THE JOURNEY HOME

RETURN (CONTINUED)

Old Ann was shocked to see Mrs. Julia in their midst. Both she and Amber had taken no note of her arrival.

'We're going home' she commanded.

Amber bowed sheepishly. A revolt rose up from deep within her but she had the common sense to silence her protest. There would be plenty of time to come back to the library, at least now, she had gotten a little closer to where or who she was looking for. Amber would just have to be patient. Without a word to the librarian, Mrs. Julia stormed out holding her daughter's hand in hers only letting go outside the library. Amber steeled herself for a confrontation but none came. The Mrs. Julia she saw earlier, with fiery passion and blazing eyes was all but gone, in her place was the docile mother Amber had known all her life, and she was glad for it. In the silence, Amber collected her thoughts. A lot of questions came rushing through her mind in the evening glow of the setting sun but the most prominent question that kept popping up was about the journal her mother had so ferociously tried to keep. Whose was it? What did it contain? Why was it so important to her mother? And why was Ophelia the one who had the most right to it? Was that why her mother had come back, to keep the journal after all? How had her mother found her? And why did she close the door? With this final question dawned the realization that Mrs. Julia knew the way to the room and possibly- no without doubt what it contained. The librarian had mentioned that her mother had been there before, for the truth! What else did her mother know? And who exactly was she?

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Benjamin's library shift started at 8 am. He had a tendency to arrive a little earlier though. Benjamin enjoyed the smell of books and loved reading through the vast amount of books in the library. The library held all sorts of books, ranging from history, philosophy, and the sciences to other queer books that detailed the most minute accounts of life. Benjamin had even stumbled upon a book that detailed the effects and steps of an effective handshake. The only explanation he could produce was that the initial owner was a collector of some sort, the affluent had a tendency for such strange hobbies. Benjamin thoroughly enjoyed finding these sorts of 'easter eggs', and once in a while, he stumbled upon a really good one. He had volunteered for the job and it fitted him perfectly, he genuinely loved his job.

Benjamin set about his work, first opening the windows and dusting off the books. The library was almost always open but he wasn't expecting anyone to come in at this early hour of the day. He left his job post, being physically incapable of idleness, and set about cleaning the library. The elderly librarian wasn't to be expected to keep the library clean.

When Benjamin was done with his self-imposed task, he took his place behind the counter. Mrs. Harry, who had been wearied by the events of the preceding night, had not yet come down. On getting to the counter, the first thing he noticed was that there was a book there. A returned book he guessed, but it was different from other books he had seen, it looked very haggard, and the back was gone, leaving the book with a look like it had escaped a fire. The appearance of the book intrigued Benjamin, and he picked it up. He looked over it and wondered if it was really a library book or it had been left behind by some forgetful owner. Either way, he decided to go through it. If it belonged to an unfortunate owner, there was no way for him to know if he didn't go through it, and if it was a library book, it was an 'easter egg', one of the mysterious and unorthodox books he loved best. He kept it in his bag for safe keeping, to go over it in his leisure hours.

Just then he heard the door open and a female figure with dark hair walked in, it was Ophelia, Amber's cousin.

'Where's the librarian?' she asked, surprised to see Benjamin at the counter.

'She isn't here now, I'm volunteering' He replied. Ophelia seemed relieved somehow that she hadn't run into the older librarian, for one her eyes which glanced frantically around the library, finally held his gaze.

'I have a book to return' she said and kept a book with a bluish cover on the counter.

'Alright do have a nice day' He responded gleaming. Ophelia waved and walked briskly out of the library. Benjamin somehow got the impression that she was trying to avoid the elderly librarian. He took a look at the book she dropped to keep it safe, back in its assigned location but couldn't find anything on the book to indicate the section of the library that it belonged to. Just like the other one he had taken, this book seemed out of place in a public library, it had a more homely feeling, like a diary. He resolved to leave the book where she left it. The older librarian would know what to do with it.

Mrs. Harry came down the steps not too long after, looking quite ill. She mumbled something about taking the day off, more to herself than to anyone else, and walked with more effort than usually followed her stately gait to the door. Benjamin was thoroughly sympathetic. He rushed to help her but was waved away by the elderly woman.

'I'm fine, I'm fine' she insisted when he tried to carry her belongings, just a bag containing a handful of clothes and other personal effects that she would need for daily use at home.

'Are you sure? Let me help you carry them to your house. Do you leave afar off?" He asked, concern evident in his eyes. But she wouldn't have it.

'Nonsense, I can take care of myself. What if someone comes when we're both gone?' At this, Benjamin relented. She was right. The mention of a visitor jogged his memory and he mentioned the book left by Ophelia.

'That book over by the counter, where should I keep it?' He asked, pointing. Mrs. Harry did not bother to look at the book, assuming it was the one left by Mrs. Julia, she promptly gave the details as to its proper replacement. The location of the journals wasn't supposed to be public knowledge but Mrs. Harry suspected that withholding such information would only spark curiosity in the heart of one so young. She turned and left the library, while Harry set off on the task of replacing the journal on its shelf immediately, in order not to forget the directions to their location as they were quite complicated.

Later on that day, the library had a second and most welcome - at least to Benjamin - visitor. It was Amber, his crush. When their eyes met, he involuntarily took in a breath of air, this caused Amber, who never let any of his actions go unnoticed to smile.

'Do you know where Mrs. Harry is?' Amber asked sheepishly. Benjamin was enthralled by her and all her little motions. Everything she did made his heart flutter, even her voice was like music to him.

'Yes, she has gone home. I am the librarian on duty today' He spoke with a different tone than he usually did, deeper, more refined, all subconsciously of course, his desire to impress Amber manifested itself like this sometimes, but Amber always noticed. His mannerisms had charmed her as he had intended but not in the way he planned, her pleasure came not from his actions themselves but from the fact that they were born from an innate desire to please her. She smiled and his heart skipped a beat. The realization that they were alone suddenly dawned on him.

'Please tell her I was around', Amber left the library on that note and Benjamin's eyes followed her, unable to utter a word. He watched her until he could do so no more and let out a breath he had no idea he was holding in. He really loved her but had no way to approach her. He was hopelessly shy.