It's too late

The library has always been an old haunt of mine. I’ve used my local library and others for many years. Something about a library is so homely; maybe the smell of old books gives this psychological effect.

I feel Libraries are a gold mine of information. I’ve used them for my college days, for just pleasure and just to find out the answer to things of interest. I have even had an excuse to go into a library just to escape the heavy rain.

Take last Thursday, for instance; it was late afternoon in November, so the sun was already setting, and it was getting quite dark, more so as it became overcast. I was walking down a street in the city of London with no umbrella and was wearing just a jacket; suddenly, it bucketed down. There was no shelter anywhere; shops were closing, and I had nowhere to shelter. Then luckily I spotted a library. I just managed to rush in there before getting soaked.

The library was almost empty, except for an older lady sitting by the window, reading a book, and a man sitting opposite, reading a newspaper. Yes, I could also smell the odour of old books.

Suddenly, I could hear the rain outside pelting against the library windows. It was then that I decided to find a book to read until the rain abated.

I decided to walk down the History section and scan for a book that would interest me. Suddenly I noticed a bearded man in a trench coat, wearing a fedora hat, walk into the library. He reminded me of one of those Scotland Yard detectives out of a crime thriller you see on tv. He came and sat down not far from the elderly lady and opened a packet of Rothmans King-size cigarettes. The lady looked up at him in disgust and pointed to the sign: “No Smoking!”

The man frowned and reluctantly put his cigarettes back in his coat pocket. Soon after, he pulled out a small, white envelope from his other pocket and started taping it on the table. He stared at it for a while, then looked around and glanced up at me with a grin.

Soon afterward, he got up and walked over to the Science Fiction section, and started browsing for a book. I was still trying to find my book. With nothing interesting to me in the History section, I was just about to try another aisle when I noticed the strange man walking to the entrance door; just as he was ready to leave, he turned around and stared at me again with a big smile on his face. It was as if he knew me and was trying to let me know something. Seconds later, he left without taking a book.

Finally, after some ten minutes, I found a book, “The Time Machine” by H.G.Wells, in the Science Fiction section. Finally, I saw through the library window the rain had stopped. I decided it was time to leave and gave the Librarian my book to stamp out. Moments later, I made my way home.

I took a short walk to the nearest bus stop for a number six. When it arrived, I climbed the stairs to the top of the bus and found an empty seat. Coincidently, the same man I saw in the library earlier brushed past me as I sat down. He turned to me and stared that sinister grin again as he sat just in front of me-- now I was starting to feel unnerved.

Is this man following me? I thought. Maybe he is one of those people who have escaped from an asylum nearby or something, and for some reason, he has latched on to me!

He could be a psychopath and dangerous! I pondered.

I planned on testing him. I would get off the bus at the next stop and wait to see if he would follow me! If he did, I would quickly jump back on the bus again, leaving him behind. In theory, the idea sounded good, but like most things, in reality, it’s another story.

The bus soon arrived at the next stop.

“Dam it!” what’s this older man in front of me doing? The man prevented me from getting off the bus! So I aborted and sat down until the next stop.

The bus was now moving closer to the next bus stop. Right here’s my chance, I rushed downstairs and got off the bus after a man and lady in front of me. Good, the stranger isn’t following me! But as I looked around again there, he was hurryingly, jumping off the bus!

Okay, this man’s a weirdo, and somehow I’ve got to lose him! I need to time this right. Wait for the bus to slowly pull away, then run like mad to climb back on board.

The strange man was walking behind me, only a couple of yards away now; I pretended to do up my shoelace and waited for him to pass by. He glanced back at me with a snarl, then like Jesse Owens, I turned and sprinted as fast as I could to the bus, just as it was pulling away. The man huffed and puffed as he pursued me, his legs started to wobble and then gave way, dropping him hard onto the pavement. He clambered up and waved a fist up in defiance, cursing me in some foreign language, as I jumped back onto the bus.

As soon as I got back home, the first thing I did was pour myself a stiff whisky and sat exhausted, into my armchair.

That’s the last time I ever go to a library! I thought.

After resting, and wondering why this man was hell-bent on following me, I delved into my library book. I have always loved Science Fiction and think It is an excellent escapement from stress. As I leaned over to pick up my cup of tea, I tipped the book, and something fell out onto the carpet.

What’s this? On the carpet was a white envelope. I remembered that the man was fiddling with a white envelope in the library. I picked it up and, scratching my head; I opened it and pulled out a piece of white notepaper, what the devil is this?

On the paper was an array of numbers, and underneath were alternating letters with symbols. Suddenly, in a flash, I decrypted their meaning! Fortunately for me, or in this case, unfortunately, I was a code breaker, during the Second World War, some ten years ago; I was breaking German secret codes for the British.

This code though was Russian, and a different type of war, a secret war was now going on called the Cold War between Britain and Russia, East and West -- it was serious business! So, what were the odds of me choosing the right book containing this envelope? They must be thousands to one. This Russian spy must’ve thought I was an agent to meet him at the library, to pick up the envelope. But for some reason, this spy never turned up. Unfortunately for me, I turned up instead.

More importantly, I thought, What am I going to do about this?

Thoughts of anger flooded my mind. How ridiculous life can be, I get through the Second World War unscathed, and now World War three is on the horizon!

As I sat In the chair, I planned to contact Scotland Yard first thing In the morning.

When I arrived at Scotland Yard, two men in your typical agent trench coats and trilby hats, from MI5 greeted me in the superintendent’s office.

“Hello, Mr. Thomas Brandt?” “You are Mr. Brandt, aren’t you?”

I swallowed hard. “No!” “My name is James Fisher.”

“Look, I came here to give some vital information that accidentally came into my hands yesterday.”

“Yes! about that, sir.”Said the taller MI5 man, puffing a cigarette.

“A bit of a coincidence some man at random leaves an envelope in a book at the library, and you happen to pick out the right book; don’t you think so, sir?”

“Look, that’s what did happen!” “ I’ve come here to be a good citizen, and this is what I get!”

“Look, you are wrong about me!” “You must look at the code in this envelope. “If I’m right, we’ve no time to lose!” I said, sweat now running down my forehead, as the smaller MI5 man came behind me and whispered,

“Your a spy for the Russians aint you, sir?”

“ Yes, I was a code breaker for the British Intelligence service during the war, but I wasn’t a double agent working for the Germans, and nor am I now working for the KGB!"

“Yes, my name is Thomas Brandt, that’s my real name, and I am German.”

“ I hated the Nazis, so before Hitler came into power, I immigrated with my parents to Britain and volunteered to work against the Germans.” I tried to explain, but both MI5 agents just stared at me in disbelief.

“I had to change my name; otherwise, people would be suspicious of me being a German.”

“And now your working for the Russians?” The smaller MI5 agent barked, now sitting in front of the desk; dubbing out his cigarette, staring at me to confess.

”Listen, you idiot!” I shouted. “If I was working for the Russians, why have I brought this code to show you?”

The MI5 agents paused for a while and whispered to each other.

“Look on this piece of paper is a code that could mean the destruction of London!” I shouted as I placed the paper on the desk. Both the agents now came over and looked over my shoulders at the piece of paper.

I said to the agents as I pointed to the two symbols with the number sixteen under them and the number eleven with the minus seven, explaining this meant:

“On the sixteenth of November, at four o’clock, the Russians are going to attack London with nuclear bombs, with two waves of bombers.”

At that moment, my heart sank, and sweat poured down my forehead. I turned to the agents and asked, ”Er, what, what is the the date today?”

Both agents looked at each other and turned pale.

“ What’s the time?” I asked hesitantly.

All three men rushed to the window to look outside. A sudden blinding burst of bright, white light lit up the office!

End