Hortense and the Library

Hortense Gunsenthorpe lived in the little blue house all her life. Her mother, Harmony and her father, Hawthorne J. lived there, too. The best thing Hortense liked to do was sit at the kitchen table and talk to them. They were a happy family and liked to do things together.

Hortense had a bump. It was a bump she didn’t like. It was on her nose. Harmony, her mother, told Hortense she did not know how the bump got there. It definitely wasn’t there when Hortense was a baby. “I wish I didn’t have a bump,” Hortense could be heard to say.

The children at school were mean. “Here comes Bumpy Hortense. Humpy Bumpy Hortense.”

“Why are the children so mean?” she asked her mother. “Why am I the only one with a bump on my nose?

“You are a special person,” Harmony said. “God sends special gifts to the people He loves the most.”

“Gifts?” exclaimed Hortense. “Gifts. These bumps aren’t gifts at all. They make me ugly.”

Hester stroked Hortense’s long brown hair just the way Hortense liked. “You are not ugly. You are a beautiful girl,” Hamony said. “The other children are too young to understand that. Don’t pay any attention to them. Your day will come.”

Hortense wondered what day it would be. Saturdays were her favorite. That was Library Day. Hester and Hortense would walk ten blocks (Hortense counted them) to the Library. She loved the Library because it was full of fun and fantasy and dreams. All Hortense had to do was read the books and all her worries about the children’s taunts would disappear.

Hortense had a secret. She could disappear. Her mother would search the whole Library for Hortense sometimes but could never find her. Hortense disappeared into the books she read. “But only the happy ones.” Definitely only the happy ones.

Hortense read a lot of books. She read books that had beautiful pictures, books with drawings, books filled with words that Hortense knew, black and white books and books full of brighit colors. She would select the books she most liked and take them to the counter where Mrs. Dorio, the Librarian, sat.

Mrs. Dorio was very kind to Hortense. She didn’t like the way the other children treated her. She would shush them loudly when they tried to say anything mean to Hortense.

“Hortense. I baked cookies this morning,” Mrs. Dorio said one Saturday afternoon. “Would you like some for your mother and you to take home?”

“Yes, please,” answered Hortense, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

“I’ll put some in a little box for you and you can get them before you leave.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Dorio,” said Hortense, who was very polite.

Hortense was especially happy at the Library when Harmony spent longer than usual perusing the books to decide which ones she wanted to borrow. While her mother searched, Hortense would take the books Mrs. Dorio had just checked out and pile them on one of the tables people use for reading. There were six chairs at the four reading tables, located in different parts of the Library. Hortense was especially fond of the reading table next to the Fantasy section. She liked it because the light was the brightest in the entire Library. She would sit, carefully going through all of her books. Sometimes she would disappear into one of her stories, but she usually returned in time for her mother to find her.

This Saturday Hortense’s favorite reading table already had five children sitting at it. There was room for Hortense, but the other children were her schoolmates and three of them were especially mean to her. Hortense did not want to sit with them anyway, she told herself. She made her way to the empty reading table beside the big window that looked out over the roofs of houses below, and plunked her books on the table. When she sat down, she spread them out in front of her, deciding which she wanted to read first.

That Saturday afternoon, as she turned the first page a boy appeared at the other side of the table and asked, “What did you do with it?”

“What?” Hortense replied, fearing he was just making fun of her, and hoping he would go away.

“My book. I left it here by accident.” The boy seemed angry

“I didn’t see it,” Hortense answered truthfully. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you sure it isn’t in the pile you have there? he asked, frowning.

Hortense spread her arms around her books and quietly, so as only the boy could hear her, and said, “I’m sure. I promise.”

The boy didn’t seem to be convinced, but he left the table and walked back to the children at the other table. He whispered something to the girl with long, curly blonde hair and they all looked over to Hortense, and began to laugh.

Hortense wanted to disappear. When the children stopped looking and went back to what they had been doing, Hortense couldn’t wait to disappear into the first book her hand touched.

Readying herself for a ride on a horse called “Noeway”, according to the book’s title, Hortense held her breath as she always did before disappearing. She closed the book but, for some reason, it didn’t close completely. She knew that didn’t matter a bit, and whispered to herself, “Now”. The next thing she knew she was sitting on the ground in a world of greens and blues and red.

Hortense was disappointed. Where was her horse?

“There must be horses around here somewhere,” she said out loud as she stood up and brushed herself off.

She turned in a circle to see all around her but couldn’t see any horse or any field or trail where she had thought she would be riding.

A sort of beeping noise distracted Hortense. She couldn’t tell from which direction it was coming. She listened carefully as the noise became louder and louder. It came closer and closer.

Hortense still couldn’t see anything that would cause the noise. It was a sound she’d never heard before, kind of like ‘brrrr beep ting’. But nothing she knew went ‘brrrr’ or ‘beep’ and certainly didn’t go ‘ting’.

The noise grew so loud that she had to put her fingers in her ears to try and block it out, but it kept getting louder until it was at the exact level where she really wanted it to stop.

“Stop it!” Hortense yelled into the green and blue and red world around her. But it didn’t stop. It felt as if the noise was just in front of her, nearly touching her nose and she had the buzzy feeling of what Harmony called pins and needles all over her body.

She pressed her fingers harder against her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to wish the noise away. It worked. The noise stopped. Hortense opened her eyes and said, “That’s better.” Turning around a full circle, she scanned the blue horizon where the green sun was trying very hard not to go behind a … red cloud?

“But the horse.” She called, “Noeway, Noeway, where are you boy?”

“And who might you be?” asked a staticky voice behind her.

Hortense swung around to see who was there, and what she saw was like nothing she’d ever seen before. It was a blob, a green blob. Hortense stared into what looked like eyes, and let out a tiny scream.

“Well, who are you?” the creature asked again.

“I’m just Hortense,” Hortense answered as politely as possible.

“You don’t have to be scared, ‘I’M JUST HORTENSE’. That’s totally up to you.”

“I’m not scared. I’m just Hortense. That’s my name. Hortense. Who are you?” she inquired, looking directly into what looked like a big blue eye in the middle of the…creature…?

“Never mind that now,” the blob instructed. “You came just in time.”

“What? In time for what?”

“My celebration, of course.”

Hortense didn’t know what to say, but finally asked, “What celebration?”

“For my bump. Don’t you know anything?”

“Your bump?” Hortense couldn’t help but stare openmouthed.

The blob started moving in a circle around Hortense. “Yes, I’m 150 moons today, and that means I get my bump,” it said. “Like yours, only bigger.”

“Moons? What does that mean?”

“Time. Time, of course. That’s how long I’ve been waiting. I’ve been looking forward to it since my little time.”

Hortense was quite confused. She finally asked, “Why do you get a bump?

The blob looked exasperated. “I told you. I’m 150 moons and that’s when we finally get our bumps. If we’ve been good,” it added, then asked Hortense, “When did you get your bump and why is it so small?”

“I don’t know when I got it. All know is that I hate it.”

If a blob could look horrified, this one certainly did.

“HATE it? Hate your bump? How could you? No one hates the bump. How could you hate your bump?”

“It makes me ugly,” Hortense answered.

The blob looked shocked. “Ugly? UGLY? Bumps are beautiful. And they have to be earned. Not just everyone gets a bump. 150 moons it takes. 150 well-behaved moons.”

“Where does it go,” she asked. “when you get it?”

There was a huge whirly sound as something that looked like an arm with one finger emerged from the blob’s middle. “Here.” It pointed upwards, tapping a spot just below its top. “You should know that. That’s where yours is.”

Hortense put a finger on the side of her nose and tapped it gently. “You want it here?”

“Of course we do. Where else could it possibly go?”

This was the most puzzled Hortense had ever been. “I don’t know,” she finally said.

As the two stood looking at each other, a bright light shone in the distance. Hortense squinted, hoping to see better. She’d never seen anything like this. As the light slowly came closer, it began to zig and zag like a flash of lightning if it were lost.

“Here it comes. Finally.” It nearly yelled.

Suddenly the blob lifted up in the air, over Hortense’s head. Its ‘arm’ stretched out, pointing straight in front. “It has to see me,” the blob said. “Point. You point. I want to make sure it sees me. “POINT!”

Hortense had to point. She was polite, after all. “Who is that? What is that?

“It’s the Bumper,” the blob told her, amazed. “You don’t know the Bumper?”

“No, never heard of him…her…it,” she finally responded.

“NO?”

“No.”

With that the light began to flip and flop, to stretch and slide, to up and down.

“What’s it doing?” Hortense asked.

“I don’t know,” replied the blob, looking worried, as worried as a blob could look. It must be revving its starts.”

Hortense wanted to ask what ‘starts’ were in…wherever this was, but the light had nearly reached them.

When it came within a nose-length, it lifted upward and hung directly above the blob.

“Greetings, greetings, good Bobbler. You bring me the best thing on the best day since my Little Time.”

Hortense, being polite, thought it only correct manners to say ‘hello’ to this Bobbler. “How do you do? I’m Hortense.”

The Bobbler pivoted on itself. “Did you send for me?” It was talking to Hortense.

“No…Sir,” she answered, her face reddening. “I just got here.”

“Well then,” it whirred, “I’ll be on my way then.”

“But…” started the blob.

“But what about this?” She pointed to the blob that seemed to be crying in the way she imagined a blob would cry when it’s anxious.

“That. Oh THAT. Well it’s too late. This is wasting my time.”

“But,” began the Blob, trying to sound calm. “Please may I have my bump? I’ve waited so long and today’s the day I’m to receive it.”

“Not while the stranger is here you aren’t. This shows me terrible judgement. Can’t you tell she’s one of those?” The Bobbler tilted in the opposite direction from Hortense.

“Those?” quizzed the blob.

“Humans. That sort. From that other place. Earth they call it Isn’t that correct, you…Earthbeing?”

“I most certainly am,” Hortense confirmed. “I didn’t plan to come here. I was looking for the horse in my book.”

“Do you see a horse?” Bobbler asked her.

“Well…no, but…”

“No…but…exactly! We don’t like earthlings here. And we certainly don’t have horses.”

“But, my bump…” the blob began. “May I…?”

“Of course you may not. You have been in the company of an Earthbeing. That’s not allowed. You have broken all our sacred rules.”

“I don’t understand,” he stammered.

“Nor do I,” Hortense felt she had to add.

“Well, you’ll have another 150 moons to figure it all out. No bump for you. I’m late.” And, with that, the Bobbler disappeared.

“It just disappeared!” Hortense shouted, shocked.

She heard a sound like the sound of a fire alarm full of popping candy exploding beside her.

“My…b-b-b-bump.”

When Hortense looked at the blob, she saw tiny green marbles running from near its top to its very bottom.

“What are those?” she asked.

The blob sobbed, “Don’t you know anything, Earthbeing?”

“I know when things are fair, and I also know when things are not fair, and you’ve been treated most unfairly.”

The bob stopped sobbing. It turned toward Hortense. “You’re right. Not fair.”

Hortense did her best to smile at the blob.

“Now I’ll never get my bump,” moaned the blob.

“You’ll get it in another 150 moons,” the lightz said, “didn’t it?”

“150 MOONS!” the blob shrieked. “Do you know how LONG that is?”

“No,” admitted Hortense.

“It’s as many moons as I already have once all over again. Do you know how LONG that will take?”

“One hundred and fifty moons?” Hortense said, quietly, nearly to herself.

“EXACTLY! I won’t get my bump until then. And I’ve been so good the last 150 moons”. The green marbles began to come faster and twirl a bit as they ran down the front of the blob. They looked bigger, Hortense thought.

She couldn’t bear to see this thing she’d met so sad. “Can I help?” she asked.

“There’s no such thing as help here,” it sputtered. “It’s not permitted. We must do everything on our own.”

Hortense frowned. “That’s just not fair. Everyone needs help. Even blobs,” she said, reaching out her hand to touch the blob.

It began to move beneath her touch. It made Hortense’s fingers tickle.

“What are you doing?” the blob sniffed.

“Trying to be a friend,” she said, “Honestly. Isn’t there some way I can help?”

“No. Nothing can help me now that I didn’t get my bump. And I was so looking forward to it. There was g oing to be a party.”

Hortense remembered the blob had mentioned a celebration. How sad it was that it wouldn’t get either its celebration or its bump.

“Sigh,” sighed the blob.

“Sigh,” sighed Hortense.

Hortense took a few steps, carefully avoiding the green marbles now spread across the ground, then sat down right beside where the blob was hovering. The blob lowered itself to the patch beside her.

The two of them sat. Hortense thought. Harmony, her mother, always told her what a great help she was. She knew she could help. But how, she wondered.

The blob began sniffling as the green marbles connected to form a circle around it.

Hortense thought. Hortense wondered. After a very few moments, she had the answer. At least she thought she had.

“I have an idea,” she said, holding her breath.

“I’ll bet you don’t,” The blob turned toward Hortense. She was smiling and crossing two of her fingers. “Do you?” It seemed to perk up a bit.

“You can share my bump. The one on my nose. It’s big enough for two.” She patted the blob on its side.

“But everyone needs a bump, to be happy.” It moaned again.

“I don’t. You can’t possibly know how much I don’t need this great big bump.”

The blob raised itself into a low hover. “You would do that? Give me your beautiful bump?”

Hortense thought. “Beautiful! My bump is beautiful. And I want to share it.”

With that, a flash of silver blue light streaked in front of the two of them as they sat and hovered.

What sounded like a hundred horns began to toot. And buzz. And brrr. And the sky suddenly turned every color of the rainbow. It was beautiful, Hortense thought.

“It’s done,” it said.

“What?” Hortense turned around.

“It’s done.”

There, to Hortense’s amazement, perched a bump right below the top of the blob. “Wow. That’s amazing. You look so good.”

“I do? Do I look as beautiful as you,” asked the blob.

There it was again. ‘Beautiful.’

Hortense smiled like she’d never smiled before. She couldn’t wait to see herself again, now she knew she wasn’t the ugly girl her mean schoolmates said she was. “I’m beautiful.”

“Hortense” A voice that sounded as if it was made of rubber called her name.

“Hortense! It’s time to go.”

For a moment or two, Hortense stayed still. Did she actually hear her name? She turned around to ask the blob if it had heard, but all she saw was a faded patch of blue where it had been.

When she looked back, she saw she was sitting at the reading table, a book opened before her.

“Hortense!”

A shadow suddenly enveloped the table. She looked up. There stood the boy. “You said you didn’t have my book.” He sounded angry.

“I didn’t. I don’t,” she stammered.

The boy pointed at her pile of books. “That’s it. Right on the top. The alien book.”

She looked down and, sure enough, there was a book she had never seen before opened in fron of her at the table.

Quickly she closed it, and held it out to the boy.

“I didn’t know. Honest. I don’t know how it got there.” Hortense felt so embarrassed she wanted to get up and run away. Before she could, the boy held out his hand. She handed him the book. The boy looked at her, and said, “That’s weird.”

When he walked away, Hortense thought she was going to cry.

“Hortense! There you are.” It was Mrs. Dorio. “I’ve been looking up and down all the rows for you. You don’t usually sit here. Your mum is waiting for you. Time to go home.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Dorio. You’re right. Today I did things differently.”

Hortense gathered her books into a neat pile, put on her jacket and walked to the front door with the books in her arms.

“There you are,” said Harmony when she saw her. “You must have got some good books. We thought you’d disappeared.”

“No. I was right here all the time.”

Her mother smiled at her. “Are you ready for the walk home?”

“Yes I am. And I’m hungry.”

Her mother lay a hand on Hortense’s shoulder. “That’s good. We’ll have supper as soon as we get home.”

Hortense smiled in agreement.

She bundled her books a bit tighter to herself and looked back through the big glass window to wave goodbye to Mrs. Dorio. As she did, she caught a glance of herself in the shiny metal wall beside the window.

She smiled again. Her bump was gone.

She missed it already.