The Magic of Stories | ONC 2024 shortlist

14 - Philosophy hour

The rest of the afternoon passed like a gentle breeze while my ordinary library duties kept me occupied. Still wondering what Paco's pictures might look like, I checked my email during a quick break, but he hadn't sent me the link yet. I knew patience was my only option, but I couldn't help imagining the wildest combinations. What if I found his art horrible?

It was close to five o'clock when I began rearranging the returns before the last customers called for my attention to check their loans out. When I turned into the aisle with the classic section, the light started flickering in the old pattern. So much for solving that problem, Paco.

Annoyed, I stopped and looked out for an otherworldly guest. As expected, Cat lounged in the same corner he did the first day, right in front of Pride and Prejudice.

"Cat, why the dramatic light effect?"

He glanced at the offending light. "This is not my fault, I swear. Whoever installed the lamp in the centre of the friction zone had a special sense of humour or—" He interrupted himself to frown. "Who knows, it might have been a deliberate attempt at creating a beacon for travellers between the worlds like me, or to alert everyone of activity in the zone's core."

"A beacon to show you folks where our world lies or announce to us when someone crosses over from your side? Does the light do the same on your plane?"

"Nothing is the same on our plane, but I can't show you, can I? Many a human has tried to visit our world and few succeeded. Or none, to be more precise."

"None? I think it's kind of unfair that you can visit our world, but we are kept out of yours."

He folded his paws. "That's true, but it's not in my power to change it. Humans lack the incorporeality needed for the transfer."

This made sense, but I couldn't help wondering. "So, if not even Carroll or his famous protagonist, the real girl Alice, visited your plane, how could he write in so much detail about it?"

"Ah, you're jumping to wrong conclusions, my dear Lynn. Our plane doesn't look like Wonderland at all. Just because Carroll was fascinated by the fact of another reality doesn't mean he or Alice ever crossed over—or that his description is accurate. Give the man and his imagination some credit. Carroll may have glimpsed a few creatures in the friction zone, but his stories are his own invention."

"Creatures like you or the Jabberwocky?" I tried to process this additional information while I sorted a few books back into their slots. "I think I get the concept, or the gist of it." And I felt relieved that not even Cat denied us humans a sense of imagination and creativity. "Is it right then that not every character of every book is an inhabitant of your plane?"

"Not at all—I mean, yes, you're right. Most books in this library are just about real human beings and things happening in the long distant past, right? The author just tells the story of their own or another person's life, or of a war or something. I find it rather boring, to be honest." He yawned, showing off his adorable pink tongue.

"You're talking about history books and biographies, I reckon. Well, as always, it depends on the point of view. Many readers enjoy these books, since they offer a glimpse into another time or another person's life and mind. Also, some of these contain as much fiction as any science fiction or fantasy novel."

"Now that's an interesting notion—and explain perhaps a few weird encounters I had on my plane. But why would an author claim to write about actual events and then sneak in fictional parts?"

"Hm, I guess it's because every author hopes to get the readers' attention and praise. Some will go to great lengths to make their books attractive. And some might just prefer to convey a romanticised version of history."