The Library of Dead Souls

Chapter Five

***

I

Edward L. Myles arrived at the Shelton Library.

He opened the front door.

The bell rang.

Candace stopped reading chapter 3 of 'Night Show' by Richard Laymon, bookmarked it, and smiled.

"Edward, how nice it is to see you".

"I hoped my son didn't bother you".

"No, he was persistent in his view about getting your book".

"My book is for those who can handle the Dark Arts properly. It also deals with dealing with cult members. Of course it is not a novel; it is part Non-Fiction; part essay on the old ways to deal with academic practices. It has spells that you can cast. And other facets of dark power. That is why it's invaluable".

"And everyone wants to get it".

"Yes, I came here to look at other books. Books in the modern age are online. I prefer going to a library, read a book for a week, then take back here a week later. It's considered a lost art in itself; it is detrimental to learning to read anything: books and newspapers are like dinosaurs. They're going extinct soon. Unless you read articles on the Internet. In short, everyone feels that technology has replaced the Old Arts. Some of the cultists thrive doing what they need to without the twenty-first century way of living. The way forward is to deal with the past, present, and future. In my time, everyone wants to deal with the here and now".

"And that can be difficult these days".

"Yes, young people are using their I-technology too much. It's a sign of constant distraction. People are using their phones walking past street signs; people are homeless; people are protesting against the Government before because of the End of the World is coming. And so on. Yet, to me, I'm a man who gets things done. As a result, as I've already discussed, all of us want to go backwards to a simpler time in which we're not in a constant frenzy of rushing. It is not in our nature to do that; it is unfathomable to believe in the truth of things. In many respects, all of us are in a bubble that's going to burst at any moment".

"I just want to relax and read books".

"That is one of my favorite past times. Reading is an essential path to pleasure. A way to relax, get into a story, and go with the flow. It is not something to deal with the horror of the day. May I have some coffee?", Edward asked.

"Sure, how do you like it?".

"Milk, one sugar, please".

Candace poured the two coffees.

She added the single sugar to Edward's mug.

And added the milk.

***

"May I ask how old you are, Edward?", Candace asked.

"Ninety-six", Edward answered.

"And you're not...".

"No, I'm not infirm. I'm not carrying a walking cane. I am free of the modern ills of the world because of the books I read".

"I'm sure books are a leisure activity that everyone enjoys".

"That is correct. Besides, in my day, the Great Depression of the nineteen thirties ruined my family. Books, and the movies, were the way to spend money. It was a decade after the Roaring Twenties, that was lost on young people today. You see, my parents worked hard in New York. But when a lot of people complained about their jobs, hell broke loose. And, for all of the hard work that people did, it never was any good. Then World War II happened. And for six years up to April of nineteen forty-five when we attempted to kill Adolf Hitler in Germany, Europe was burning with the shots of guns. And the deaths of six million Jews during the Holocaust, ruined all hope. Of course, by the nineteen fifties, the dead souls of America thought that the new decade would save them. Dads went to work, Moms took care of their children as they went to school, and the smell of Communism was rife during President Eisenhower's day".

"A lot of people believed in the 34th President".

"Yes, and we all know that the Korean War was an excuse to send our troops to Asia to save the Korean people from the our hell. They had their own dead souls to look after. And then there was the Vietnam War which stretched to two decades through nineteen fifty-five to nineteen seventy-five. What I'm saying is that the dead souls that infect society is ruinous to all of the ghastly horror of the past, present, and future. And, for all of us, that's what's wrong with the late twentieth century through the nineteen eighties, nineteen nineties, and '00's".

"Not all of us are dead souls".

"Sometimes, in the way we deal with death, can we deal with everything else. It is what is necessary; it is what is done to Mankind that's wrong. It's not the be all and end all; it is the worthy men, women, and children, who decide our fates. I am old enough to be allowed at my age to die on my terms. And, yet, God hasn't struck me down and told me that I'm dead. Gregory is old now. But not as old as me. My wife, Glenda, is ninety. She is waiting for me now. Ah, that coffee is good". He sipped it, and drank it slowly.

Candace sipped hers.

"Now, do you want a book?".

"Death on the Nile by Dame Agatha Christie".

"Ah, I'll look it up. Yes, there's three copies in the 'Crime' section. Hang on". She walked through the arches, then got up on the ladder.

When she saw the book, she came down again.

She walked down the arches, and smiled.

"There's five copies. This one is a 'Good, Used' nineteen ninety edition".

"That will do, Candace. I like a good British murder mystery with exotic locations".

"I prefer 'Murder on the Orient Express'".

"Ah, a crime classic. I saw the nineteen seventy-four movie of that book".

"Here it is. Do you have a library ID card?".

"Yes, it's here".

"Thank you. Now, I'll scan it, and you can return it next Saturday at six o'clock".

"I'll do that".

Edward finished his coffee, then smiled.

"Thank you for the talk. Now, I'll leave. Good night".

"Good night".

***

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