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The Book Keeper and the Manor of Memories

The Book Keeper

'Why would you throw them away?' 

Startled, the girl turned around, the pile of manuscripts and papers swaying in her arms about to topple off.

' 'Why' you ask...'

'Ah, my bad for startling you. You just struck me up like utterly dejected while holding those. You didn't really look like matching what you were about to do with your emotions.'

'What do you even know about me...'

'I don't. Except for what's written all over your face; and I'm told I read people exceptionally well.'

'You're weird...'

'I've been told that before. By countless people whose names I scarcely remember. Though that can't be said about their faces.'

'...' Silence fell between the two of them as should perhaps the raindrops from the heavy clouds that gathered from the horizon, draping over the ashen city.

'To be honest...I don't want to.' She tucked the papers closer to her chest. 'They're sort of...precious memories in here. Though as well bad feelings. I feel like they're dragging me back, making me face only the past, stealing my present and clouding my future.' 

'Then how about we make a deal.'

'A deal?' 

'Yes, a deal. I'll take them away for you. You won't have their burden anymore and I'll won't have to forgive myself for letting such precious things go to waste before my very eyes. And if you were ever to change your mind and come back for a piece of your memories, you will know how to find me.' 

'Are you sure you want those...?' 

'I'm always serious.' He gave a mysterious yet warm smile, tipping his head towards his side where the girl was. From the moment he began talking he had been looking only at the sky. One glance towards her was enough to understand, one honest and unreserved gaze upon her was enough to make face honesty with honesty. 

'Take care of them for me then, mister.' She tiptoed to give the gentleman her stack of stories and he rewarded her with a smile.

'I will treasure them as if they were of my own. For now, farewell, little girl, and may the muses guide your quill. I shall be waiting for you at the manor of memories~'

The Manor of Memories

Pale marble stairs rolled up with vines and thorny bushes of japanese yellow roses in contrast with old fashioned red roses led up to an old styled stone building with sculpted facade. Silver wolf heads with rings in their muzzles hung upon heavy double wooden doors. She knocked gently; as gently as the wolf's ring resounded in the apparently empty hall. A pale skinned maid opened the door and narrowed her glassy pale blue eyes at her. Her blank expression softened up and courteously invited her in. 

'This way please; master has been expecting you.' 

The hallway led to a row of wide stairs, branching to the right and to the left in elegant swirls. The blonde haired maid guided her upon the right spiral staircase that led to the first floor; the other one seemed to have led to an opening at the second floor only. Behind the arched doorway laid a round room so tall it must've been worth two floors in height, all cushioned with shelves of books on every bit of wall. A spiral of stairs went around the room walls, joining with straight segments and movable pieces of staircase at joints. In the middle of the room, various couches and armchairs were laid around an wide, round, astronomy-motif decorated  table. A familiar voice greeted.

'Ah~ It's been a while~' 

'Hello...' He narrowed his eyes and a smile was plastered on his face.

'I'm glad your steps guided you all the way back to me at last~'

'Yeah... um... your place is pretty nice...' 

'I'm glad it suits your tastes; this is where countless of stories like yours are stored. It's basically their foster home.'

'To believe you really go out at gather all of this stuff like you did when we met...'

'...is quite hard to come to, isn't it?' The smile never left his face. It was warm, of sorts.

'Aah~ I'll go fetch us some tea~' 

'Don't you have the maid do that for you?' 

'I take pleasure it making it myself. Please make yourself comfortable~' And so he went out on another door than the one already obvious. 

Man, there sure are many people giving up their scraps of stories...

She walked up to the first row of shelf-stairs and settled down by the files, neatly suited together even though they were of all kinds: from school-like notebooks to pages bundled by thread, folded halves of paper, worn out manuscripts held together by pins and all sorts of notebooks from the cheap to sometimes very fancy looking ones. She pulled one stash out.

This one...is pretty nice...though it has just one chapter... This one is neat, pretty lively though where did that character disappear? Oh, it's here but who's this one? Ah, there's so many, I can't figure who's who... It could be really interesting to follow if... 

If.

'If you could take them back, would you give your stories another chance? Join me downstairs~'

She got startled by his sudden presence behind her but complied and followed down.

'Please, have a seat~' 

She nodded shyly. 

'What would you think if I told you...that every script in this library is a dream that never came true?'

'That...would be a pretty sad thing to know.' 

'Isn't it~? Now what if I told you that you gave up a few dreams in your life?'

'That's more likely for me to believe. Though why are we talking about sad things like that?' She had a sip of tea. It felt somewhat like a molten sweetness, like a nap in a cozy place during the winter.

'Stories are dreams you chose to give a form. A few you entrusted to me. What is it that made you come back?' 

'I...' 

Wished I could go back to my old self that could dream, even if just for a moment.

'If that is what you desire, I can give it to you as a gift for letting me read your stories.'

'But how could you enjoy them? I mean, they're not finished.'

'Nor your own story isn't finished. But does that mean you haven't spend your time living it? Lives, like dreams, are stories too. Continue yours~ Your spirit was never meant to die here.'

And so, everything turned black in a swirl around her. 

'..sha... Alisha... ALISHA!' Bleak light stung her eyes as she came slowly to senses. The sky was cloudy as if rain was about to fall.

'Alisha...thank heavens you're awake!' A familiar figure hovered over her.

'What...happened...it hurts...' 

'You fell on the stairs while carrying a pile of manuscripts...I thought you... I thought...' He embraced her tightly without moving her too much of fear she might break if he even touched her. 

'Let's get yourself to the hospital, I don't want something to happen to you again.' Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. And yet, she smiled. 

'I thought...You...You looked so down lately that I thought maybe...just maybe...no...I'm just happy you're still here and warm in my arms.' 

'Me too, me too...' She looked to the sky, where a small patch cleared up and light infiltrated shyly. 

I am glad that my story is still ongoing.