The night at the library started out just like any other night with me in the stacks reshelving books from the day before. For some reason this night was beginning to feel a different. At the moment I am not quite sure how, but I am having a feeling I will be finding out. Just not sure when.
Reshelving books is just one of my chores through the night, but it does give me a chance to think on several things at the same time. As of now I am thinking of ideas for several stories as well as a probable book that I am trying to start. The other ideas range from should I stay here working in the library and going back to school for a degree in Library science or strive to be the author I know that I can be. Maybe that strange feeling I had at the start of this night shift will give me an answer of some kind.
It was about two and half hours into the shift and that's when I started hearing some odd sounds coming from the stacks. At that moment I just thought it was the wind for it was a windy night. I continued to finish up a little paperwork that the afternoon shift left on my desk, which only takes about 45 minutes to complete. I heard those noises again, but there was no wind blowing. I decided to dust the bookshelves as well as straighten the tables and chairs in the reading rooms.
It was at that moment I heard the whispers that were coming from the stacks. I went up to the third floor to see if that was where the whispers were coming from, I went up and down the aisles and I thought might as well check the study carrells and tidy them up a bit. That was when I heard "Read the book." "Read the book." I continued to tidy the carrells and picked up the trash for that was also part of my nightly chores. I guess you can say I am a part-time night librarian and housekeeper. Moving down to the second floor of stacks and checked through the aisles and went back to those study carrells and continued and heard that phrase again "Read the book!" "Read the book!" just a little louder this time though. Moving down to the main floor and going about the aisles and then the study carrells nothing out of the ordinary looked tidy enough, so I just dusted a bit.
It was time for my 'lunch break' and I went back to my desk to have what I brought from home. Since I do work nights, my lunches are primarily fruits and vegetables and iced or hot tea. For me at this late hour I really cannot stand to eat sandwiches or that other kind of snack foods in those vending machines. All of a sudden, I heard "Read the book!!" "Read the book!!!!. This time just a bit louder. I finished up on the basement floor to tidy up down there and usually I just have to dust the shelves and straighten the periodicals a bit. It seems that nobody really goes down there unless they are working on historical projects. I started up the stairs back to the main floor, and even louder "Read the book!" "Read the book!"
It was about 5AM when I have to prepare the little snack bar in the West Reading room from about 6AM to 8AM that is when students and faculty start coming in to do what they need to do for classes and such. "Read the book!!!!!!!!!!!!" I looked around and saw this book laying open on one of the tables, which I thought I had shelved all the books at the beginning of the shift. I walked closer and closer, and the whispers started. "Read, read, read the book!" They were loud whispers. For some reason my walk seemed to be in slow motion. I finally reached the table and saw that the book was 'The Holy Bible". I have finished all of my work, so I sat down and 'read the book'. It was open to the story of the 'Good Samaritan'.
Did the voices think that I was a good Samaritan or something like them for a reason. I just try to do my best at whatever I do from day to day and night to night. Maybe the whispers want me to stay here and continue my present job for I guess I could still work as a freelance writer for I do have these two hours to read for research purposes and here I have the other needed materials as well, and who knows maybe I will be able to share my work with the professors and even be a guest lecturer or some kind of teacher assistant. The whispers have helped me make some lifetime decisions. My night at library was eye-opening.
About the Creator
Mark Graham
I am a person who really likes to read and write and to share what I learned with all my education. My page will mainly be book reviews and critiques of old and new books that I have read and will read. There will also be other bits, too.
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The Books
As I went into that reading room there it was 'The Book". I walked up to the table, and I heard "Read the book." I stood there wondering what should I do for I thought that I had put all the books back on the shelves. I inched closer to the table, and it seemed like I was being gently pushed to that table with that book. My phone rang. I answered it, 'Read the book." Again, the feeling of being pushed to the table. I was closer to the table and the book turned out to be "The Bible".
By Mark Graham6 months ago in Fiction
Logic and reason are not always explanation enough.
Logic and reason are not always explanation enough. Understanding is elusive He sat looking at the half empty glass but not seeing it, he was cold but not feeling it, he was in pain but not hurting from it. His mind was numb, his memory a jumble of conflicting events, as if from a nightmare but were in fact real. The phone rang for a long time before it gained his attention and then he tried to turn it off, an automatic reaction against coming back to reality. His mind preferred the numbness to anything else that was available. In this distracted state he accidentally accepted the call and put it onto speaker, the voice from the speaker jolted him into giving it his full attention. This was a call from the dead. The voice was full of concern, “where are you John, why haven’t you called, what is going on?” Even to his own ears his tone sounded subdued, defeated, “I am in the cabin, in the woods but I am OK will call you later” and he turned the phone off both ending this call and not accepting any other.
By Peter Rose5 days ago in Fiction
Comments (4)
A wonderful mystery and love the photo. Will work through these over this week
No mystery, there. When my younger son (many years ago) was ill and facing surgery, I prayed. Being fidgety, I left the house and drove with no specific place to stop. I was alone but heard someone say, 'turn on the radio." I really wasn't in the mood for music but after the fourth time, I gave in and the first song I heard was. "If there hadn't been you". While it's supposed to be a love song, I took that as God telling me He heard my prayer. An hour later, my d-i-l called and said, surgery was called off. the meds were working. We do get the strangest messages in the strangest ways.
Absolutely Brilliant so glad you did this one. Well done 📕✍️🏆🏆🏆🏆 Got to be TS
What a lovely story. Leading to the prioritisation of a career in writing or keeping the library books stacked and organised. Sometimes the answer to our questions and uncertainties are found in the quiet moments or from the good Samaritan, the bible. This was both inspiring and eye opening ❤️🤗