Ryan was exhausted; he had been working on drawing out his magic and had now started to use it in self-defense. He was starting to feel like his body was reversing his old age. He felt the youth of his twenty’s surge through his veins. His old man's appearance was becoming younger. The skin was starting to tighten and become more elastic. His gray hair was starting to darken, but the changes were not only outside his body. Internally, his old injuries were also beginning to heal.
His right knee was a bother because he had torn the ACL in it when he was in basic training. He had been taken to a rehabilitation unit, and there he sat for about two months. There, he sat and just waited. He had enough and was about to go crazy when he decided to just leave and go AWOL. He snuck out the window above his friend’s bed and made his way to the Post Exchange. There, he walked around in his uniform and rucksack. He loaded the back with food and other stuff he would need. He then called a cab and snuck off the base to never be heard of again.
He stood in front of the mirror, which was about his height. The glass mirror was made from silver and was framed in a cast iron frame. The iron had since faded and tarnished. He looked in the mirror and saw that every scar he had was also more visible and looked like it had turned white. Each scar was a testament to his brutality on the streets. He had been on the streets since he ran from the government for just leaving him in that god awful unit. He flexed his biceps and shoulders.
A knock on the door spooked him, and he put his shirt back on. He walked to the door and turned the golden handle. The door opened, and John stood at the door frame.
"Ryan, please follow me. I need to teach you about some certain things that I didn’t get to.” John said, “Come to the library.”
"Ok, do I need my book?” Ryan asked.
“If you want, but it’s not necessary.” John said.
They walked to the library, and in the center were three cages. Each cage was different in size, and each cage had different bars. The one on the left had been a normal metal cage with a big black cat. The middle one had been made of gold and had a goose, while the last one had reflected glass; it appeared that nothing was inside.
“These are three different types of magical creatures. They should never be taken lightly.” John Dee said, and with a wave of the hand, he opened the last cage. “This is a creature called ungaikyō; it is a Japanese beast that likes to transform into whatever creature it likes.”
“Oh god, it’s me. Why does it look so grotesquely?” Ryan asked, “Why does it look more like me?"
“Just so it can trick your loved one into thinking that you are it.” John replied.
He used his hand and expelled a huge surge of magic that seemed to catch the creature on guard. It went back to the cage, and John turned his hand and locked the cage back up. He said a small incantation, and the cage disappeared in a puff of fire and smoke. He went to the middle cage and didn’t open it.
“This I think you might know from a nursery rhyme.” John continued to say, “This goose was the inspiration of that story; it had gotten free from me and well had a rhyme named after it."
“So it really lays golden eggs?” Ryan asked, “Is it pure gold or is it just the shell?”
“Yes and yes.” John replied, “You see, when the egg is made, you have a small time to either take the egg and have it turn to gold or leave it, and the goose will hatch it and the baby goose will emerge."
“So then, why don’t you have to goose having you hatch eggs?” Asked Ryan.
“Once the gosling hatches, it takes the place of the golden goose.” John continued, “The older goose becomes a normal goose and takes care of the gosling. Once it has grown, the mother dies and passes on its ability to the young.”
“So what you’re saying is that magic always comes with a cost.” Ryan said.
"Yes, Ryan, that is exactly what I am trying to teach you.” Dee said.
John slipped a cover on the cage and once again made the cage disappear in a blaze of fire and smoke. In the last cage, John chanted a spell, and a bright orange circle with Enochian script and symbols began to appear on the floor. The creature appeared to change in appearance, and a human female was sitting in the cage. She was naked and sitting with her right leg bent up and the other on the floor. Her black silk hair hung in front of her, reaching the bottom of the cage. Her slender body had an olive complexion. The circle faded, and the woman was turned back into a big black cat.
“This creature is not a creature, but a human who has been cursed.” John replied, “This creature has been difficult to uncurse, but I will continue to do my best.”
“What happened to her?” Ryan asked sympathetically, “How did she get cursed?”
“It was back when I was teaching in Oxford; it was the year 1863. I had been grading papers, and this woman appeared in my classroom.” John explained, “When I began to talk to her, she was getting sweaty, and her face was beginning to turn red. That’s when her curse started; she started to change shape and grow black fur from her sling, and a tail emerged. Eventually, she turned into a black panther. She tried to attack me, and that’s when I used my magic to knock her out and lock her up.”
“And she’s been there since?” I asked Ryan while looking at the cage, “Have you let her out of the cage to let her run and stretch her legs?”
"Yes, many times, she refuses to leave.” John said in a voice.
He drew a black cloth over the cage, and again, the cage was gone in a loud blast of fire and smoke. John walked to the middle of the room and turned to Ryan.
“Your lesson from now until the end of the year is to help me restore her back to human form.” John said it with a professor's voice.
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“And how am I going to help you? I’m just starting with magic." Said Ryan.
“Don’t worry, we have a library, plus I expect that we'll progress very fast.” John told Ryan, “Because if you don't, then your training with me will come to an end.”
John looked at Ryan and at the books. He walked over to the closest shelf and plucked a book that was red and had yellow writing on it. He held the book for Ryan, who grabbed it and began to examine it. He looked up at John Dee, who had known him, and walked to the rhetorical door, out of sight. Ryan held the book and flipped through the pages. They were written in English and had hand-drawn pages with different drawings of animals. The title reads Introduction to Mythical Creatures by John Dee.
He looked at the author and was surprised. He just closed the book and went back to his room. There he sat at the desk he had conjured up during his first month of staying with her. He read through each page, stating the A’s. He looked at each creature and read their biography, their magical prowess, and their magical resilience. He looked at each page and got to the section about Animaguse's. He thought that maybe she might fall into this category, so he marked the page with a sticky note. He continued to read the book until he came to another section, the Lyconthrop. He read the entire section, which took up a third of the book. He finished the book and left it on his desk.
When he returned to the library, he looked at the floor and saw that the circle was still visible, but most of the writing had faded away. He concentrated his mind and said a small spell. The words that had been written were now coming back, and he could now see what the words read. Although he knew what some of the words meant, he still had to learn more of the language from memory. He picked up a pad of paper and a writing pen. He quickly wrote down the words, and then the words faded into obscurity.
When he walked down the stairs to the first floor, he didn’t see John Dee anywhere. He left a note saying that he was going to the occult book store that had certain books that the public could not read.
The book store was located in midtown Manhattan. He went to the building that was next to the comic book store and went to the back of the store. He went to the section that had Harry Potter books covering the bookshelf. He pulled on the book The Philosopher’s Stone. The bookshelf opened up, and he stepped in. The hallway was lit with candles in brass holders that were levitating in midair. The hallway was five feet wide, and the ceiling was six feet tall. He walked the stone floor that echoed his foot steps. When he had walked twenty feet to the next door, He pushed the wooden oak door with his body. The heavy set door made a loud squeaking noise that reverberated through the hallway. He met with the librarian. She was seven feet tall and stocky. Her red hair was put up in a bun, and a pencil was pinning her hair in place. Her brown knit sweater was two sizes larger than hers. A green shirt was tucked into her blue skirt, and she wore Nike shoes.
“Welcome to the Library, Mr. Raven.” The woman said,.
“Ah, Rebecca, nice to see you too.” Ryan said, “I was hoping you would be here.”
"Really, you do know that I’m the only librarian now.” Rebecca said it in a stern voice.
"Well, maybe the library will choose three new successors.” Ryan said, “But how have you been?”
"Well, I can’t complain; the library does keep me busy; our historians are out collecting books, magical artifacts, and deadly weapons that will instantly annihilate all life on this holo planet.” Rebecca said it gladly.
"Really, Albert isn’t here, damn.” Ryan cursed, "Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”
“Mr. Raven, you know the penalty for cursing in here. That’s one week of cataloging the artifacts and boxes that began to appear.” Rebecca said.
"Ahh, man, fine, when do you want me to begin?” Ryan asked dreadfully.
“You can begin now; there was a magical delivery just this morning. Have fun!" Rebecca said happily as she handed him a clipboard and pencil, "You know how I like my cataloging, so move along now.”
Ryan took the clipboard and pencil, looked at the stack of papers that were on the clipboard, and sighed. He knew that cataloging this three-inch stack of papers would take him the rest of the day. He tucked the papers, tucked the pencil in his ear, and walked to the back.
The back room of the library was big. The room itself had no ending. To the right side was a tall stack of boxes, a treasure chest, and several other items that were scattered across the landing platform. The platform itself was square and had white paint marking the platform. The platform was about thirty-two feet by forty feet. There were five of them, and three of the five were complete. Ryan walked to the first platform and began to look at the stack of papers. He saw the first page and read it.
"Alright, let me see The Chain Links of Prometheus.” Ryan said to himself.
He looked at the stack and analyzed the middle and then the right. When he located it. He lifted his hand to The Chain Links of Prometheus, looked at the paper, and recited the incantation for the correct spot in the wear house. The chain links glowed with a blue and white light, then disappeared.
The chain links then appeared in Section Forty, Row Thirteen, Shelf F. They rested in a golden box that had black enamel with a picture of Prometheus chained to a rock and an eagle eating his liver. The soft red velvet was marvelously showing off the now polished and shiny silver chains. The artificial UV light casts a protective layer over the chains. They helped protect the artifacts from dust damage and prevent anyone from accidentally damaging them.
Ryan had gone through half the pile on the second platform when a red light began to blink extremely brightly. A siren from what sounded to be from the nineteen forty’s slowly turned over and, with a low hum, began to increase. When the sound was deafening, a bright yellow light appeared, and a new pile of artifacts floated down to platform 4. Ryan thanked the ultimate being for not having to do the third platform. A stack of papers appeared with a loud, audible pop and landed right next to Ryan. With a note from Rebecca that read.
Mr. Raven,
It seems that a new pile of artifacts and collectibles has arrived. Please be a good friend and don’t forget to check that pile for me when you’re done with the current stack.
Rebecca
He signed in defeat and knew that John Dee would have him clean the aviary on the roof for cursing in the library. He bent down and used his left hand to grab the stack and add it to the clipboard. He continued to go through the rest of the third platform when he noticed that the last item was not on the registry. He chanted a sell, and the item lifted in the air and began to vibrate and glow in a blue and yellow light while emitting a green hue. The object vanished, and Ryan continued to the fourth one.
When Ryan started the cataloging, he noticed a chest full of scrolls. He cast a spell with a wave of his hand, and the chest was now levitating. He walked the chest to a special spot close to Platform 4 and set the chest full of ancient scrolls that, if touched, would disintegrate. He turned the light on, and the scrolls inside began to age in reverse. Each dust particle that had been removed from years of neglect and damage from the elements was magnificently restored to its prestige stage. Ryan turned the light off and opened the chest. The scrolls almost burst out and fell to the floor. They looked as if they had just been freshly printed. When Ryan was done inspecting them, he brought the whole lot back to the platform and set the bundle down. He back up three feet, and with his hand held to the chest and the incantation chanted, the chest lifted up, glowed, and was sent to its specific spot in the wear house.
The process took Ryan's daughter hours of his day. He collapsed into the chair that was next to the desk by the door. Rebecca had walked in when Ryan expelled a sigh of relief.
"Well, Mr. Raven, it looks like you managed to get everything cataloged in its rightful place.” Rebecca said it with a proud grin.
"Well, you did show me how to do it in the first place.” Ryan said, “That’s all thanks to you, but what I really came here for was a book."
"Yes, I know. Remember, when one comes to the library, this place bestows the librarian with knowledge of what the patron would need.” Rebecca explained, “It just took us a long time to try and locate the book.”
She handed Ryan the enormous book that was black with gold in it. The design was simple: three straight lines going down on each side. When they met in the corners, they crossed each other into 45-degree angles. The ends would hook into circular patterns. The gold title was written in Proto-Sinaitic. He lowered his head and let out a sigh.
“There’s one problem: I don’t know how to read Caveman." Ryan said it jokingly.
“That’s why I also have this book.” Rebecca said as she handed him a second book that had Phoenician. Written on it, “This should help with the translation; I’ve used it on multiple occasions; it’s first to none.”
“Really well, this will help then.” Ryan replied, “This will also help me with Phoenician.”
"Yes, well, well, you may go now, Mr. Raven.” Rebecca said, then left.
Ryan got up from the chair and left the clipboard on the desk. He left a note for his friend and placed it on top of the papers. It read:
I’m sorry, but your previous item was rejected by Administrator Ryan. If you feel that you’ve been mistreated, please contact Mr. Raven.
He placed both books under his arm, walked to the front door, and waved goodbye to Rebecca. He also waved to the state of the First Librarian, and the statue waved back. It was always unsettling when it waved back. He walked back down the long hallway, and the bookshelf waited for people to clear the hidden door, then opened when no one was around. Ryan stepped out, and the bookshelf closed with a whisper. Ryan walked to the front of the store and waited in line. He didn’t wait long and went to the register. He placed the books on the counter, and the clerk grabbed the books and rung them up. She placed them in a bag and handed them to him. She inputted a code, and the books rang up zero dollars and zero cents. To everyone else, the price read fifty-four dollars and sixty-six cents.
Ryan thanked the clerk, and she thanked him back. He walked to the front door and pushed the door open. Day had turned into night, and the cold weather sent a chill through his bones. He bundled himself up as best he could. And walked out. The door jingled closed, and he walked back to the building where he was staying, at least for as long as he was there.