We ended up trying three different libraries before Maguire managed to talk his way into the foreign language section at the local university’s library, which was the only one that had what we needed. Being somewhat able to pass for a college student himself, Maguire set about enlisting the help of a few students to narrow down what languages we were looking for. Naturally, the riddle was written in more than one.
“We are doing a bit of a scavenger hunt,” I explained. “The person organizing it is a bit of a linguist.”
There must have been a big test coming up, because a few of the students took to the challenge with gusto in an attempt to procrastinate on their studying or homework. I didn’t judge them in the slightest, having done the same thing myself on more than one occasion.
A few hours later, we had our translation.
“It’s a riddle,” Maguire said. “Of course, it's a riddle. What else would it be?”
Some of the students began to disperse now that the challenge, at least in their eyes, had been completed. A few stayed close by, probably curious to see what treasure laid at the end of this metaphorical rainbow, but also realizing that they really should get to work on their homework. Meanwhile, I moved to stand behind Maguire so I could read the rough translation over his shoulder. The wording felt odd, stilted even, but after a few minutes of thinking it over, the pieces finally clicked into place.
“You know, some things don’t translate perfectly from one language to another, and that can often cause things that are written in a poetic way to sound like a convoluted riddle after they’ve been sifted through a few languages,” I said, choosing my words carefully. The student’s looked baffled by this, but a spark of understanding flashed in Maguire’s eyes.
“So our friend’s fondness for poetry continues,” he commented. “Do you have any suggestions for where to look next?”
His words followed me as I beelined for the other side of the library, keeping my eyes out for a very specific display I had noticed on my way in. It took a few tries to find what I was looking for, but I managed to track down the version I wanted, along with a few other interesting reads.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I dropped the book in front of Maguire and settled back into my seat with the rest of the stack.
“This might be up your alley. It’s an interesting read, for sure. One of the best takes on some classic tales,” I explained. He took the book and started to read the book from cover to cover. While he did that, I took the opportunity to skim through the local newspaper.
“I think I found it!” Maguire turned the book around so I could see the page he was on, pointing at one of the sentences. “I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!”
“Good catch, Maguire. Seems our friend is a fan of English fairy tales about young boys taking on giants.” I tossed the newspaper onto the table, open to the business section. Maguire’s eyes followed the motion, focusing on the article displayed above the fold.
“Huh. Road trip time?” He asked, glancing from the article to me and back again.
“Yep, road trip time. Might take care of a few errands while we are still in town, though. There are some friends who we haven’t talked to in a while. It’ll be good to make sure they know they aren’t forgotten.”
“Do I get to meet these friends?” Maguire stood and we started collecting our research to take it back to one of the carts so the staff could more easily return everything to where it belonged.
“Assuming we actually get to see any of them, yes. I'll check to see if there are any gatherings happening tonight, and if not I’ll just drop some notes.”
Once the books were deposited, we headed out to the car. Our first stop was at a brunch place, where I managed to get information on a social gathering happening later that day.
“When you say gathering, what exactly should I be expecting?” Maguire asked, fidgeting with his seatbelt.
“You ever been to a dinner party?” I backed the car out of the parking spot and exited onto the main road.
“I am sure I've been to quite a few social events, but I'm not sure how much they compare to your dinner parties, and I usually knew everyone there.”
“Well, at least you won’t be the only one surrounded by strangers. Plus, these people tend to be pretty welcoming and the company is top tier. It’ll be a good time for both of us.”