The Magic of Stories | ONC 2024 shortlist

20 - The abandoned story

Luca's Dream. After reading the title, I stood in the empty office in a state of mild shock, the ominous printout in my trembling hands. Had I stumbled over the missing story of Luca by accident? There was only one way to find out.

Determined to uncover the truth, I thumbed through the loose pages, skimming a few paragraphs here and there. Yes, the main protagonist was male and named Luca. I wasn't surprised, but needed to know more and moved on until I reached the last page to read it. At a first glance, the text ended mid sentence. I turned the page, but the back side was blank. The story had no proper ending. Whoever wrote the piece, they had abandoned the manuscript mid-scene, with only a few words scattered onto the page after the last paragraph that might have been meant as notes on which direction the story would take from there.

I had found the reason Luca got caught in his in-between state as a resident of the library.

Someone cleared their throat in the reception area and startled me back into the present. Over my discovery, I'd forgotten I still was supposed to serve my customers. "On my way, just a second."

While I bent to stow the manuscript in the drawer, I hesitated. Conny wouldn't find out if I had another glimpse at it. Not tonight, right? If I slipped the manuscript back into the drawer tomorrow morning before she arrived—if she came to work—she would never know. With a deft push and a metallic clank, I closed the drawer and returned to the front desk, placing the stack of paper next to my keyboard and putting on a professional smile.

"Excuse me. How can I help you?"

The customer smiled back and handed me several books to check out without complaining about the delay. While I scanned the labels, I kept glancing at the manuscript. To judge by the place where I had found it, it could only be Conny's. I couldn't imagine that she would keep someone else's work hidden in her desk, not without a sound reason. But while my discovery might explain why Luca was bound to the library, I couldn't fathom why Cat hadn't told me straight away. I needed to talk to him, but this wasn't possible during the busy hours of the library. I needed to be patient and wait for the evening.

When most customers had left, the feline appeared in his favourite spot on the desk as if on cue, making me jump anyway.

"You called, my lady?"

"Huh—I think I didn't, unless you read my mind."

His smug grin had me fear the worst. "That would be a nice talent. Alas, I only felt a pull, earlier, as if someone were calling my name. You seemed the most likely candidate."

I glanced around, but no customers were within earshot. "Okay, I guess I can live with such a small amount of mind reading, since I was thinking of you." I waved the manuscript in front of his nose. "What can you tell me about this?"

He shrank back. "Hey, keep your paper wad away from my whiskers and calm down. What's that supposed to be?"

I sighed and showed him the title page. "As we both know, I can't touch you, and neither can these pages. This is a manuscript called Luca's Dream. It was here in the library all the time, so why didn't you tell me about it?"

He squinted at the paper with quivering whiskers. "Because I didn't know it existed. Well, I kind of suspected it must exist, and I told you as much. But I had no clue the author might have hidden it in the library itself. Where did you find it?"

"In Conny's desk, when I went for the first aid kit this afternoon." Sudden suspicion flooded my mind. "Was her accident your responsibility? Another weird measure to advance the relationship between Conny and Paco?"

Cat's stare made me think of daggers piercing my skin. "How dare you even think I'd do something mean like this?" He turned aside, ignoring me.

"Well, I have to ask, don't I? These shelves didn't break down for no reason, and I'd rather know who builds death traps in my workplace."