Library of the Abandoned: Prologue

Libraries are magical. But sometimes, it’s the smaller ones that hold the most magic. 

Kathika, under some rather strange circumstances, had managed to take over the librarian duties from a mysterious old lady on the brink of her death. She looked a hundred, and her eyes seemed to be a thousand years old. She had definitely seen life in a way no one else had.

But what was she thinking when she handed down her duties to Kathika? Or more importantly. What had she seen in her?

From the streets, the library looked like an ordinary building, maybe a little worse for the wear. The wall plaster had given way to naked bricks, and the creepers were eating away at the building's structure. Kathika wouldn’t have been surprised if the building had just randomly crumbled to the ground. The only reason a building like that could still be standing… would be if magic ran through its veins.

When she was asked why she would even want to work in a place like that, Kathika would merely laugh and say, “There’s a sort of beauty in something crumbling to death, don’t you think? Everything must come to an end. And what’s a more beautiful death than one claimed by the erosion of nature itself?”

Yeah… She did not have many friends either. At least not human ones.

Late one night, Kathika was about to close down for the day when she found a little girl still reading away, a flickering candle her only source of light. She moved closer to see her reading a guidebook. To folklore and fairies.

“Studying hard, I see?” She said as she tugged her shawl tighter and leaned against one of the wooden bookshelves. 

“No… I was just… Reading about fairies isn’t studying.”

“It definitely is. Knowing about their mischief can help you stay careful for when they strike you in the middle of the night.”

“Mamma says fairies aren’t real.”

Kathika laughed. “Your mother isn’t right, but she isn’t wrong either.”

“What do you mean?”

“Fairies are naughty creatures. And they only appear in front of cute little kids like you. The fairies are scared of your mamma and papa. In fact, your parents are fierce warriors who protect you from their pranks all the time!”

“But then why does Mamma say they don’t exist?”

“Because fairies always attack the ones who are looking for them. They don’t want you to go running around chasing them just because they look cute.”

“Are they cute?”

“Do you wanna see?” The girl vigorously nodded. “Alright. But promise to keep this a secret from everyone, all right?” She nodded again.

Kathika held the girl’s hand and guided her to a dimly lit corner of the library. She shot the girl a smile and pulled up the candelabra that appeared to be just sitting on a table piled high with books and artifacts from who knows where. The ground beneath them started to shake, and the floorboards fell open to reveal a staircase.

The young girl’s eyes shone like stars at the mysterious events taking place. The two descended the staircase, and Kathika pulled on a vine that sent diyas illuminating throughout the previously dark room.

“Whoa!” The girl gasped. The lower room was much larger than she had expected. And it was chock-full of bookshelves. The girl ran over to the nearest one and pulled out a book, but was startled by its state. “It’s torn from the back!”

Kathika shook her head. “It’s not torn. It’s simply incomplete.”

“Incomplete?”

“That’s right. Each book in this library is an incomplete story. Abandoned by its author because of some reason or another.”

Kathika flipped open one of the books, and green sparks flew out of it. A little pixie with green wings peeked out of the pages and grew excited to see Kathika. But as soon as she saw the little girl, she dove back into the book.”

“No, don’t go away!”

“She is a shy one. Don’t worry about it.” She consoled her, patting her back.

“But Miss Librarian?”

“Hm?”

“Why would someone abandon their story?”

“There could be many reasons,” Kathika started tracing the spines of the incomplete books. “Adults can make a lot of excuses for not enjoying their art. ‘I got busy with life.’ ‘I had a better idea.’ ‘I had writer’s block.’ Or maybe they died. It’s such a pity. A lot of these stories could have changed people’s lives. ”

“That’s so sad.” The little girl teared up.

“I agree. However, there is a way to save those stories.”

“There is?”

Kathika smiled. “I have a friend. He calls himself a headhunter.”

“That sounds scary!”

The older girl laughed. “He isn’t scary at all. Whenever a writer abandons a world, the people in that story grow agitated. My friend can sense their pleas, and when the author is asleep, he takes them away and brings them here in our Library of the Abandoned.”

“Then what happens?”

Kathika braced her palms on her knees and fixed her gaze on the little girl’s eyes. “Then it’s up to me to finish their story. So these beautiful creations of some of the most beautiful minds have an opportunity to see it through to the end.”

“You are their Savior.”

Kathika shook her head. “All I do is give them some more pages to finish their story. As for my role? I am simply a Librarian.”