“Excuse me, sir. Are you alright?”
He had been staring at the books in the library for four straight hours. Muttering quietly yet persistently to himself. He had a long black jacket and long wavy brown hair. He also carried a staff, and was weathered, though not too old. Besides his appearance, and the muttering, and his staff, he seemed like a normal dude.
She was the librarian. It was her job to approach all of the guests in the library. But she stayed away for as long as she was able, until she finally decided he might be of no harm. She was younger than the man. And gently warm. Job as librarian suited her carefully.
“…Sir?”
He turned slowly toward her while grabbing a book from the bookshelf. It had a picture of a crow on the cover.
“Hello there.” He gruffed. Then he looked at the book, then back at the librarian. “A crow.” He quietly chuckled to himself.
“How’s your day going sir?” She was trying to engage the man in a healthy conversation.
As if he didn’t quite hear her, or simply ignored her, he asked concerningly, “Have you ever heard the story about the crow? It’s an interesting one. They are an interesting bird to begin with. They are a bully bird in nature. They laugh and have a sense of humor as well. And if they fly in your neighborhood, they are often a symbol of the afterlife. They see what you’re made of. They will test you. And they will serve as guardians. Mentors. Road maps.”
She didn’t want to hear it. He was cohesive, but mildly unpleasant. She moved her positioning of her body to express impatience. But he just kept talking.
“Yes. The crows. There’s more than meets the eye. To see what they see. To see what any other creature sees would be too much really. I believe God has a place for us all, and there’s grace that has even welcomed me..” He changed subjects.
“You seem young enough to have fallen in love. Was it worth it?”
She was annoyed, but now that he was appearing to be more of a person and she understood that she was in the midst of a strange character, she decided to entertain his question.
“Hmm, well. I have loved someone as well as I can express. But I personally found it too demanding.”
His eyes glinted as if the tint had gone down a shade and he had met an actual person. “Ah. Your time alone is your expression. Fair play, I do say. And the brief moments of exhaltation kept the infatuation well kept, but this could have perhaps been placed on anyone in your company, unless… it only did suit this individual whom you shared with best?” He questioned.
“Well, yes. I am sure I could have loved others the same had we been given the time.”
He objected, but firstly with his eyes. “So you would love your father the same?”
She paused a moment, “Not exactly, though he’s a good enough fellow.”
He grabbed his staff and tightened his hand. Then he muttered and started forming words again. “So, this is a matter of time. This love of yours. Well, enjoy this I suppose. It is your time alone that embraces humanity, and their effect on you is cosmically unforeseen.” He waved his hand, “But do understand, the unwavering amount of time will someday change you, just as much as it changes others. To stay the same, or to better that loving capacity embraces everyone who plays a part. And if you falter! If you have any sense of a destructive behavior! If you go one strong step in the wrong direction! I warn you… those crows will notice.”
“Okay…” She stepped away slowly. Weirded out. The man put the book back. Then he left the library and three crows landed. One on his staff, and the other two, on each shoulder.
Short Stories
Comments are closed.
1 Likes
1020 Views
Share:
These characters are realistic, yet enticing in a way. I like how you slowly build up their stories and give time for the reader to appreciate each of their personalities and nuances. Based on this and your other pieces I’ve read, your character development skills are excellent.
A suggestion:
Remove the sentence “Job as librarian suited her carefully.” This statement isn’t necessary as the reader can make this connection on their own from the details you’ve written preceding this. You’ve done such a great job giving the reader a mental picture of the librarian; no need to water it down by stating this point directly.
This is a strong, clean story, and I look forward to reading more of your work!