Chương 9: The Infinite Library

Ch 9. The Infinite Library John wasn't feeling his best when he awoke the next morning. He'd slept in, since it was the weekend, which in Avalon alternated seemingly randomly between being two and three days long. He rolled out of his hammock and checked the small calendar he had on his nightstand.

"Yes," he muttered under his breath, seeing that it was a three day this time. He'd had a very busy week, and the Hourglass Courtship the previous evening had left him feeling uniquely drained. He made his way to the bathroom, swished with a potion of dental hygiene, and then went to his small kitchen. He began to brew some coffee and when it was done, he wrapped himself in a baggy robe and went out onto the small balcony.

He had a single small chair and matching table and he took a sip of his coffee, letting out a satisfied little 'ah' as he did so and looked around. When he'd first moved in, he'd been on the first floor, but over the years he'd wound up somewhere closer to the third. Benefits of living inside a building that was also a tree he supposed. Though he didn't relish the climb up the stairway once it reached the fourth or fifth. He was in a relatively high spot compared to the other buildings nearby and had a great view.

He spent nearly an hour watching the air and foot traffic around him. He saw a group of teenaged harpies playing catch, a young dragon practicing his dives with his father watching, and the usual network of messenger pigeons, errand fae, and even a few gargoyles who didn't seem eager to return to their posts for the day. It would be hard to beat that view back on Earth. Once he finished his coffee, John stepped back inside and placed his empty mug by the sink.

He went into the bathroom and started his shower, spending more time luxuriating under the water than actually cleaning himself. Once he was done he went to his wardrobe and grabbed a random green checkered suit. He eschewed the tie for the day and debated leaving two or three buttons undone before deciding on two. Wouldn't want everyone to think I'm a tart he thought, chuckling to himself. Once he was done dressing he realized he forgot to eat.

He went to his kitchen and grabbed two macaroons that Andressa hadn't finished the previous day at the office. He ate them as he walked out, going down the steps and dodging around the butterfly-like wings of another of the tenants. Once on the street he started to make his way slowly to the east side. He had a few errands to take care of in that direction, and Mia had also been nice enough to tell him that the Infinite Library had displaced itself somewhere in that region for the week.

He had a handful of books he wanted to return, and did not want to have to pay the late fees. Last time he'd needed to find three drachmas, two euros from Spain, and a baby tooth. He wouldn't be making that mistake again. The more often you were late the stranger the fees became and he certainly didn't want to have to start paying in childhood memories. He took his time as he walked, it was late morning and most of Avalon was going about a relatively lazy day.

He could hear a few bards singing songs of summer love, and saw a number of people out on walks with their family. The weather was nice that day with a cool gentle breeze blowing down the street, but the sun kept him just warm enough that it didn't bother him at all. Before too long he found the Infinite Library. The last time he'd seen it, it had been a large tower with a spiral stairway that went up endlessly to allow people to pull from the endless selection of books along the wall.

This time it had taken the shape of, from what John could tell, a public library from any city in the United States, cement and square. It was busy as he walked inside with a number of entities going in to return books, grab some new ones, or even buy a few. There were other bookstores in Avalon of course, and those were often better if you were looking for something specific, but if you were looking for something to read more casually, then the Infinite Library was the place to go.

The first thing John did was walk to the book return and slot his stack back inside, receiving a nod from one of the origami workers that were ubiquitous across the library. This time they were primarily humanoid, and covered largely with script he recognized. They were silent, but could understand and answer simple questions by displaying text across themselves.

They wouldn't answer questions about where the library came from, or why it was there, but if you were looking for the history section or the bathroom, they could certainly point you in the right direction. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. With his previous books deposited, John started to wander aimlessly through the aisles.

He'd learned over the years that the best way to find a new read there was to meander until your eyes landed on something interesting. He was fairly certain that the library itself would push people in the direction of what it thought people were looking for.

He passed a row of books that were all alternate histories of Lich kingdoms, another that was largely to do with romances with werewolves, both fictional and autobiographical, and then he passed a few ancient eldritch texts that made his eyes water and his head hurt until he was a half dozen yards away from them. From what he understood the infinite library had everything. Every piece of writing across every universe that connected to Avalon.

He came to a stop and started walking down a particular aisle that he felt drawn to. He started looking at the spines of them, muttering the titles out loud.

"The Underdark Secretary, The Infernal Office Romance, Red Lipstick and White Collars…" He paused and walked out of the row. He wasn't particularly interested in reading any office romances after what had happened with Katrina. He moved on to the next row and was surprised to see Mia and a few other girls her age in the next row. She waved at him, a heavy stack of books already under her arms.

"Hey John," she said with a bubbly smile. That day she was wearing some kind of black surcoat with three different belts at her waist, her arms bare except for fishnets, and dark green shorts with black shoes that had small silver buckles.

"Hey Mia," he nodded at her and then to her friends. One was wearing what looked like revolutionary garb complete with a tricorn hat and the other was in a wedding dress that had been torn at the sleeves and skirt. He felt like there should be some kind of eclectic punk show going on nearby.

"Ladies." He pointed at the pile of books under her arm.

"Having some good luck I see." She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, we stumbled onto this whole section that's all monster romances and goth magazines." He laughed, "It sounds almost like the library made it just for you." He grabbed a nearby book, finding that it showed what appeared to be a monster with a head that was a deer skull clutching a woman in an intimate embrace. He raised an eyebrow for a moment, and looked at Mia, an idea forming.

"You know, I have a friend who would probably appreciate these. Would you happen to have any I could buy from you? I don't want to use my library allotment." She nodded.

"I could do that. Get them from me at the bakery next week?"

"That would be perfect." He looked at the other teens who were exchanging awkward glances.

"I'm going to look further down. Good luck." He turned around.

"Bye!" said Mia as he waved and walked away. He didn't want to harsh the kids' vibe by sticking around longer than he should. He eventually found himself drawn to a shelf that was almost entirely Lincoln and Douglas Gasterpend books, Jack Ranger, and a few Tom Clincy novels. He immediately recognized that these were alternate world versions of books he was very familiar with back on Earth. They were old man airport books, but that was exactly what he was in the mood for.

Besides, it wasn't as if anyone in Avalon would judge him for reading them. He started making his way back to the entrance, arriving back at the front desk in moments despite the fact that he'd been wandering away from it in a straight line for nearly an hour.

He placed his stack of books on the counter in front of an origami librarian who touched each book gently, making it glow for a moment, then handed the stack back to him, the text on it changing to say, "see you next week," in a dozen different fonts and languages.

"Thank you," he said as he walked back out and onto the Avalon streets. His stomach growled a bit at him. He started walking toward one of his favorite restaurants, an orcish barbecue joint called 'The Cleaver's Edge'. He'd order something large enough to have leftovers for the evening and spend the rest of the day reading. He smiled, it was going to be a good weekend.