of ghosts and libraries

The library was quiet that night apart from the noise of the street lightly streaming through the walls. The stuffy smell of books was lying thickly in the air and the last light of day was pouring into the room through the small windows. The librarian turned the page of his book despite not soaking up the information from the last page. There was an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling deep inside his chest.

The librarian’s head was filled with thoughts he wanted to express, but there was no one to share them with. Whenever he did talk to someone, it felt like there was a wall between them. There was a wall distancing the librarian from the world around him and no one could break it down. Every noise was distant, every touch ghostly and every smell like it was only perceived by someone else. He was swimming in a sea of emptiness, and it drowned out all of his senses.

At least until that night. That night, there was a noise. The librarian turned around to see nothing. Then there was a “Hello” behind him. He turned around once more and saw a person. At least due to lack of words and understanding, he would describe it as that.

“Who are you?” he asked in a gentle voice.

“My name does not matter anymore, I am dead.”

 “What now?” The librarian looked him up and down again and realised that the figure standing in front of him was, in fact, slightly see-through. The ghost waited patiently as the librarian’s face grew more understanding. “Oh, I see. What are you doing here?”

“You were sitting here all by yourself.”

 “I was. I have for a long time.”

 “Are you lonely?” The ghost’s voice was unsure.

  “Everybody feels lonely now and then.”

  “You shouldn’t.” The librarian responded with a weak smile. The ghost smiled back at him, and his sweet, tender smile broke through the emptiness in the librarian’s chest, making his heart buzz and flutter.

 “Maybe I won’t anymore.”

“Maybe you won’t.”

The next night, the library wasn’t quiet. Through the busyness of the streets, one might have been able to make out chatter and happy laughter. The library wasn’t empty anymore.