POV: Scott

We walked to the last row of shelves along the very back wall of the library and then down a narrow aisle between bookshelves that nearly reached to the ceiling. The shelves and books appeared as old as the library itself, which looked like it had been around for at least a century. The dim lighting, the dust on the book bindings and their undisturbed alignment gave the appearance of an ancient stone wall. I felt as if we were in the Labyrinth at Knossos. Her implied mystery as to what had happened in the library only added to the eerie feelings. I was wondering what Minotaur lay in wait ahead of us.

We got to the back corner of the library. The only Minotaur was a large well-cushioned chair, practically a loveseat at the end of the shelves. It was in the corner against the wall. There was a window in the wall behind the chair and not much else. Looking along the wall, I saw it was completely unadorned. There were no pictures, no fixtures, just a plain white wall faded by age.

"You can set up here and that is the empty shelf I thought you might could use as a desk if you need it." she explained matter-of-factly.

"Thanks, but you still haven't told me what happened here."

She gave me an odd look as if she was trying to decide if she should tell me and then reluctantly began, "It happened before I started working here. I can only tell you what I've heard. So, I'm not sure of the details, and it is probably just rumors anyway." She paused to increase my suspense.

Suddenly, the bell at her front desk began ringing, startling me and interrupting her story.

"I have to go see what that is about," she said starting to walk away.

"Wait," I said. I put my hand on her arm to stop her. "Can't you finish your story first?"

She grinned saying, "Why don't you finish it? It will be your first creative writing assignment. Create a story about what happened here to explain why everyone avoids this corner of the library."

"What? Oh, I get it," I said realizing that she had just been messing with me. "So, am I your student now?" I asked.

"Maybe, if you do a good job on that assignment," she laughed as she continued toward her desk.

I called after her, "For me lady so fair, from that chair over there, I promise to deliver a tale that will thrill her." I was thinking my silly rhyme would show my cleverness. As usual, I was wrong.

She giggled saying, "My champion so debonair, return to your lair and prepare and beware. Then if you dare, send a thousand ships equipped with all the words of your wits for this lady fair to compare and to share."

A thousand ships? Did she mean I had to write enough to fill a thousand ships or was she equating herself to Helen of Troy? Was Helen of Troy this frustrating? I wondered. It was most likely just literary license, although she did come off as a bit vain. It would probably take a thousand ships to get a girl like that interested in me.

After she left, I walked behind the chair to the window it seemed like it hadn't been open in years. Its view was onto a small alleyway that ran along the side of the library. It didn't appear to be the alternate dimension I was hoping for. I scanned the rest of the area. Down the wall from the window was a walkway allowing access to the other shelf aisles. My aisle seemed to be the only one with a window, a chair, and a partially empty shelf. This corner offered privacy, comfort and convenience, but little to inspire a story.

I looked out the window again and noticed part of the outside wooden sill was broken as if someone had used a tool to pry the window open. Who breaks into a library? Or was someone breaking out of another dimension? Maybe there was a story here after all. Little did I know, the chair had the real story.