Jillian Chantal

It’s Tuesday again: time for more Tuesday Tales. The word of the week for the writers of TT is sick. I am working on my contemporary paranormal and this book is taking me off on tangents like no other had ever done. I foresee a lot of tinkering with this one when I get to the editing stage. 🙂

Be sure to check out the other tales here

The library had long been one of Sophronia’s favorite places in town. It was in an old building downtown that had clearly been someone’s home in the past. It was a massive structure but still held the air of the seat of a prominent family that held vast properties but made the place where they resided into a cozy place to entertain as well as to live their day to day lives.

Each room downstairs was at least 16 x 16 in square footage and, now that the building was being used as the town library, each of the areas were lined with shelves of deep mahogany and there were numerous wooden tables and chairs placed in the open spaces.

Sophronia sighed. Content to be in this beloved building. She’d spent many an hour hear browsing and reading as she grew up. This was why she loved her job so much. The love for books was instilled in her between these very walls.

“You look like you could live here,” Alice said.

“I think I could, actually. It’s my happy place. All this knowledge just waiting for people to reach out and take it. Take it home, use it and bring it back. All free.” Sophronia grinned. “Or just to stay here and move from book to book until they close for the night. Either way, it’s as gift.”

“Girl, you are sick in the head. Who loves libraries like that beside you?”

“Look around.” Sophronia pointed to a guy with shoulder-length black hair seated at a table with a girl—with a sleeve of colorful tattoos, six earrings in the ear they could see as well as a nose ring—leaning over his shoulder. They were poring over some large book open on the table in front of them. “They look like they might love this place.” She tilted her head to an elderly man seated in one of the few leather chairs strewn about the room. “He’s studying an old newspaper. I bet he loves coming here and reading about the past.”

Alice held her hands up in surrender. “Stop. Stop. Point taken.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure about them loving it.  Maybe the guy and girl are doing a project for school and have to be here.”

“Nonsense. Look at how they’re smiling as they look at the book. I think it’s a map book. Maybe they’re planning a trip. Or honeymoon.” Sophronia sighed again. They did look happy. “And surely, you can’t think that man who is eighty if he’s a day, is studying for school.”

“You never know.” Alice laughed, drawing a “shh” from the librarian at the checkout desk.

“And that right there is why I don’t like libraries. Being chastened like a child, “Alice whispered.