The Magic of Stories | ONC 2024 shortlist

11 - About Conny

My tea talk with Conny and the exchange with Cat, as odd as it had been, left me motivated to make the best of my time in the library. The prospect of retaining a part-time job in this interesting place after Marjorie's recovery thrilled me, and I was determined to leave a positive impression with both my coworker and the customers—and perhaps even the ghosts. After all, Cat had turned out to be an interesting conversation partner, if sometimes a challenging one. The other appearances, aside from Luca, seemed harmless and more of a plus than a turnoff once got used to them.

On my last round at the end of a peaceful afternoon, I glimpsed the see-through form of Luca browsing the shelves in the fantasy department. I stopped, wondering if I was ready to confront the one distressing ghost on the premises. Before I could decide on my next step, he seemed to feel my gaze and lifted his head, his strange, piercing eyes looking straight into mine.

"Hey, Luca, can we talk?"

He tilted his head, not quite a nod or an invitation, but I took a cautious step forward. It was bad luck two customers strolled down the central aisle at this moment, chatting and oblivious to the fragile encounter between me and the ghost. A flicker of emotions flashed over Luca's face and he dissolved into thin air. I stared at his afterimage, wondering if I'd seen sadness or loneliness pass over his features.

That night, I wasn't worried anymore about meeting ghosts—to the contrary. I felt compelled to solve the mystery of the brooding young man frequenting the library.

When I stepped into the place on Friday morning, I realised how much I felt at home here already. I couldn't believe it was only a week since I worked here. The welcoming atmosphere engulfed me, and I was eager to begin the day. Perhaps I would find an opportunity to talk to Luca today?

The first visitors were a retired couple I remembered seeing before. The woman placed two books on the table and smiled. "Good morning, Lynn. Nice to see you again. How is your day?"

"Great, so far. I hope yours turns out as well." After a brief chat, they both went in search of new reading material. My feeling of belonging increased even more when I realised I'd forgotten to put on my name tag. She had remembered my name after only a week of working here.

In the late afternoon, Amber and Danny came in and waved a greeting. Amber helped her brother hang up his jacket and backpack and accompanied him to the children's corner, where the boy picked up a comic book to browse. As soon as I was free, Amber strolled over.

"Hey Lynn, can I bother you for a minute?"

"It's no bother at all. How can I help you?"

She handed me the copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide with a grin almost as broad as Cat's. "If you don't mind, I would like to get the next one. Or perhaps the complete series. With the weather forecast for the weekend, I plan to snuggle up in front of the fireplace with hot cocoa and read."

"Ah, sounds like the perfect program for a rainy day. So you enjoyed the book?"

She threw out her arms in a theatrical gesture. "I was flabbergasted. Although I prefer not to tell Mum about it." She gave me a conspiratorial wink.

"Why not? Conny might like the books as well."

Amber ran a finger over the glaring cover and shook her head, a thoughtful expression replacing her cheer. "I doubt Mum is into sci-fi. She would just seize the opportunity and remind me to do my homework and stick with the boring classics I am supposed to study for school instead of reading silly stuff."

"To Kill a Mockingbird?"

She laughed. "I liked this one very much, but it's the exception. Sometimes, I think it's not the books I hate, but discussing every detail of the deeper symbolism used by the author. I always feel like famous authors are just humans too. What sets them apart is the gift of packing their imagination into adequate words and taking us on a journey of the mind."