Lester of Two Evils

The Light and The Dark

Lester wound his way through the maze of metal shelves piled high with old books and strange-looking pipe organ parts. In the distance, he could hear the faint timbre of a conversation but none of the actual words. The voices didn't seem to be arguing, but at the sound of laughter, he quickened his pace. Fearing Amanda was making fun of Mae again, he sped along the familiar path, his sneakers sliding on the smooth cement floor as he went.

However, upon reaching the warm circle of light encompassing the oasis of his old work area, Lester's concern turned to puzzlement as he suddenly stopped at the sight of both girls in hysterics.

Since they'd secretly commandeered the library's basement for their headquarters, a few changes had been made. The old blue rug was now centered in the space, allowing the sides of the antique table to be extended, transforming it from a small square into a large circle. The intricate carvings around its edge felt more suited to a meeting of the knights of the round table than a catch-all for the dozens of books and maps Mae had been collecting. But they made do.

An additional floor lamp had been brought from a far corner, along with a sizable rolling chalkboard, which now stood to one side. Its slate black surface was covered in names and dates, many of them connected in a web of carefully drawn chalk lines.

Amanda and Mae were sitting at the table across from each other, a colorful array of chip bags and soda cans spread out in front of them. Spotting Lester, they attempted to compose themselves without much success.

"Hey, Lester," said Amanda, stifling a laugh. "How's it going?"

"Okay," Lester said warily. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing," replied Amanda. "Right, Mae?"

Mae tried to pull herself together long enough to answer, but after a glance in Lester's direction, she looked back at Amanda, and suddenly both girls were off again.

"Do I have something on my face?" Lester asked as they howled with laughter. He rubbed a hand across his chin, thinking about the spicy, guacamole-filled burrito he'd had for dinner.

"No," Mae said, gasping for air. "It's just girl stuff."

Lester wasn't sure what girl stuff meant and didn't entirely believe he wasn't somehow the butt of their joke. But he was happy to see them finally getting along.

"Come sit down," Amanda said, dabbing the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. "Mae's got some interesting things to share."

Lester took a seat in front of a tall stack of books. Mae's talent in doggedly researching the unknown had generated quite an impressive pile.

"Alright," Mae said, taking a deep breath to settle herself. "Let's start with the journal you found in your house." She pulled it out and set it between them.

Seeing the familiar worn brown leather, Lester felt a resurgence of disappointment, and he eyed it with more than a little disdain.

"This might be —" Mae began, tapping its cover with her finger.

"Useless?" interrupted Lester. "Pointless? An utter waste of time?" He slumped back into his chair. "I'm sorry, you guys. We've barely started, and I nearly got us caught for nothing."

"As I was saying," Mae continued, ignoring Lester's comments. "This might be — the first actual clue we've discovered."

Lester sat up. "Really?"

"Yes, really," said Mae. "You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss everything that isn't immediately flashy or exciting. Everyone always wants to find a map with a big red X or a lost manuscript that holds the key to life's mysteries, but history doesn't work that way. If you want to know the truth about an event, what really happened before it was cleaned up for your textbooks, you have to look to ordinary documents. Property deeds and marriage licenses often say more than originally intended. No one thinks to work in a bit of revisionist history into their grocery list. Without realizing it, people leave a trail of remarkably intimate and important moments from their lives in quite mundane places. Like this."