Beth 'Elar: The City of Books

2 - Leaving Let'Le'Nar (1)

Anny had left the village for the first time since her mother's death.

The cart bounced over the bumpy potholes in the muddy road, shaking her so hard she thought her breakfast was coming back up.

Oh my, I can't believe I did that. She felt her fingers tremble as the excitement of what had happened faded and the realisation that she was wandering the country all alone with a stranger hit her. Oh my, I really am alone with a stranger. What if he kills me, robs me of my clothes and buries me somewhere in the woods where noone will ever find me?

Instinctively, she slid to the very edge of the seat.

He didn't miss it. "You don't trust people, huh?"

She just shook her head and looked away, into the woods they were passing. She thought of the little house she had left behind and all the things in it that had meant everything to her and none of which were with her. And suddenly she felt sick. She didn't even have her book with her!

"I-I have to go." She simply jumped off the moving cart and landed hard on her feet. The sharp pain shot up her legs and she drew in a sharp breath, resting her arms on her legs.

The cart stopped with a loud "Whoa!". A muffled sound told her that the driver had jumped off. She could hear his foodsteps approaching, each one sinking into the muddy ground. Every time he lifted his feet from the ground, there was this smacking sound. His boots were dirty up to his ankles when he stopped in front of her. "What's wrong?", he asked her.

"J-Just go away", she begged him, shivering as he stood so close to her. "I- I'll go alone."

He laughed, but it wasn't one of those laughs that made fun of someone. This one was filled with pure anxiety and compassion.

"What to undead books hell has frightened you so much right now that you just jumped off my cart?"

"Y-You wouldn't understand. Please, please just go away."

The old man held out his hand to her. "Come with me. Again. I've been alone for all my life, always travelling the roads, bringing the latest attractions and news to the people all over the country. It's something you don't want. To be alone, I mean."

"Go", she whispered, trying to stop herself from stuttering.

The old man sighed and brushed back his stubbled hair. "I really can't persuade you to get back on that cart, can I?"

She shook her head without saying a word, the fear inside her still rising, and lowered herself to the ground. 

"All right", said the old man. "I thought maybe you'd come with me. To the other villages. See the world a bit. But there's nothing to do. But wait a moment before you go, please. I want to give you something." He walked away, over to his cart and looked for something in the box that was tied to the back of the cart. A soft "Ah, there it is" was heard as he closed the box. He came back to her, holding something wrapped in in his hands, and crouched down in front of her. His voice was so soft: "I remember you. Even as a little child, you would run out of the house, eyes wide and excited, when you heard my cart. Here, this is for you." He placed the wrapped thing on the muddy ground in front of her and groaned as he struggled back to his feet. Something cracked, perhaps his knees? He grimaced and took a few steps back. "It was an honour to meet you, Anny Derley. Take good care of my book. Who knows: you might need it one day." He winked as he said it.

Then he left. Anny heard the wheels of the cart rolling on the muddy path and the hooves searching for a way. "Remember the autumn leaves, Anny!" That was the last thing he said to her before the cart disappeared behind the hill. 

The moment, she realised that she had never told him her last name, came with the silence that fell over the path. She jumped to her feet. "Hey, stop!", she shouted. "How do you know my last name?"

But he was gone. Leaving her back alone with a question mark on her face and a wrapped thing, the wrapping already soaked with mud. 

She looked down the path and up the path. Where should she go? Back to Let'Le'Nar? No, Anny, that's not an option. She wouldn't be anywhere near there before the moon ate the sun and darkness covered the land. 

She picked up the parcel from the ground and wiped the mud from the leather. "Take good care of my book", he said. What could be so special about this book? She opened the parcel. Inside was a small book with a black cover that didn't look like it was anything special. She would have expected something more. There was a black quill and an inkwell. The inkwell was barely a quarter full. She opened the first page of the book. The smell of old, slightly yellowed paper filled her nose. "Well, thank you, I guess", she said, knowing the old man couldn't hear her. As she finished the words and turned to close the book, something strange happened. Her name appeared in gold letters on the first page of the book, as if it were written by a ghostly hand. 

"What ...?" She almost dropped the book in shock.