Almost the Chosen One

Season 1 - Episode 1: The Library

Hanging out in an old library after closing time on a Friday night probably wasn’t the best place to meet women. Although, even if women were nearby, the sight of Steve and I huddled around a fantasy board game surrounded by energy drinks and potato chips probably would’ve sent them running for the exit.

I grabbed the dice, preparing for my turn. My best friend Steve sat across from me at the dark mahogany table. Our favorite place to play was an employee’s only section of the library called ‘The Professors Nook.’ Apparently, it earned that title because it was a favorite spot of study for academics of the past. Given the dark wood bookcase surrounding us and the warm light of the antique sconces on the wall, I could see the appeal. 

Steve’s position as Assistant Librarian is what gave us after hours access to the city library. The old world construction of the building lended a bit of magic to our surroundings. Dark wood beams, arched windows, and countless rows of dusty, leather bound books made it a great place to lose yourself in a fantasy world.

“Whatever you do, don’t roll a five.” Steve smirked.

As if cursed by his warning, my dice bounced across the board and stopped on five. I moved my enchanter figure on the board, wincing as I landed on the ‘Lurking Danger’ space.

Steve grabbed a Lurking Danger card from the pile. “Ooo. Not good, Carter.”

“Will you just read it?” I said.

“Beware traveler,” Steve spoke in a deep, theatrical voice. “Danger lurks nearby.”

“You don’t need to do the voice every time.”

“Your loss.” He cleared his throat and continued in a normal voice. “You stepped on a tree branch and woke a basilisk. Subtract three to defense and roll for attack.”

“Oh, great.” I gave the twenty sided die a good shake and sent it tumbling across the board to deliver a three.

“Ouch.” Steve shook his head and double checked the creature manual. “Alright, hold on. For die rolls of four or less, turn to page 52.” He flipped a few pages and flicked his eyes at me. “You sure you want me to read this?”

I set my enchanter figure face down on the board and sighed. “Go ahead.”

He cleared his throat. “Despite warnings from the ancient scrolls, you stare deep into the hypnotic, emerald eyes of the basilisk. A strange sensation washes over you as if all your muscles are tightening. Suddenly, you find it hard to move. You catch a glimpse of your forearm turning into whitewashed stone before everything fades to black. Alas, brave adventurer, your journey has come to an end.”

I slumped back into my chair making the old wood creak. “Well, that sucks.”

“You should’ve picked the warrior. That feeble enchanter always dies.”

“The warrior is boring. No style.”

Steve shrugged. “I’d rather be boring than dead.”

The faint sound of a woman’s muffled cry for help sent a shiver across my arms.

“Did you hear that?” I said.

Steve pounded his fist on the table. “Thank you! Yes. I knew I wasn’t crazy. What did you hear?”

I furrowed my brow. “Um, it sounded like a woman in trouble.”

He leaned closer, his shaggy black hair sweeping just above his dark, brown eyes. “I’ve been hearing a woman calling for help for days now. But only right here in The Professors Nook. I told my boss and two co-workers about it but they said they didn’t hear anything. The second time I brought my boss over to hear, she told me I needed to take some time off. I thought I was losing it.”

The woman’s voice cried out again. It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the bookcase next to us. This time I distinctly heard the phrase, Help me. 

“Okay,” I said. “It was clear that time. She said, help me.”

Steve leaned back, letting out a deep breath. “I knew I wasn’t crazy.”

“Um, you’ve heard this woman for days?” I said.

He put up his hands. “I know, I know. Trust me, I wanted to call the cops but no one else could hear it. Plus, I checked all around the library. I looked through all the back rooms and storage areas. Nothing. No one.”

I stood and moved closer to the bookcase. “What’s on the other side of this wall?” 

“Solid brick,” Steve said. “Some kind of load bearing space, I think.”

My eyes swept over the leather bound books filling the wooden shelves. Classic titles like Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers, and Journey to the Center of the Earth lay in wait like old spell books ready to reveal the magic within. 

Decorative wood trim separated sections of the shelves. Along the trim, beautiful carvings of animal heads looked out from the shelving as if trying to escape from the stories surrounding them. 

One of the carvings was a lion’s head complete with the intricate curves of a flowing mane. A warm sensation spread through me as I drew closer. An irresistible urge to examine it came over me. The next thing I knew, my fingers were tracing the smooth lines of the mane.

“We’re not supposed to touch the carvings,” Steve said. “damage from skin oil and all that.”

The lion’s head glowed as if illuminated from within and a loud clunking noise came from behind the bookcase. 

I jumped back. “Oops.”

“Dude,” Steve glared at me. “What’d you do?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. I barely touched it.”

The shelving slid open a few inches revealing a hollowed out space in the brick wall. A leather bound book was nestled inside. 

Steve rushed over. “You broke the bookcase? I am so fired.”

“I didn’t break anything.” I pointed at the book in the wall. “Look.”

Steve stared at the book for a moment. “Okay, this is the coolest thing I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”

I slid the book out of the space and examined it. There was no title on the cover so the contents were a mystery.

“Dude, what are you doing?” Steve’s eyes went wide. “That could be centuries old. A collector’s item. You should have special gloves or something.”

The leather cover felt loose and supple, nowhere near anything fragile that might fall apart at the touch.

“It’s well preserved.” I opened the book to the first page. A hand written message scrawled in strange symbols decorated the yellowed paper.

Steve came up beside me and looked over my shoulder. “Hm. I don’t recognize those characters.”

“Me neither.” I flipped through the other pages of the book. They were all blank. “Okay, this is the weirdest book ever. One line of text?”

“It’s probably a gag,” Steve said. “Some old librarian probably made it and put it there as a joke.”

“Librarian humor?”

Steve shrugged. “The dust mites in here can drive you a little mad.”

I flipped back to the first page and my vision blurred. I blinked away the haze and as my eyes focused, the text turned into flowing cursive written in English. I gasped, nearly dropping the book.

“Whoa.” Steve said. “I can read it now. Did you turn to a different page?”

“No. It’s the first page.”

Steve grabbed the book and flipped through the pages. He returned to the first and only page with text. The text remained in English cursive. Steve handed the book back to me like a hot coal.

“That’s freaky,” he said. “Put it back.”

“Are you kidding? This is incredible.”

“It’s bad mojo. That book is haunted. Seriously, put it back.”

“Would you man up? I want to see what it says.” My eyes went back to the text. It was difficult to read at first because the cursive was exaggerated and elegant like a signature on the Declaration of Independence. 

I cleared my throat and read the text. “Throughout time, the seeker has traversed worlds. The first step is the most difficult, therefore a guide for the seeker must lead the way. Your journey is at hand. If you wish to step beyond the confines of your land and begin your quest in another world, speak the following call aloud. Come forth, guide to the seekers. Open the pathway to another world and let the quest commence.”

I waited a moment, then looked at Steve. “That’s it. That’s all it says.”

Steve arched a brow. “Really? No demonic chant? No ancient curses?”

“See? It’s just writing in a book. Completely harmless.”

A muffled popping noise sounded behind me. I spun to see a cloud of white smoke diffusing around a tall man in a fancy suit. He was an older man with white hair and a well-trimmed beard. His retro three piece suit looked like he stole it from one of Jane Austin’s suitors. He leaned on a shiny black cane adorned with a silver dragons head at the top.

He smiled and spoke with a rich, smooth voice. “Greetings, young travelers. Are you ready for your adventure?”

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