Echoes of The Forgotten

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"I AM NO BIRD; AND NO NET ENSNARES ME. I AM A FREE HUMAN BEING WITH AN INDEPENDED WILL."

Seraphina heaved a sigh, closing the book and staring fondly at the cover. Jane Eyre. One of her favorites, she reckoned. She placed the copy on the table and noted something down on a piece of parchment. The Library was still closed, and yet, she had come here a bit early, to document the new arrivals she had received yesterday. Light shone in from the large vaulted windows, peeking through the curtains, ensnaring her. Everything was cold and quiet, with not a soul in sight. Nothing but these books, which contained millions of people silently watching through the shadows, invisible, forgotten. A bit like her.

Even when the Library was open, not a lot of people came here. And the ones who did were irritable, rushed, wanting to grab the course books they needed to get out of here as quick as possible. It was saddening, really, how humanity seemed to have forgotten the great treasures that lay in these pages. But at the same time, she had become rather fond of the serenity that resided inside this establishment. She almost enjoyed the freedom from the incessant chattering of the common folk out on the streets. Seraphina placed the book back where it belonged and took a quick round of the place to ensure that everything was prim and proper, as it ought to be.

And when she was sure that the Library was presentable enough, she journeyed to the door and shifted the sign out front from Closed to Open, though it usually didn't make any difference.

She took her place at the desk, waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for so long it felt like an eternity had gone by before the first person entered. A girl, her hat set atop her head, her coat dragging behind her as she brushed the snow off her body. She looked at Seraphina and smiled, unsurely, asking for a book called Metaphysics, by Aristotle, the old scholar.

"It's right over there, let me take it out for you." Seraphina said, almost toppling over as she rushed towards a bookshelf, skimming through its contents quickly.

"Do you have an interest in philosophy?" Seraphina asked, by way of conversation, and the girl shook her head.

"I need it for a bit of extra studying."

Seraphina's shoulders sagged. Of course. She handed the girl her book and issued it, a little dismayed, though she tried not to make it obvious. The girl simply thanked her and left.

The rest of the day was quite similar, with nothing interesting to tell, except maybe the fact that the Library had more people today than usual, which thrilled Seraphina and yet made her a little anxious. She checked the time on her pocket watch, and realized it was almost noon, now, which meant she could go on her lunch break. However, she still waited half an hour, until the crowd had lessened, and there were less people to disappoint. As she walked out, locking the door behind her, Seraphina glanced above. The sun was at the very top of the sky, seething with warmth, trying to fight the grip of the clouds that bound it. She could discern patterns in those infernal bodies of water vapor as they swirled about lazily, a sight to behold. Snow fell gently from the horizon, gripping the world in its vice, making everything seem ever so beautiful. It covered the pavement, and the roads, and everything in between, covering everything in sight.

Beautiful.

She held out her hand, watching a snow flake fall on her hand, oozing with water and melting away, the liquid droplets caressing her skin as they trickled away. Beautiful, she thought, again. People milled about, busy in their business, their heads covered in hats and shawls, the men carrying walking sticks that rapped against the cemented ground, their sound echoing in the expanse. The women keeping their head low, some carrying children along with them, their gazes twinkling as they laughed and shared a joke or two. She walked towards the small café, you might call it, which was opposite of the Library. Not too far away, and it helped her complete the daily quota of socializing she'd assigned to herself.