In Parched Gardens: Book 1

Chapter 5: Remember Why You're Here

Isaac sat down at his favorite table in the library. Tucked away in a back corner, the rectangular table was pressed against a wall directly in front of a window. There were two seats at the table, side by side, opposite the window. When there, Isaac liked to spread whatever he had with him across the table and look out the window for a little while, either thinking or just enjoying the view, before beginning to read or examine what he was there for.

Today, as he sat down, he spread his things in front of him as always. He put his phone down on the table with the sound off. He didn't like to be bothered in the middle of reading because sometimes he lost his train of thought, which was a pet-peeve of his. He spread the three books Natalie had found for him about Allbrook across the table, his notebook in case he wanted to take any notes, as well as a pen, all of which he had kept in his locker at the library.

After putting everything on the table, he looked up and through the blinds of the large window. The library was situated near the far edge of the western side of Allbrook's downtown neighborhood. The window he always sat in front of was on the eastern side of the building, looking out across the neighborhood towards the town Circle beyond. From the window, he could mostly only see the houses of the neighborhood, but he could also see the towering spire of Maple Grove United Methodist Church in the town's center, rising above the homes like a watchman over the city.

Looking lazily at the buildings he had stared at countless times, he saw several children playing and walking around the neighborhood. Some were likely coming or going from the library, a surprisingly popular place for children in the summer. The library was known for imaginative summer reading programs, with interesting rewards for reading and writing, that some children, and some parents in Allbrook found fun and interesting. Some of the children were also likely wandering around this side of the neighborhood, talking with friends, and exploring the streets they had walked dozens of times. Or perhaps they were walking to one of the two small parks on this side of the town's center, or to the Circle itself, where there were plenty of things to do: play in Allbrook Park, hang out in the Corner Stop or Diner, get some pizza or ice cream, or sit on one of the General Store's porches and swing or play games. When Isaac sat here, looking out at Allbrook, he liked to imagine what people were doing. Most of the things they were doing were things he himself had done innumerable times, so it was easy for him to imagine.

Feeling satisfied with his observations and his imagining, he turned to the books in front of him. He picked one of them up and read its cover: Allbrook and the Unexplained: Volume I. The book itself was not particularly thick, but the pages were quite large. Covering most of the front of the book was an old looking black and white photo of the large bronze fountain in the center of Allbrook Park. The fountain was situated near the center of the cover, and the wording of the cover, Allbrook and the Unexplained: Volume I, was displayed in white in a black band where the upper sky should have been above the fountain. Near the bottom of the cover, in a small black rectangle, the author's name was displayed: Robert Bell. Isaac had not heard of him, but putting the book down for a moment, he jotted the name in his notebook.

Returning to examine the book, Isaac turned it over to look at the back. It was much like the back of many books. It was almost entirely black, with white writing down its center in a short paragraph. There, it was explained that this book was the second in Mr. Bell's series on Allbrook, and that this book was built upon the foundation established in the first. Moreover, here, Mr. Bell would describe some of the more perplexing or fantastical elements of Allbrook's history or lore.

Putting the book down, Isaac picked up another one of the three books. This book's title read, "On the Origins and History of Allbrook," also written by Robert Bell. The design of the book was very similar to the last, but the cover image was a wide angled shot of Allbrook Circle, taken from south of the Circle facing north. Despite the apparent age of the image, the Circle was still very recognizable. Isaac figured that this must be the first book of the series.