Survival 101 - (The Newspaper Part 2 (The Librarian))
Survival 101 - The Newspaper Part 2 (The Librarian)
March 18th 2006
Blog Entry 9
The library was just as big as it looked from the outside, with three floors, all opened to see them from the entrance. There was a red, ruby carpet that started from the doors to stairs that snaked their way up to the second, then the third floor. There were probably other stairs elsewhere, and most likely an elevator or two, but Damien did not find them on his first look. As libraries went, it was not as quiet as one would imagine: there were plenty of whispers, college girls giggling in their corner, either talking about homework or the boy next door. Damien could also hear children laughing loudly from somewhere deep on the first, maybe second floor, most likely reading funny books like Charlie the Choo-Choo, or a Garfield comic book.
Damien stepped up to the round counter where a woman... or a man, frankly, he could not be sure, was deep in her/his paperwork. If it was a woman, she was dressed so heavily the lumps of her breasts did not show, and her hair was cut in a bowl like shape around her ears. Her features were between that of an unfortunate man... or an unfortunate woman. There was no make-up to prove it could have been a female at all, and the way he/she moved were not significant of either gender. Even when she - he decided it was a she for the moment, especially with that disturbing non gender voice that followed - raised her head to look at him and smiled, no features betrayed a side of the gender more then the other.
"Yes, yes, can I help you?", she said with the strangest accent Damien had ever heard. It sounded a mix of sophisticated rubbish, with a Indian/Muslim accent. Now, not only could he not tell the gender of the person, but finding out the origins was just as impossible.
He let her know he was looking for the newspaper archives. She nodded, pointing him in the right direction, but he insisted she followed him there, saying he was no good with these machines, that he had never used them before. In a sense, it was not all false. He had never needed to look at news archives before. So she followed him there, and sat by the projector for him, running her long, mishapped fingers along the keyboard. Damien let her know of the day, and the newspaper he needed, and she found it quickly for him. Once done, she was about to leave, raising from the seat again, but Damien stopped her.
"Wait! I'm not too sure still... How do I find the obituaries...?"
"Oh! That's very simple, yes yes!", she said, sitting back down and flipping through the paper until she would get to the part. Damien did not look at the screen starting from then, fearing he would read the part by mistake and forget all about what he had to do. When she was showing signs of wanting to leave again, he brought his large hand down on the back of the chair, leaning down and pocking his finger at the screen.
"Wait up!", he told her, "I still need your help for a bit. Do you think you could print this for me?"
But she shook her head, saying there were no printers for these files for copyright issues. Damien nodded his understanding, but asked her if she minded writing down the information on the screen. Of course, it struck her as odd, and said that he could do it on his own. Damien shook his head, pointing at the screen again. He needed this information. Someone he knew passed away, and he needed the information to go to the funerals, which made sense. But when she asked him what the name of the person was, he stalled for a moment, then said that it was a long lost friend of a family member, and that he did not know his last name, so he needed to make some research. Of course, the librarian agreed, understood, but suggested he came back with said family member to look it up.
Now Damien was starting to lose his patience. How hard was it to write down a name and an address? There were about four pages of names, yes, but at least half of them were "in remembrance of the death of" that dated back to years ago. It was getting confusing and hard. That woman, if it was a woman at all, was starting to get on his nerves, asking too many questions.
Eventually, he shook his head with impatience, "I can't read. It's not something I want people to know, even less my family."
"Oh... oh I see, yes yes... Um... well... um...", she reached for a piece of paper and a pencil, "Well um.... okay, here, give me a moment..."
Damien nodded and thanked her. He had guessed it would have come down to this, but he had nearly messed up as well. After about ten minutes, the librarian handed him the piece of paper, smiling at him. She looked a little more like a woman now, but he still could not be sure. She escorted him back to the door, still smiling, and Damien had a hunch it meant he had just made a new friend. She had made her good deed of the day by helping someone they way she had after all. He owed her, that was for sure. When he reached back into his pocket and handed her a piece of paper with his cell phone number scribbled on it, she took it questioningly. He let her know that she had been of great help, and if she needed anything, to give him a call.
She even opened the door for him, waving at him when he left. If she had realized that Damien had just given her a written note, she may not have been this happy. Then again, there were illiterate people who understood numbers and how to write them, compared to writing words, and that's probably what she would tell herself in the end.
"Made a new friend?", Alice smirked, looking at the genderless being waving at Damien before going back inside the large building.
Damien made no reply to this, but handed over the list for Ryan to see. But all he could see was a bunch of names with funeral dates. It meant nothing, and did not give any clues as to what could have had Ryan, Alice and Miguel forget about reading the obituaries, nor did not give anything about Miguel going into Death Rage for no apparent reason. It seemed they were still at a dead end. They were about to give up when Miguel, who had remained quiet all this time, looked at the woman, "Hey Alice... if I say Stan... what do you think about?"
"Ley...", the word came casually, quickly, automatically.
Miguel snapped his fingers, "That's it! Stanley! Whenever I think about the paper... that's what comes to mind, Stan.. and Ley. Stanley!"
Ryan nodded, then looked over the list again with Damien, his finder tracing down the names.
"There is a Joseph Stanley in there...", Ryan said, confirming it was the only Stanley in the list, "... and according to this, the funerals are happening as we speak."
To be continued...
March 18th 2006
Blog Entry 9
The library was just as big as it looked from the outside, with three floors, all opened to see them from the entrance. There was a red, ruby carpet that started from the doors to stairs that snaked their way up to the second, then the third floor. There were probably other stairs elsewhere, and most likely an elevator or two, but Damien did not find them on his first look. As libraries went, it was not as quiet as one would imagine: there were plenty of whispers, college girls giggling in their corner, either talking about homework or the boy next door. Damien could also hear children laughing loudly from somewhere deep on the first, maybe second floor, most likely reading funny books like Charlie the Choo-Choo, or a Garfield comic book.
Damien stepped up to the round counter where a woman... or a man, frankly, he could not be sure, was deep in her/his paperwork. If it was a woman, she was dressed so heavily the lumps of her breasts did not show, and her hair was cut in a bowl like shape around her ears. Her features were between that of an unfortunate man... or an unfortunate woman. There was no make-up to prove it could have been a female at all, and the way he/she moved were not significant of either gender. Even when she - he decided it was a she for the moment, especially with that disturbing non gender voice that followed - raised her head to look at him and smiled, no features betrayed a side of the gender more then the other.
"Yes, yes, can I help you?", she said with the strangest accent Damien had ever heard. It sounded a mix of sophisticated rubbish, with a Indian/Muslim accent. Now, not only could he not tell the gender of the person, but finding out the origins was just as impossible.
He let her know he was looking for the newspaper archives. She nodded, pointing him in the right direction, but he insisted she followed him there, saying he was no good with these machines, that he had never used them before. In a sense, it was not all false. He had never needed to look at news archives before. So she followed him there, and sat by the projector for him, running her long, mishapped fingers along the keyboard. Damien let her know of the day, and the newspaper he needed, and she found it quickly for him. Once done, she was about to leave, raising from the seat again, but Damien stopped her.
"Wait! I'm not too sure still... How do I find the obituaries...?"
"Oh! That's very simple, yes yes!", she said, sitting back down and flipping through the paper until she would get to the part. Damien did not look at the screen starting from then, fearing he would read the part by mistake and forget all about what he had to do. When she was showing signs of wanting to leave again, he brought his large hand down on the back of the chair, leaning down and pocking his finger at the screen.
"Wait up!", he told her, "I still need your help for a bit. Do you think you could print this for me?"
But she shook her head, saying there were no printers for these files for copyright issues. Damien nodded his understanding, but asked her if she minded writing down the information on the screen. Of course, it struck her as odd, and said that he could do it on his own. Damien shook his head, pointing at the screen again. He needed this information. Someone he knew passed away, and he needed the information to go to the funerals, which made sense. But when she asked him what the name of the person was, he stalled for a moment, then said that it was a long lost friend of a family member, and that he did not know his last name, so he needed to make some research. Of course, the librarian agreed, understood, but suggested he came back with said family member to look it up.
Now Damien was starting to lose his patience. How hard was it to write down a name and an address? There were about four pages of names, yes, but at least half of them were "in remembrance of the death of" that dated back to years ago. It was getting confusing and hard. That woman, if it was a woman at all, was starting to get on his nerves, asking too many questions.
Eventually, he shook his head with impatience, "I can't read. It's not something I want people to know, even less my family."
"Oh... oh I see, yes yes... Um... well... um...", she reached for a piece of paper and a pencil, "Well um.... okay, here, give me a moment..."
Damien nodded and thanked her. He had guessed it would have come down to this, but he had nearly messed up as well. After about ten minutes, the librarian handed him the piece of paper, smiling at him. She looked a little more like a woman now, but he still could not be sure. She escorted him back to the door, still smiling, and Damien had a hunch it meant he had just made a new friend. She had made her good deed of the day by helping someone they way she had after all. He owed her, that was for sure. When he reached back into his pocket and handed her a piece of paper with his cell phone number scribbled on it, she took it questioningly. He let her know that she had been of great help, and if she needed anything, to give him a call.
She even opened the door for him, waving at him when he left. If she had realized that Damien had just given her a written note, she may not have been this happy. Then again, there were illiterate people who understood numbers and how to write them, compared to writing words, and that's probably what she would tell herself in the end.
"Made a new friend?", Alice smirked, looking at the genderless being waving at Damien before going back inside the large building.
Damien made no reply to this, but handed over the list for Ryan to see. But all he could see was a bunch of names with funeral dates. It meant nothing, and did not give any clues as to what could have had Ryan, Alice and Miguel forget about reading the obituaries, nor did not give anything about Miguel going into Death Rage for no apparent reason. It seemed they were still at a dead end. They were about to give up when Miguel, who had remained quiet all this time, looked at the woman, "Hey Alice... if I say Stan... what do you think about?"
"Ley...", the word came casually, quickly, automatically.
Miguel snapped his fingers, "That's it! Stanley! Whenever I think about the paper... that's what comes to mind, Stan.. and Ley. Stanley!"
Ryan nodded, then looked over the list again with Damien, his finder tracing down the names.
"There is a Joseph Stanley in there...", Ryan said, confirming it was the only Stanley in the list, "... and according to this, the funerals are happening as we speak."
To be continued...
posted by Reptle at 4:55 PM
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