the lover's library

golden (the lover's library)

| best read while you're feeling strange. maybe you're in an ominous mood. feeling spooky. |

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The shelves of the library were rather tall in height, though thin in width; strange, though, as everyday someone came in there was just ... more. More books, more pamphlets, papers, lost letters with useless scribbles all over the pages - there was always more.

It seems to be a reoccurring thing in life.

His town was small, and dull, as were the people in it. Nothing to do, to see, to feel, other than complete and utter boredom and the bitterness from the greetings he gave in the mornings where the same people he'd seen yesterday asked him how he was - as if it'd be any different than the day prior.

It was summer, terribly warm, and his muscles ached. His grandfather lived down the way, on a quaint little farm with chickens and dairy cows. Well, a dairy cow, who did not produce milk for some reason, and three chickens who fussed about and did nothing but squawk. But Grandpa Leroy was deaf in one ear and half in the other, and his vision was so terrible that Petunia the Dairy Cow seemed to be two Petunia the Dairy Cows.

He helped out during the summers, for money and because he felt bad, and cleaned and tended to crops and the animals. It wasn't quite his forte, but he supposed college was something that was worth some aching muscles.

He sat on the edge of the fountain, which sat in the middle of the town plaza, and mumbled something about 'nothing to do' - which, to his surprise, elicited a response from a strange man he'd never seen before.

The man was lanky, with a long nose that was slightly crooked, as if broken once before. He was just as slight as he was tall, and despite his frail frame he seemed to speak with a voice that reverberated in a way that could've shaken the ground.

"There's a bookstore - er, library, just down the road. They have a nice selection."

"I haven't ever seen a library on this side of town - are you sure?"

The strange old man lifted a shaking, thin hand, and extended his finger out to point to a dark-colored building, with two or three stories and tall windows. It seemed awfully out of place, with the buildings beside it all being much shorter and made of brick. This building, in contrast, was made of dark wood and stone, with a flat roof. There was a bay window that sat just beside the door, and from where he stood he saw that the 'library' was entirely empty.

"Listen, I really don't think-" he began, but trailed off when he realized that there was no one beside him any longer.

He felt compelled to stand, and so he did; on legs like a newborn deer, and with eyes unnaturally wide. Slowly, as though approaching this library was intimidating, he stepped forward, step by step, movement by movement, until his hand was on the doorknob.

And even from here, there did not seem to be any furniture, or bookshelves, or even any books. In fact, it looked quite a lot like an empty oblivion.

He moved to pull back, to turn and watch the library disappear from vision, and yet his hand would not stray from the door. When he turned to leave, he'd look back to see that his hand still remained around the knob of the door. Incredulously, he shook his head in disbelief, just as he heard a faint jingle, jingle and he was inside, except there was no oblivion, but a room filled with the most elegant decor he'd seen.

Drapes of deep violet velvet were hung over the bay window, the one he'd seen from outside; a dark brown cushioned seat sat within the curtains, which were parted just enough to see that the town outside seemed terribly different from the one he'd just came from.

And just as he prepared to turn and leave, he heard a short chuckle.

"Hey, stranger," spoke a lovely girl. The Lovely Girl was indeed quite lovely, with long hair and bright eyes and a sweet face.

"Do - Do you know where-?"

The Lovely Girl shrugged a shoulder, laughing lightheartedly. "I don't know much of anything, I'm afraid." It was then he noticed something terribly unsettling, that this beautiful girl was so beautiful that she terrified him. She was still pretty, sure, but her eyes were a little too bright, he decided, smile a little too sweet. Teeth a little too sharp.

"I don't understand."

"Oh, love, I'm aware. Say, why don't you go to the back? I think you'll quite like it there."

"Why-? You haven't -"

"The back, honey. You'll adore him - it, I mean."

His legs moved on their own accord.

The back was filled with many books, of course, literature and pamphlets stuffed into dark oak shelves. A boy his age, perhaps a year older or younger, stood off to the side, hand on his chin. He seemed entranced in something, but his eyes flickered to life when he noticed the other presence in the room.

"Ah, you - you've come to join me, I suppose," the boy said, and his voice was soft, and gentle, but deep and scratchy all the same. His eyes were blue, nearly gray, and his hair was light and soft and parted so that it fell over his right eye more than the left.

"I have?"

The boy breathed a quick laugh, that formed into a gentle giggle. It quickened his breathing slightly - it was a nice sound.

"You seem confused? You see, you've come back here, where I was already, and so-".

"Wait - I think I understand that part, I just don't understand how I... got here, I suppose."

"With your legs, no?" he chuckled, a playful smile tugging at his lips, "You're really very strange."

He opened his mouth to respond, but his words caught in his throat a bit; he really wasn't usually so awkward, but he felt rather breathless. The boy walked forward a few steps, not too close but most definitely close enough to make the other's breath catch.

"But I think I rather enjoy that," he murmured warmly, raising his voice slightly as he spoke his next words, "I'm called Edward."

It was the loveliest name he'd ever heard in his life.

"I-I'm-My name..." he trailed off. This boy, he was sure, was leaving his very much flustered, as was the terribly crushing energy of this library.

Edward chuckled again, "You can think that one over if you'd like. It'd give you a chance to make one up if you wanted." He placed the book he'd been holding back on the shelf, though it was in a different place when he brought his hands back. "You know, it's really... it's really wonderful that there's someone else here - back here, I mean. It gets lonely, sometimes. And you're awfully entertaining."

"I-Is that so?" he replied breathlessly. Maybe he was dying, he thought silently.

"Yes - and," he began, passing as he took a moment to choose his words, "And you're... you're also very pretty." His cheeks were flushed a little. "Your eyes are brown. I like that."

"Yeah? I thought they were dull. They're the most common."

"What's wrong with common? When the light shines on them, they look golden."

"That's," he seemed to breathe now, "Sweet. Really sweet, thanks."

He had another warm smile worm it's way onto his face; it was ... golden, nearly, just like when Edward had described his eyes earlier.

"I must be going. I'm glad I met you."

"Oh, Edward, do you-"

But when he turned to him, he was gone.

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