𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐂𝐄 》 JACK FROST

XXVIII. Research

RESEARCH

2007 AD
16th March, 03:00 PM
Ancient Library of Wonders

It took Jack a little more adjusting than Agatha to come to terms with talking critters and books that moved on their own. The spider, as nice as he was to them both, was still freaking him out. He had to keep his eyes trained on him at all times in fear that he would go missing otherwise, and if that were to ever happen Jack knew he wouldn't be able to shake the feeling of it being on his neck away.

He blinked all eight of his eyes up at Jack, each one closing and opening at different times, out of sync. He could practically hear the eyelid slide and squelch across the slime of its eyeballs. He adjusted his collar, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Agatha grabbed his hand from under the table they were now sat at. ''Well, Agatha, it brings me great joy for you to finally make your journey to us. Er, with an unexpected guest too, perhaps we underestimated you.''

''You knew I was coming?'' Agatha didn't know how, she didn't even know until a few minutes ago when Jack had pointed it out.

The spider nodded, the front for legs tapping on the wooden, and slightly rotten, surface as the equivalent of a person drumming their fingertips across a desk. ''Yes, yes. The scrolls know all. Even what will happen once you've left, but I cannot disclose this information to you. No, no.''

Agatha shared a weary glance at Jack from the corner of her eye. ''So, what, this place knows everything that happens throughout all time?''

''Yes, yes. Of course, there are a few disclaimers. For example, a choice could impact everything and will need to be rewritten. I'm sure you'e heard of the butterfly effect. For those that are wrong, we merely send out into the multiverse, through the shifting portals, and often we receive some back.'' A scroll began floating towards them. ''Ah, here was are. Present tense. Go on, say something.''

''Uh, why?'' Jack asked. The spider nodded, muttering a 'yup, says so right here.' ''Whoa, so it knows-''

''-Everything, yes.''

''Did it tell you I was going to say that?''

''Yes. And that too.''

Jack paused, moving his head away and narrowing his eyes in suspicion. There was a few moments of silence. A few more... ''Flip flap, dip dap, bib bad, lip lap, mib bad, dish dash, nish nash - sausage!''

The scroll turned around and Jack could see what he had just recited written in lovely, cursive, gold letters. Agatha crossed her arms, laying back as she raised a brow at Jack. ''You finished?''

''Yeah,'' he sighed, slumping back too, defeated.

''Okay, so,'' Agatha leant forward again, hands intersecting each other as she leant them on the table. ''It must say why we're here and how we're meant to leave, right? I understand that you can't disclose the information for our safety, but surely you can point us in the right direction.''

The spider watched her, smiling to himself, (it was the creepiest thing Jack had ever seen). ''It seems you've changed alongside our scrolls. Peculiar... I suppose you're correct. I don't see the harm in pointing you towards your destination, especially since you arrived and discovered this place for yourselves, so'' He clapped, a few books springing off the shelves and landing in piles on either side of them both with a huge thud. ''Of course, you are aware that they left you here in order for you to go insane. You weren't meant to find this place, it's why the trees attacked you so vigorously. Although I am sure that if they had known it to be inevitable, they would've held you capture somewhere else.''