The Great Library

I climb the stone steps to The Great Library, past the statue of python swallowing gator, and pull open the mosaic doors.

Though I've never been to The Great Library, I'm starting to get why Khost sent me here: the towering structure tucked away from the city and surrounded by oak and gumbo limbo is large enough to house more than a few answers.

Entering the foyer, the first thing you notice are the towers of books, stretching up towards the domed ceiling. The dome reminds me of a planetarium, except that instead of stars, the inside of the dome is dotted with letters of the alphabet that somehow swirl in silent motion, like ghostly projections.

As I look closely at the towers of books, I can see that they also move slowly, in a mechanical motion, to make way for other rows behind them. There is one tower of books set apart from the others, locked behind a gnarled metal cage.

There are few visitors to The Great Library, and the ones I spy seem to appear between the rows of books, then disappear just as quickly, as if swept under.

Drawing myself away from the hypnotic rhythm of the books (I always fall asleep in libraries), I revisit Khost's instructions. Find the Librarian.

On the far side of the Library, I can see a desk with a tiny figure sitting at it. As I get closer to the desk, I notice that it floats a few feet above the ground.

"May I help you?" The figure at the desk is a girl, about ten years old. She pushes back her long, dark hair, engrossed in a large, leather-bound volume.

"May I help you?" she repeats, in a shrill voice.

"I'm not sure," I say. "I'm looking for the Librarian."

"I am the Librarian," says the girl, a bit haughtily. "Clearly this is your first time in The Great Library."

The girl steps out from behind the desk, where she floats for a couple of seconds before drifting down to float eye-level with me.

"Who sent you here?" she asks, her arms folded across her chest.

"Officer Khost," I say. "I'm his assistant."

The girl's aura of gloom seems to melt away.

"Ahhh, Officer Khost! He is a most brilliant detective. Just the other day, he gave me this book, as a present from my dead mama, and I have learned ever so much from it." The Librarian swoops over to her desk to show me the large volume she's been reading: Letters of the Soul: Volume 1.

"That seems like a...heavy book," I say.

"Oh it is," says the Librarian. "But I am a fast reader. Not to mention my other talents. Unlike most librarians, I am also quite good at reading between the lines. This has become a popular area for private tutoring. I charge $10 an hour."

The Librarian reaches into her pocket and hands me her card. On the front: The Librarian. On the back: a child-scrawl map to The Great Library.

"Follow me," she says. "I'll give you the tour."