Abigail | Putri Marin

Chapter 9

 A couple of days have passed since my last encounter with Joy. I've been writing and waiting by the riverside as always during the day, I spent more time in the library during the nighttime. Today had been 3 days since that night, I decided to go to the library first thing after breakfast. I went inside our room and brought my notebook and pen, "Where are you going?", Aunt Erika asks as she came to the doorway of our room and rest her back on it. "To the library.", I said tying my hair up before looking at her giving her my full attention.

   "You've been there a lot.", Aunt Erika said as her back that was resting on the door frame now stand back up straight. "Yeah, I need some more inspiration for the book I'm working on.", I said half-truth to her. She smiles as she leaves the doorway letting me exit the room, "You want to look at my new project?", she said and I gasped, "Of course! Yes! I can't wait for the new one!", I said excitedly running to her side. She laughed before saying, "I'm using you and Ruth's ideas for this one.", I gasped "Can I see it? Can I?", I asked with hope in my voice but only for it to be crushed.

   "Not yet, it's going to ruin the surprise!", She said with a smirk resting on her face. I frown and groan at her reply, though I understand what she meant. "Alright then.", I pause, "I'm going to the library now, bye!", I said one last time before waving at her and running down the stairs. "Don't run down the stairs!", Mother lectures. "Sorry Mother!", I said now walking down the last steps of the stairs slowly. I walked to the library building and went through the entrance.

   I went to the first floor and searched for the encyclopedia section. "Hello?", Someone said from upstairs. I knew it was Ruth and decided to mess with her for a bit. I made noises that seemed to make her anxious more as she said, "Who's there?! I have a dictionary in my hand!", and I laugh at her hilarious reaction. "Darn it Abigail!", She said as I could hear her running down the stairs.

   "No running down the stairs!", I said copying what Mother had said to be earlier and running around the library with her. We ran and laugh a couple of times before she caught up to me and drag me to the floor. "Got you!", She said as she tickled me while I suffocate in my laughter. "Stop! R-Ruth no!", I said still suffocating as my lungs started to hurt but I couldn't care less.

   She finally stop as her laughter was also hurting her lungs and she lay next to me on the floor. We stayed like that until we can control our breathing once again. "We should get off the floor.", I said realizing we're laying on a dirty library floor. "Agree", She said, I stand up first and then helped her up. We both cleaned up our clothes and she asks, "You've been in the library a lot lately, what have you been searching for?"

   I bite my inner lip hesitant to tell her about my encounter with the magical creature. "I have some story to tell you", I smiled at her as I said that. "You have new ideas you want to talk about?", She asked as I sat down on one of the chairs. She follows and sat in the chair next to me, "No, this story actually happened.", I said exaggerating the word 'actually' to make it seem I'm serious about this. "Ok? What could've happened that's out of the ordinary?", She asks. "Well...", I start.

   "I saw a deer.", I said and Ruth seemed to hold her laughter but it slipped after just a few seconds. "That's it? It is out of the ordinary but that's-", "No no no, listen. This deer is magical, it could fly and it talked to me and I promised you I am awake. He told me something important! He told me about the other side!", I cut her off as her laughter drifted and her smile slowly disappearing. "I promised you I'm not crazy! Ask your brothers! They saw the deer! They just didn't see the magic yet.", I told her defensively.

   "Abby! Calm down, I believed you.", She said as she grabbed my arms that were moving around while explaining to her how I'm not wild. "But, it is just so much to take in. The other side? What did he say? Can I meet him? What type of deer is he?", I sigh in relief as my favorite cousin -yes, she is my favorite do not tell the boys- didn't think I've lost my mind. I smile as her questions kept on coming and I tried to answer them one by one. I told her everything I knew and that's the reason why I've been going to the library a lot lately.

   "I'm trying to find out more about Joy's species.", I told her as she nod her head seemed to understand it and everything was now pieced together like a puzzle. "Well, what are we waiting for! We have to at least find one more piece of information before lunchtime!", She said excitedly. It is amusing to see a writer's or even just someone's excitement over new experiences and adventures that are coming. I smiled and said, "Alright!"

   "By the way did the boys know about all this? How come they never told me.", She ask as we both stand up from our chair and start looking for 'Silver Deer' or any category that seemed similar to the information we are looking for. "They know about Joy as I told you earlier, but they haven't seen the magic yet. I just saw it myself, 3 days ago.", I said finishing looking from the very bottom row.

   "I can't wait to talk to the deer and ask him so many questions!", Ruth said seeming excited as she already picked up one book from the shelf. "Yeah...", I said with a low tone because I didn't tell her the condition for her to do so. Oh well, it is going to be funnier when it happened.