The Magic of Stories | ONC 2024 shortlist

26 - A job

Two weeks later, Marjorie returned to the library. It was a bright Wednesday morning, the first rays of sun finding their way into the library. I hadn't seen Luca since after my experiment with his story and despite Cat's frequent suits, I still missed the ghost.

When Marjorie entered, the sound of the chime seemed brighter, and her energetic presence filled the room with a glow from the moment the door closed behind her. The librarian still used a walking stick for support, but her steps seemed far less painful than the last time I had seen her. On the doormat she stopped, straightened her back, took in the room with gleaming eyes, and let her gaze travel to me. A smile lit up her wrinkled face.

"Lynn, so good to see you. How are you?"

Before I could answer, Cat appeared out of nowhere, pranced up to Marjorie with his tail held high, and weaved a figure eight around her ankles, purring.

"And of course, happy to see you too, Cat, my amazing companion. How are things in the world beyond human perception?"

"Splendid, splendid and the better for having you back, Marjorie, my love." He sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws, looking up at her as stern as he could. "But we shouldn't waste time on platitudes—I'm here with a mission, ready to brave an important challenge."

Marjorie raised a brow. "Weighty words, my dear Cat—is something amiss?"

"Not yet, but I need to address an important issue before you make a mistake. What do I have to do to talk you out of sending our young Lynn away?"

His words made it hit home that, with Marjorie returning, my time in the library was running out. Cat turned his head to send me a conspiratorial wink, but then faced the librarian with his best pleading eyes. "I beg you to mark my words. After intense deliberation, I came to the inevitable conclusion that this young woman is a keeper."

I rolled my eyes at his formulation, but Marjorie only chuckled at his dramatic words. "Good to know you approve of Lynn, my dearest Cat, because I'm more than half of the mind to offer her a part-time job here."

It took me a moment to realise what this meant, but then a pleasant shiver ran down my spine, and my nagging worries for my future dissolved like sugar in a cup of steaming tea. The next thing I felt was a pang of doubt, though. Could this be happening to me for real? "You wouldn't be kidding about something like this, Marjorie, would you?"

"Of course not." She leaned her stick against the umbrella holder, hung her coat and unwrapped her long woollen scarf. "See it like this—for the next few weeks, I'm allowed to work half days only and should avoid spending endless hours sitting behind a desk at all costs. If I follow the doctor's orders, things should improve fast, but she suggests reducing my workload in the long term and take better care of my health. As much as I love this place, I think she has a point."

Bless her doctor. "I'm sorry to hear, but I don't want to keep you from doing what you love most."

"Not at all, my dear. This will help me enjoy my time here more, and I'll be able to concentrate on the things that matter most to me. So, with Conny's agreement, I already suggested to the manager hiring you for three days a week."

Conny hadn't mentioned her involvement, but now I wondered if this conspiracy had been part of her jovial mood these last days. I made a quick calculation. The pay for a sixty percent job would not be lavish, but enough to cover the rent and my most basic needs—just. But I could always look for another part-time job atop of it, tutoring maybe.

"Unfortunately, I can't offer you more because of our limited funding." Marjorie, who observed me, must have misinterpreted my thoughtful expression. "If all goes well, you will receive a raise after three months, though."