of their car and stood, for a moment, watching the melee.  Then the Librarian, muttered something and snapped her fingers.  Time stopped, except for James Water, who said, “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!  WE’RE BEING ATTACKED BY ZOMBIES!,” after which he fell to the ground and stared at the sky.  “Zombies at the library. What is this world coming to?” he whispered, just before he passed out.

“They aren’t zombies they’re half and half’s,” she said to the detective.  “They know the books were here.”

“Were here?” he asked.

“Yes.  Most of them are gone.  Hidden.”

The gargoyles were circling the tower and making a strange noise.

She snapped her fingers twice and the women once again, stared beating the men.  The Librarian whistled and they and looked at her, then began stepping over the bodies to gather in front of her.

“I’m so incredibly proud of you,” she said, her words catching in her throat.  “You look exactly like the warriors I hoped you’d become.  These men are sick,” she said.  “Actually, that’s not true, here’s what’s going on.”  She gave them the short version, which didn’t even make them flinch.

“Do you want us to kill them, or get them to a hospital?” asked one of the woman.

“I’ll take care of them,” said the Librarian, walking among the women.  “Look at yourselves.  No fear, no hesitation.  Warriors, each and everyone.  I think you’re beautiful,” she said.

Shouts followed her words, tire irons held high above their heads.

“Thank you for defending the library.  Thank you for choosing to fight.  Thank you for being brave.  THAN YOU.”

They started chanting, “LIBRARIAN, LIBRARIAN, LIBRARIAN.

Dusa leaned into the detective and whispered, “The absolutely love her.  She gave them the freedom to recognize and take back their own power.”

The Librarian waved them to silence and said, “You have to go before the police arrive.  Know that you have my gratitude and I’ll see you soon.  GO, GO, GO.”

The crowd dispersed and Mr. Waters sat up.  “Zombies.”

“They aren’t zombies, Jim.  They’re half and half’s,” said the Librarian.  “Zombies are dead, these guys are alive. Now give me a second.”

The Librarian, took a tiny bag of sea salt, that had been spelled by two Shaman,  out of the pocket of her pants.  She closed her eyes, started chanting, and when she was finished, she threw the salt into the air and the bodies disappeared.  Electrical current, spilled out of her fingers, in the form of blue light, and she clapped them together three times, then looked around and smiled.

“Where’d ya send them?” asked Dusa.

“To Gabriel, where else?”

Dust started laughing.

Jim stood up.  “Where did they go?””

“You did a good job, Jim.  Thank you,” said the Librarian.

“What kind of birds are those?” he asked, looking up.

“Big ones,” said the detective, staring at the gargoyles.

Once inside, they all sat down around a library table.

“I don’t know, they just started, trying to get inside,” said Jim.  “I told them to go away, because they looked like zombies, but they started pushing and shoving, so I hit them with the boom I keep behind the door.  I didn’t want them around the books.  I mean zombies are messy, aren’t they?  Then your group of women came and started fighting them.  They’re really good, by the way,” he said, nodding at the Librarian.  They didn’t even think twice.  The tall blond, started shouting orders and they just went to work hitting them with their tire irons.”

“Did any of the men get in?” asked Dusa.

“Not that I know of.  At least not through the front doors. And the cats would have kept your special books safe,” he said.

“Cats?” asked the detective.

“We always have cats.  They discourage certain others from nibbling on the pages.”

“Ah.”

***

The men landed with a loud thud in the very large room where the Aces were working.  “What the…” said Gabriel.  The fallen men were wailing and holding out their arms, suddenly able to hear magic all around them.

“This isn’t good,” said John.  “This isn’t good at all.”

 

 

The Librarian…22

“Don’t do it,” said Gabriel, sitting perfectly still.

Detective Stone was in the midst of an internal crisis.  He wanted to shoot Gabriel, he really did, but he had never actually held a gun to anyone’s head and just…pulled the trigger.  Not when he wasn’t in a fight, being threatened, or saving someone.  He held the gun steady, his finger on the trigger…

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” said the Librarian, who pulled out her own gun and shot Gabe in the head.  “What’s wrong with you?” she asked the detective.  “I told you he wouldn’t die.”

Detective Stone had nothing to say.

Gabriel, meantime, had a bullet shot through his skull.  It started to heal immediately, but his face was contorted in pain.  “I want to tear your wings off and chop them into little pieces,” he hissed at the Librarian, through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, yeah, you aren’t the first one to say that,” she sighed.  “Ask me where they are now.”

The detective was more than a bit rattled by what he saw today.  But he had a job to do, so he sucked it up, and snapped back to reality.

“How fast can you get rid of their magic?” he asked.

Gabe held up his hand.  He stopped scowling and said,  “We haven’t even done it yet, but it shouldn’t take long.”

“Don’t kill anyone else, or I’ll find out how to report you myself.”

Gabriel turned to the Librarian.  “I hate you a lot.”

“Oh, come on Gabe,  you know that you’re not supposed to hate.  I mean you’re not supposed mate with humans, or to kill either, but I guess the rules don’t apply to you, do they.  Besides, where’s your sense of humor?  It was just a little bullet.”

Buttercup landed on the table.  She looked at the Librarian and said, “You better come back, something bad is happening at the library.”

The detective just muttered, “Sure, a talking gargoyle.  Why not.”

“Ohhhh puppy,” squealed Buttercup.  “Can I pet it?” she asked, excitedly.

“Sure,” said the Librarian, “Why not.”

“Excuse me,” said the Librarian.  “Would you mind if my little girl said hello to your beautiful puppy?”

“Of course not,” said the woman.  “His name is Pepper.”

Buttercup, now looking like a five year old, hugged, kissed and petted the puppy, who wagged his tail with delight, and licked her face.

“Thank you,” said the Librarian.  “She loves dogs.”

“Anytime,” said the lady, tugging on Pepper’s leash.  “Time to go.”

Pepper turned and whispered, “You’re a cute gargoyle.”

Buttercup laughed and clapped her hands.

“I’m going to tell the others and get started on the spell,” said Gabriel.”

“I will be checking on you,” said the Librarian.

“I’m going to the library with you,” said the detective, throwing money on the table.”

Dusa went over to those sitting farther away..  “I hope you realize we were just playing,” she said.  “Please don’t worry about anything.  The two beings, who were from someplace, nodded.

“Tell the Librarian we wish her luck.”

“I will, thank you.  Enjoy your lunch.”

“If there’s anything we can do…”

“I’ll let you know,” said Dusa, sincerely.

 

 

The Librarian…21

“You okay?” asked the Librarian, holding out her hand to help the detective get off the cement.

He took it and said, “Yeah.  Just a little surprised, I guess.  People aren’t supposed to have wings.”

“That’s true.  But, we aren’t people, so there is that,” she said, watching him put his chair back in place.

“I have questions,” he said, looking at both of them.  “First, can I arrest the people who are doing this?”

“No.  You won’t even be able to find them and even if I gave them to you, you wouldn’t be able to hold them.  You can’t kill them either.  Not really.  Well, it’s possible, but it’s not easy and you certainly couldn’t do it.”

“So?  I’m just supposed to let them keep killing these men?”

“Pretty  much,” said Dusa, sipping her lemonade.  “I suppose we could report them, but the half and half’s would still be here and that will eventually be a big problem for you.”

“She’s right,” said the Librarian.  “They can’t help but search and they won’t find what they are searching for, any more than you humans know what you’re looking for.  They aren’t much different than regular humans in that regard.  You’re always looking for something, happiness, money, whatever.  You never stop searching either.   Part of that isn’t your fault, of course, because you have no idea who, or what, you are.  You’re all crazy too.  That’s where all the violence and suicide comes in.  You can’t ever find what you’re looking for, so you’re frustration turns to anger, then rage, then violence and well, you know how you are.   The only real difference between you and the half and half’s is the magic.  The half and half’s could possibly find a bit of it and if they do, they have no idea how to control it.  They could be a danger to the entire universe.  The Aces, like a lot of humans, just did what they wanted to do without caring about the consequences.  The didn’t know their offspring could hear the magic.  At least not in the early days, but once they found out, they didn’t stop.  They’ve been killing them ever since.  They started religion to kill masses of people, they have instigated wars and plagues, just to cover their tracks, but they will not stop.  So, if I report them, the ones who control this kind of thing, won’t be able to look the other way any longer.  They’ll have to take their wings.”

He stared at her. “I want to say that I don’t believe you.  Everything inside me, tells me that what you’re saying isn’t true, but I know, somewhere, that it is.”

“Your species has been programmed to not believe the obvious.  That’s why you don’t see what’s walking right next to you.  Monsters, demons, fairies, elves, werewolves, everything,  actually, vamps, things there aren’t even names for.  Some of your pets aren’t from around here.”

“Dogs?” he asked.

“Some of them aren’t really dogs at all, but they are always kind and protective.  They come here to try and help.  Cats do too.  Humans are helped in different ways by different beings.  Birds, even some trees have come to live here from other places in the Universe.  Yours isn’t the only species that cannot leave their home planet, or dimension, either. There are others.  But many beings, or species, can travel through this universe, as well as others. freely.”

“What am I supposed to do now?” he asked, the color gone from his face.

Dusa put her hand on his.  “We can make you forget all of this, if it’s too much to handle.”

“No.  I don’t want to forget.”

“Okay,” she said, smiling.

“Would it be possible for me to talk to one of these Aces?” asked the detective.

The Librarian looked at Dusa.  “See, if you can get Gabe,”

“They might be gone,” she said, “but I’ll check.”

“This place is a freak show,” he muttered, turning his face to the sun.

“It’s not, it’s just like a lot of other places where different beings share the same space.”

“Do those beings kill each other all the time?”

“Some do, some don’t,” she said.

“Tell me about those who don’t.”

“There’s not much to tell.  They developed differently.  They are bright lights, filled with happiness.  They didn’t get the same emotions humans did.  They don’t have internal conflict, or fear.”

“I can’t even imagine that,” he said, wearily.

“No, you can’t.”

He looked at a table where five people were sitting. They were chatting and sharing food.  “Are there any non humans at that table?” he asked, nodding toward the them.

“Two.”

“Which ones?” he asked..

“On male and one female.  The male is here to try and stop violence, the female is a healer.”

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“When I look at them a kind of sign appears above them.  Mine would sign would show them that I’m a Guardian and a Librarian.  Actually I’m THE Librarian.”

“How can I ever look at anyone again, and not wonder what they are?”

“You’ll get used to it.  Eventually.” said the Librarian. “Here comes Dusa with Gabe.”

The detective turned and saw Dusa walking toward them with a man about six foot four, jet black hair, and a perfect build.  “What happened to his face?”

The Librarian smiled.  “I happened to it.  We do heal almost instantly but I put a little something extra into it.”

“Librarian,” said Gabe.

She nodded at him and introduced him to Detective Stone.

“Dusa said you’re caught up on what’s taking place.”.

“Yes, I am. And I want to know what you’re going to do about your problem?”

“The half and half’s can’t reproduce,” said Gabe.  “We’re working on a plague that will only attack those who can hear…”

“No,” said the Librarian.  “You can’t just wipe them out.  This is your fault.”

“I know that,” he said, angrily.  “I’m trying to fix it.”

“Fix it by killing all of them?”

Gabe sighed.  “It’s not a perfect solution, I never said it was.”

“How about this,” said the Librarian.  “Instead of a plague, make something that will remove their need to search?  In other words, kill their magic?”

“That’s brilliant!” he said.  “I’ll get on it right away.”

“Something that won’t kill them,” she added.

“Yes.  We can do it.”

“And?” said the Librarian.

“And what?” he asked.

“And you’ll stop mating with human females?”

He looked at her, then at her fist.  “I’ll do my best to stop them.  That’s the most I can say.”

“Not good enough,” said the Librarian.  “I’m reporting you.”

“You CAN’T.  They’ll take our wings.”

“You should have thought of that before.”

“How do you kill these guys?” asked the detective.  “Will this do it?” he asked, holding his gun to Gabe’s temple.

“No, but it will hurt a lot,” she said, smiled.  “Do it.”

 

 

The Librarian…20

“Did you mean it when you said we were telling Detective Stone what we are?” asked Dusa.

“I did.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Only one way to find out,” said the Librarian.

“We made quite a mess back there.”

“We?  You mean I made quite a mess.”

“It’s always fun hanging around with you,” laughed Dusa.  “But we’re in whatever this is together, remember that.”  Then she sighed, “I bet it felt good to finally hit them.  I’ve wanted to do that for such a long time.”

The Librarian smiled.  “I’d like to hit them again.”

“Who knows, maybe you’ll get another chance,” she snickered.

“Dusa, your detective is waiting for us on the corner.”.

“My detective,” said Dusa, quickly.  “You mean I can have him?”

“Where did you go?” asked Detective Stone, pacing back and forth.  “You were there, then you weren’t.  Where, DID YOU GO?”

“We went to a meeting,” said the Librarian.

“What does that mean, a meeting?”

“A meeting is when a bunch of people get together to discuss an idea, or hit people,”  said Dusa, frowing.  “I thought you would have known that.”

The detective looked at her and ran his hand over his face.

“Well, she is right,” snickered the Librarian.

“You literally disappeared right in front of me,” he said softly, continuing his pacing.

“She was great,” smiled Dusa.  “She beat them up and didn’t take any…”

“You beat someone up?” asked the detective.

“I did.”

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“Actually, I do.  Well, we do,” she said, looking at Dusa.

“You sure you want to do this?” asked Dusa.  “What if he can’t handle it?”

“We’ll erase it,” said the Librarian, easily.

“Erase what?”

“Its not important,” said the Librarian.  “Where would you like to talk?”

“I’m hungry,” he said, looking around.  “How about that outdoor cafe.”

They sat on comfy chairs and placed their orders.  “Am I hearing this as a detective, or a regular person?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.

“Let’s start with a regular person,” said the Librarian.

He nodded.

“I’ll give you the Highlights, then you can ask question.  Is that agreeable?”

He nodded again.

“Can you not interrupt until I’m finished?”

“Yes,” he said.

Dusa smiled, then moved her chair closer to the table.

“Your world is crowded with otherworldly beings who look just like humans, or can look just like them. Some can make you see what they want you to see, so they don’t even bother trying to pass.  Some are here to help, some are not.  Dusa and I have been here for a long time.”

“You guys were still living in caves,” said Dusa.  “Go on, Librarian.”

“We are here to help.  Which is almost impossible, since you’re all crazy, but that’s not relevant to the story.  Anyway, Dusa and I are what you guys call angels.  We aren’t anything like the beings you believe us to be, and we have no affiliation with any of your man-made, viciously violent, religions. We are not called angels any place but here.  We are beings unto ourselves.  Skipping ahead, the Aces are simply a group of…beings, posing as men.  For some reason, they believe that they have power over pretty much everyone, and everything.  But, even we have rules.  One of our rules is that we don’t interfere with humans in ways that will make things worse.  The Aces, Michael, John, Gabe and some of the others, have mated with human females and children were the result.”  She held up her hand to stop him from speaking.  “They broke the law in a big way.  They will lose their wings, be stripped of their magic and forced to live out their lives on this planet until they die.  Dying is not something we do.  But they will.  So, they had male children who are, what we call, half and half’s.”

“It’s a really BAD thing to have your wings ripped off,” said Dusa, shivering. “Really bad.”

The Librarian looked at her, shook her head and said, “We use magic.  Magic doesn’t exist on earth, at least not in the form we use. the result of this horrible paring, is that the half and half’s, can hear the magic we have.  It calls to them.  They don’t know what it is, and if they don’t get help, they go mad.  Your asylums must be filled with them,” she sighed, shaking her head.  “Not all of the half and half’s can hear the magic.  Those that can’t, were born more human than Other.  The Aces, in an effort to cover up what the did mistake, are killing their own offspring.  The dead men on the lawn, were drawn to the library because I am the Guardian of Books that hold powerful Magic.   The Aces have impregnated women across the globe.  They want to continue having wars, in order to kill off as many as they can, all at once.  They refuse to remove the half and half’s from this place and put them in an alternate dimension, so they can get the help they need.  They asked me to help them cover up what they have done. I refused.  That’s where we are right now.”

Dusa clapped.  “That was brilliant, but you left out breaking bones and things.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with what’s going on, Dusa.  That was just fun.”

“I know but it would make the story more interesting.”

“I promise that if I have to tell the story again, I’ll include the fighting.  Okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Any questions?” asked the Librarian, turning to Detective Stone.

He smiled and started clapping.  “That was really good.  Great details and it almost made sense.  How long have you been thinking it up?”

The Librarian looked at Dusa and they both stood up.  She mumbled a few words and everything that wasn’t them, faded from view.  They both put their wings out, one white and one black, and watched the detective fall off his chair and scooch away.  She snapped her fingers and things went back to normal.  “Does that help?” she asked