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!
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