It's too Late

The library has always been an old haunt of mine. I've used my local library and others for many years. Something about a library is so homely; maybe the smell of old books gives this psychological effect.

I feel Libraries are a gold mine of information. I've used them for my college days, for just pleasure and to find out the answer to things of interest. I have even had an excuse to go into a library to escape the heavy rain.

Take last Thursday, for instance; it was late afternoon in November, so the sun was already setting, and it was getting quite dark, more so as it became overcast. I was walking down a street in the city of London with no umbrella and was wearing just a jacket; suddenly, it bucketed down. There was no shelter anywhere; shops were closing, and I had nowhere to shelter. Then luckily I spotted a library. I just managed to rush in there before getting soaked.

The library was almost empty, except for an older lady sitting by the window, reading a book, and a man sitting opposite, reading a newspaper. Yes, I could also smell the odour of old books.

Suddenly, I could hear the rain outside pelting against the library windows. It was then that I decided to find a book to read until the rain abated.

I decided to walk down the History section and scan for a book that would interest me. Suddenly I observed a bearded man in a trench coat, wearing a fedora hat, walk into the library. He reminded me of one of those Scotland Yard detectives out of a crime thriller you see on tv. He came and sat down not far from the elderly lady and opened a packet of Rothmans King-size cigarettes. The lady looked up at him in disgust and pointed to the sign: "No Smoking!"

The man frowned and reluctantly put his cigarettes back in his coat pocket. Soon after, he pulled out a small, white envelope from his other pocket and started taping it on the table. He stared at it for a while, then looked around and glanced up at me with a grin.

A moment later, he got up, walked over to the Science Fiction section, and started browsing for a book. I was still trying to find my book. With nothing interesting to me in the History section, I was just about to try another aisle when I noticed the strange man walking to the entrance door; just as he was ready to leave, he turned around and stared at me again with a big smile on his face. It was as if he knew me and was trying to let me know something. Seconds later, he left without taking a book.

Finally, after some ten minutes, I found a book, "The Time Machine" by H.G.Wells, in the Science Fiction section. Finally, I saw through the library window the rain had stopped. I decided it was time to leave and gave the Librarian my book to stamp out. Moments later, I made my way home.

I took a short walk to the nearest bus stop for a number six. When it arrived, I climbed the stairs to the top of the bus and found an empty seat. Coincidently, the same man I saw in the library earlier brushed past me as I sat down. He turned to me and stared that sinister grin again as he sat just in front of me-- now I was starting to feel unnerved.

Is this man following me? I thought. Maybe he is one of those people who have escaped from an asylum nearby or something, and for some reason, he has latched on to me!

He could be a psychopath and dangerous! I pondered.

I planned on testing him. I would get off the bus at the next stop and wait to see if he would follow me! If he did, I would quickly jump back on the bus again, leaving him behind. In theory, the idea sounded good, but like most things, in reality, it's another story.

The bus soon arrived at the next stop.

"Dam it!" what's this older man in front of me doing? The man prevented me from getting off the bus! So I aborted and sat down until the next stop.