Dear Reader,
Find Part 1 here. Find Part 2 here.
“Ma’am? Did you find it?”
The librarian sounded slightly impatient to close up. After a last frantic swipe across the seat of the nook chair, Magda’s hand collided with her phone.
She snatched it up.
Holding her breath, she flew down the balcony stairs like the devil and his minions were close at her heels.
A lone, pendant light shone above the circulation desk and the librarian closed drawers, locked cabinets and shuffled papers into neat piles with cool, efficient detachment. With relief, Magda hurried in her direction, stealing a furtive look at reading nook above. It was pitch black up there. Did she see someone there in the darkness? Averting her eyes, she stood to wait for the librarian’s assistance. With eyes sharpened by her own plight, and in some concern for this woman who would soon be alone here in this large place on a nearly deserted downtown block, Magda observed the middle-aged woman who emanated steely unconcern.
Why am I so afraid? What is happening to me? Am I losing my mind?
“Is this the only book you would like to check out today?”
Magda nodded, fidgeting with the hem of her still-damp top and rocking back and forth on the balls and heels of her feet.
The beep of the barcode reader was loud and shrill.
The thud of the book on the counter as the librarian returned it to Magda, made her wince.
“Do you read romances often? Would you like me to recommend some others to you?”
Embarrassed, Magda grabbed the book and stuffed it into her bag.
“No, thank you. I…I don’t read them very much.”
This was a lie. Magda’s romantic life existed only in her books and her dreams. She looked up from her bag to explain a bit more, but the librarian had turned away to finish closing down the library for the night. In effect, Magda had been dismissed.
Shivering in her damp clothes, she rubbed her arms briskly, hoping to warm up. The woman behind the circulation desk shut down the staff computers behind her and then placed some wrapped hardcovers on a rolling, metal shelf before grabbing a large set of keys from a drawer beside the half-door of the circular desk. She turned to stare curiously at Magda who realized she had been standing there, watching an almost perfect stranger for a creepy while.
“Was there something else, sweetie?”
Something about the endearment—though spoken with neutral detachment—squeezed Magda’s heart into a mushy mound of sadness.
“Is there something wrong?” There was concern in her voice now. A desperate wish to tell this woman about being afraid to go home and how she thought she was going insane tried to push itself past her throat and out of her mouth, but Magda resisted. Swallowing, she shook her head quickly,
“I’m fine. I’m just worried about the rain. Sorry.”
“Well, that’s something to worry about. It hasn’t stopped raining since it started hours ago. Don’t have an umbrella, do you?”
Magda shook her head again as she turned to stare out of the wall of windows at the unpleasant scene of drenched and deserted buildings.
“Here. Put this on.”
Magda, startled, turned to find a warm-looking sweatshirt being placed around her shoulders.
“But I can’t take this. Is it yours?”
The woman smiled and shook her head dismissively, “People are always leaving things behind. No one has left an umbrella, but this was the warmest thing in the lost and found box behind the desk. You can always bring it back later.”
She patted Magda’s arm and turned to complete her work.
Grateful, Magda struggled into the extra large sweatshirt and pulled the hood up over her head. She took one last look at the librarian, once again efficient and coolly distant. Today was the first time in a long time that she felt like she made contact with another human. Her heart grew warm remembering Darryl’s hand in hers. And now, something warm from the librarian to shield her from the rain. She wanted to stay. She didn’t want to go home to her dark, lonely house. If she could get through the night, maybe she would try to speak to someone, anyone tomorrow, to feel warm inside again.
Sighing, she pushed a handle on the revolving door of the library and pulled the hood of the sweatshirt tight.
“Be safe, Magda.”
Turning in surprise, she stared behind her through the glass that was now separating her from the inside of the library. Standing there not quite inside and not quite outside, she was quite alone. The librarian had already departed to the back office.
“I’m losing my mind!”
Magda ran down the long, flight of wide stone steps of the library, being careful not to slip in puddles of water. Walking quickly, she headed toward the bus stop, hoping the buses were still running this late. It was almost 10 o’clock. She was ultra aware that she was a lone woman on deserted streets in the dead of night. She stole a look behind her. That feeling of being watched had returned. She picked up her pace. A dark doorway, bathed in shadow was ahead of her. She moved closer to the edge of the sidewalk and put her head down.
Her feet struck puddles as she walked and her ears picked up the sound of other footsteps. The dark doorway was nearer and the bus stop still half a block away. A splash sounded behind her as someone stepped into a puddle. Magda whimpered and tried to walk faster. The footsteps behind her sped up.
RING TWICE! HANG ONCE!
Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!
A single deep bell tone sounded from somewhere. Nowhere. Everywhere.
The sound of footsteps doubled now. Magda shook her head trying to clear it of whatever was happening in her mind.
A second deep bell tone sounded from everywhere.
A thick, heavy mass descended on Magda. She saw a long, slithering rope before she tumbled down into a dark, deep tunnel of unconsciousness.
End Part 3
Copyright Nathina Knight 2019. All Rights Reserved.
Find Part 4 here.
Est. 1980 