#the lady in the library

[oakandgumtrees]

The Lady in the Library, Part 1

It was a dreary November Thursday that the call came in. I was the only one in the office at the time, since the others were out sick or doing inspections, so I was the one who answered the phone.

“Berkshire Library Effect Professionals, how can I help you?”

At first, I assumed it was another fucking bookshop owner trying to organise their annual certification - it seemed like that was all I’d been doing for a month and a half. (When the phone rang, I’d been writing up the assessment of a shop with twelve shelf metres per square metre. Twelve.) So maybe I wasn’t paying as much attention as I should have been.

I was opening up a booking form for an estate assessment when the words “twenty thousand” lodged in my brain. 

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

The fancy lawyer on the other end did not seem impressed. “The late Mr Stockton’s collection contains an estimated twenty thousand volumes,” he repeated primly. “It has been built up by several generations of Stocktons, in the library at their family home.”

Oh. 

Oh no.

Oh fuck.

-----

John and I went out that same afternoon to do a preliminary assessment. It was already four when we left, but the solicitor hadn’t cared about paying for overtime, and had cared about getting things started quickly, so we loaded up our kits and set out for Alderford Manor.

John had been doing this job for nearly forty years, and had gone through cynicism and out the other side. It didn’t surprise him that we were going to a country house where the library was probably going to have spatial, temporal, and eccentric distortions. He’d seen it all before.

I, on the other hand, had been a library effect professional for about eight years, and was at the peak of my cynicism. “Twenty thousand, he said, and it’s never been assessed!”

“Mind the tractor.”

I slowed down so the aforesaid tractor could squeeze between us and the hedge. “Bloody self-important, over-confident bastards,” I muttered. “It’s probably all crammed in there, too. Private owners never give a shit about book density.” Not that density would make much of a difference with that many books. Mild library effects started kicking in around a thousand books per room, usually. Twenty thousand almost guaranteed trouble, especially with pre-Edwardian architecture.

“Does that mean you want to be site manager while I do the walkthrough?” John teased. “Next left now.”

If I hadn’t been driving, I’d have glared at him. (Which he definitely knew.) “Of course I want to do the walkthrough!” I snapped. Pacing out large libraries was the riskiest part of our job, but it was also the most exciting, and the chance didn’t come around every day. Who knew what we’d find? “...I just want to be able to bitch about stupid clients when we’re out of earshot.”

He smirked at me. 

I checked the mirrors and pretended I couldn’t see him.

-----

Alderford Manor was the sort of eighteenth century country house that was scattered all over England, and like many of them, it was starting to look a little shabby. Nothing drastic, but the curtains were a little worn, the upholstery faded, and I could tell whatever staff worked here, they were falling behind with the dusting and polishing. In short, exactly what you’d expect from a house that was going to be sold because it was too much trouble to whatever distant relative had inherited it. 

Its library was anything but ordinary.

Long aisles of shelving stretched from the entrance into shadow, dividing a seemingly cavernous room into narrow passages. There were no windows to relieve the gloom, and the inbuilt lights illuminated little but shadows and the occasional gilded label. Every vertical surface was packed with books, some as old as the house, some purchased in the last few decades. 

I exchanged looks with John, and began to pack my vest and kit bag.

Phone. Spare phone battery. Notebook. Pencils. Chalk. Voice recorder. Film camera. Mechanical stopwatch. Digital stopwatch. Compass. Plumbline. Light meter. Altimeter. Water. Emergency food rations. First aid kit. Emergency blanket. Radio. If I was lucky, I wouldn’t need most of it. If I was unlucky, it might not be enough.

Anchor rope hooked to my belt, radio around my neck, and surveyor’s wheel in hand, I ventured into the library. “From the door, ninety degrees left, following the wall,” I reported quietly. My footsteps were nearly silent on the rug, and the space had the deadened atmosphere of noise cancellation. Who knew, if there had been bells like a monastic library, if I would have even heard them?

Deeper and deeper I followed the wall, calling out measurements to John as I went. His voice was steady on the other end, if a little crackly, anchoring me as much as the rope did.

And then I turned a corner, and saw a silhouette that definitely shouldn’t have been there.

“John?” I asked carefully. “Didn’t Mrs Jones say everyone was accounted for?”

The figure in the shadows stood, and moved towards the light. “Good afternoon,” she said warily - definitely a woman’s voice, low and refined. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of making your acquaintance.”

She stepped into the light, revealing an outfit straight out of an Austen novel. 

“N-No,” I stammered, dipping into an utterly mangled half-curtesy out of some bizarre instinct that the gesture would help. “I don’t imagine you have.”

Part 2

#the lady in the library #original #inspired by discworld L-space

[scramratz]

#I stole this flannel from Oregon Dylan who stole it from goodwill #the cargos from the thrift #the boots from a lady behind the library

[pocketgalaxies]

the women of CR + good notes (C3E34 || C3E42 || C3E68)

#critical role #criticalroleedit #laura bailey #ashley johnson #marisha ray #gifs #* #*cr #*parallel #cr3 #cr spoilers #laugh tag #library of marisha #cr ladies #cr cast #1k #scheduled #1h45m c3e34 #51m c3e42 #3h2m c3e68 #girl geniuses! #these are the three genders of note taking

[weavingweb]

on Swimming Pools

“Swimming Pool” by The Front Bottoms //“Portrait of an Artist (pool with two figures)” by David Hockney // “Jessica gives me a chill pill” (excerpt) by Angie Sijun Lou // The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) // “Crush” (excerpt) by Richard Siken

#web weaving #compilations #books and libraries #aristotle and dante discover the universe #phoebe bridgers #taylor swift #the 1975 #rocky horror picture show #the front bottoms #portrait of a lady on fire

[detroitlib]

From our picture files: Ladies' Home Journal July, 1950

#now! frozen orange juice pie #pie #pi day #ladies home journal #1950 #orange juice #1950s #vintage #vintage advertising #now! #oj #pies #orange juice pie #detroit public library

[notebooks-and-laptops]

If u ever feel bad about yourself know that today at work I got so invested in a debate we were having surrounding whether social media was a good or a bad thing, that I loudly exclaimed "there's no library writing group that wants to read about my two favourite fictional guys kissing" and then had to exist while everyone stared at me like I'd grown two heads

#you would think this was a made up story from 2014 but this is in fact my life #i work with pretty straight laced dudes too so. this will forever haunt me #i was just so sick of the argument that all my interests could he matched by people i could meet in my local community #and to be clear i LOVE my local community i go to my local libraries book club once a month and have coffee with the old ladies who run it #and im about to start going to a weekly dance club run by my community #but online spaces offer me a different type of interaction with different types of communities i struggle to find irl #was the point i should have made #instead i said thus

[ladyhinna]

#books and libraries #literatura #the bridgertons #polin #trechos de livros #books #quotes #romancing mister bridgerton #nicola coughlan #lady whistledown #luke newton #os segredos de colin bridgerton #colin x penelope #colin bridgerton #penelope bridgerton #penelope featherington

[lulublack90]

Prompt 3 - Library

@wolfstarmicrofic June 3, word count 904

Previous part First part

The arts and crafts hadn’t been that bad. Remus thought it had probably been designed for younger campers, but each of the inhabitants of Gryffindor cabin now sported a red and gold woven friendship bracelet. 

“Shall we do the tour?” Sirius asked James. 

“Might as well,” James replied, looking at his watch. “We’ve still got about an hour until dinner.” 

“Where should we start?” Peter said, standing up from tying his shoelaces. 

“We’ll start with the boring and end with the good stuff.” Sirius grinned, grabbing Remus’s hand and leading him away from the main hall. Remus’s stomach flipped, and he willed his palms not to get sweaty. 

“This is the storeroom, don’t bother trying to get in, it’s really boring,” Sirius declared, not stopping. “There’s the kitchen. If you get hungry, the cooks are lovely and will make you something between meals, but don’t let Albus or Minnie catch you, because they will give you chores, and you do not want to do the chores,” Remus grinned, beginning to enjoy himself. “Then there’s the library,” Remus planted his feet at that one.

“A library?!” He asked excitedly. 

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re one of those,” Sirius rolled his eyes, but took Remus inside anyway. 

It was small but had a good selection of books. There were books on local flora and fauna, local hiking paths, emergency first aid books, but also novels. It was Remus’s turn to drag Sirius this time, as neither of them let go. 

Remus ran his fingers across the spines of the books in front of him and picked a few to pull off the shelves. 

“Can I take these with me now or should I come back?” He looked to Sirius, as he seemed to have taken over the tour. A crooked smile spread across Sirius’s face.

“You can get them now,” Remus’s face lit up. He picked up three and let Sirius lead him over to the stern-looking librarian.  “Irma, my sweet forest flower, how are you this morning?” Sirius crooned at the scowling middle-aged woman. 

“It is Madam Pince and you know it, Mr Black. Do not make me tell McGonagall on you.” She narrowed her eyes at the books in Remus’s hand. “What do you want?”

“Remus, here wants to take some books out. He appears to be a bit of a bookworm. Should have guessed really, he looks like a bookworm.” Sirius teased. Remus quietly handed the books over to Madam Pince. 

“You’ll need to fill out this form before you can take them.” She said, passing Remus a sheet of paper asking for his name, date of birth and address. “If you lose or damage a book you will be expected to replace it.” Remus nodded. He’d have to be careful, his dad would blow a gasket if he had to pay for new books that Remus wouldn’t even be keeping. 

“Yes Madam Pince,” He said politely. 

“Hmmm,” She grunted at them. She peered at Remus's form, but unable to find anything wrong with it, she made a note of the books Remus wanted to borrow and handed them over. 

When they came out of the quietness of the library it was to shouting and swearing. 

Peter and James were rolling around on the grass, wrestling. 

“Oi, you two, pack it in. Let’s finish this up, Remus wants to read his books.” When they didn’t listen, Sirius let go of Remus’s hand and launched himself on top of James and Peter. The shouting intensified until Sirius managed to separate them. They were all laughing and joking. Remus relaxed as he realised they’d been messing about and not actually fighting. “Right back to the tour!” Sirius exclaimed as he took Remus’s hand again and dragged him to the next stop.  

“That’s the dock, that’s the boathouse and, obviously, that’s the lake. I’ll tell you about the monster that dwells in the depths of it later.” Sirius grinned wildly at Remus over his shoulder. “Okay, next is make out point.”

“Yeah, but it’s pretty useless until the girls come over for the dance,” Peter groaned. “It’s got a nice view when it doesn’t have couples all over it,” Peter added. Remus looked down at his and Sirius’s entwined hands and gulped. Sirius caught him looking and waggled his eyebrows, making Remus blush from his head to his toes. He tried to pull his hand away, but Sirius held it tightly, not letting him let go. Remus had no idea what that meant. He had to force his brain to not start picking that apart now.

“And finally, my most favourite place in the entire camp. Our den.” Sirius pulled Remus through a line of trees and into a tiny circle with a ring of logs to sit on. It felt very enclosed as the surrounding trees had almost woven together, forming a shelter of sorts.

Sirius led him over to a log and pulled him down next to him. James and Peter came and sat opposite them. Sirius let go of his hand and leant backwards, moving a few rocks out of the way and picking up a small metal box. “And this is what we do in our den.” He opened the box and inside was a lighter, a pouch of loose tobacco, papers and a small baggy of green buds. Remus instantly knew what this little group got up to in their den. 

Next part

#wolfstar #wolfstar microfic #wolfstar fic #wolfstar fanfiction #wolfstar au #remus lupin #sirius black #remus john lupin #sirius orion black #james potter #peter pettigrew #madam pince #albus dumbledore #minerva mcgonagall #remus x sirius #sirius x remus #remus and sirius #sirius and remus #holding hands #sirius using his charm on middle-aged ladies again #remus loves books #cw marijuana #library

[sakura-rose12]

The colour wheel challenge I did on twitter! It was such a blast and it was awesome to see characters that people associate with the colours! Thanks everyone!

#sailor chibi moon #sailor moon #anya forger #spy x family #dame daffodil #lady lily #sailor Saturn #he’s maniac #Pokémon #library of ruina #mystique #xmen #Adaman #sailor star fighter #sailor mercury #orchid #granblue fantasy #touhou cirno #senku ishigami #dr. stone #sailor jupiter #roseyart #one punch man #disney #sailor Venus #digimon #gunvolt #sailor mars #megaman #DeeGee

[thesmartartslibrary]

#dragons #fantasy #female #sexy #sorceress #dragon lady #horns #wings #rider #dragon rider #flight #fine art #2403 #The SmartArts Library #shv3

[oakandgumtrees]

The Lady in the Library, Part 2

Part 1

The woman in front of me was wearing a white shawl over a blue, empire-line dress with long sleeves and a long skirt. Her light brown hair was in a high bun at the back, and short ringlets around her face. In one hand, she carried a candle on a saucer, the flickering light casting odd shadows. Her face was plainer than an actress in an Austen production, and the clothing wasn’t as flattering on her figure, but that’s because she wasn’t an actress. She couldn’t be.

I was still staring when a burst of static came over my radio, followed by John’s voice:

“Checking in, Beth, what’s your status?”

What was my status? How the hell did I explain this?

Everyone had heard stories about library time travellers. (‘Temporally displaced persons’, technically, but no-one called them that.) Most of the stories were bullshit, but people went missing in libraries once or twice a year, and they were usually surprised about the date when they came out, one way or another. But this, this was different.

I fumbled for the button and held it down, far too conscious of the other woman’s eyes on me. “Unexpected item in a time dilation pocket,” I reported - which was technically true, if a massive understatement. “No apparent danger. Give me five minutes?”

I’m pretty sure I wasn’t imagining the suspicion in John’s voice when he replied, “Five minute timer confirmed. Take care.”

I looked back up at the time traveller, and said awkwardly, “I’m Beth. Bethany Fowler. Um. Maybe we should…sit down?”

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Fowler," she replied, pale, but otherwise composed. I figured that staying outwardly calm made sense with her being some sort of Regency-era gentlewoman. “I suppose, under the circumstances, I had better introduce myself. Miss Anne Stockton.”

I gave my bastardised half-curtesy again and - to Miss Stockton’s credit  - she didn’t laugh at me. Instead, she led me back to a reading nook with a pair of wingback chairs and a little table, while I tried to work out how to explain what was going on.

I mean, how do you tell someone that their whole world disappeared while they were lost in a book?

.

While I floundered, Miss Stockton watched me, and after a minute or so she said quietly, “I do not keep myself abreast of all the continental fashions, nor those of the natives of the colonies, but I must say that your attire is exceedingly unusual, Miss Fowler.”

I looked down at my cargo vest and jeans, and winced. 

“And I do not believe I have ever heard of a mechanical device that can speak like a parrot,” she went on, “Much less one with which a meaningful conversation may be had.”

I could feel my shoulders creeping up towards my ears.

She looked at her candle, then down at her hands in her lap. “Your language is no less understandable then Shakespeare, at least,” she murmured. “...Dare I hope that it has not been an entire millennium?”

My training hadn’t covered how to tell someone they were a time traveller. It definitely hadn’t covered someone else working out they were a time traveller. “I’m sorry,” I said helplessly. “Not that long, no. From your clothing, I’m guessing about two hundred years. I… I can tell you how I think it probably happened?”

Miss Stockton swallowed, and looked at the candle again. “Two hundred years in less than two hours,” she breathed. “It scarce seems possible. But…no, Miss Fowler. I know it is the library that is to blame.”

.

We sat together in silence - me useless, her…processing, I guess - until my radio crackled again.

“That’s five, Beth,” came John’s voice, a little distorted, but still reassuring. “What’s your status?”

I looked over at Miss Stockton and said quietly, “Is it alright if I tell him we’re coming out? You can’t stay here, not now we’re going to move the books.”

She firmed her shoulders and nodded. “I cannot change my fortune, and nor can you,” she said wryly. “Better to meet it bravely.”

John was waiting, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen something as impressive as Miss Stockton’s determination right then, and it took me a minute to get my breath back.

“Beth, come in.”

I fumbled for the radio button. “Sorry!” I said quickly. “I’m fine, John, but I’ve gotta abort the walkthrough. There’s someone here.”

There was a pause. Given how rarely anything actually surprised John, I’ll admit I was smug about that. “...Displaced?” he said eventually.

“By about two centuries, yeah,” I told him, getting to my feet. “We’re gonna follow the rope out, can you warn the housekeeper she’s going to have a guest?”

John’s voice was a little shaky when he replied: “I’m looking forward to hearing the story of this one. See you soon, Beth.”

.

I looked at Miss Stockton, and this time, I had the presence of mind to just plain bow. “Ready to go?” I asked.

She stood, smoothing down her dress, then took up her candle and nodded. “Since you have Ariadne’s thread, you had better lead the way,” she said. “I thought I knew this library well, but it seems I was mistaken.”

I unclipped my anchor rope so I could bundle it up as we went and shook my head. “Libraries play tricks like that.” Especially huge ones like this. No sunlight, no sound, dense shelving… “It’s not your fault.”

It might have been the candlelight, but I thought I saw a slight smile on her face. “You are very kind, Miss Fowler,” she murmured. 

And then, together, we made our way out of the library.

#the lady in the library #original #original fic

[ladykailolu]

You know, you just KNOW that it's a good fucking book when after you finish it, you put it down and remain in a silent melancholic fog like....

Whoa.

#anyway guess who finished all of our demise #all of our demise #all of us villains #books #bibliophile #reading #lady k's library

[eldiariodetiara]

There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love.

Cassandra Clare, Lady Midnight

#book #books #bookworm #bookshop #bookstore #library #libraries #books and libraries #reading #book quotes #bibliophile #literature #booklover #booklove #lady midnight #cassandra clare #the dark artifices

[stargirlfeyre]

Y’all more upset about Feysand flirting in the library than the priestesses were.

#feyre archeron #rhysand #pro feyre #feysand #pro rhysand #feyre x rhysand #high lady feyre #high queen feyre #🤭 #‘they flirted in a library full of sa victims’ and mind you no one cared about that harmless flirting and everyone went about their day

[kiwiplaetzchen]

"We do so adore restricted areas, don't we?"

"We shouldn't go in there. Which is exactly why we should. Now take heed. There's a chance we could get caught."

#Sebastian Sallow #Hogwarts Legacy #Sebastian Sallow ai #ai Art #“There's a special joy in going where you shouldn't.” #“I delight in a bit of danger myself.” #“I've not forgotten about our library venture.” #who can blame him for seeking more knowledge~ #the things that happened in that library #man #wondering if Scribner knows #every time you enter the library she recognises you #judging you #the old Lady knows of the spicy things you did in here #maybe she doesn't say anything because it inspires her #fanfic writing Scribner #Bobby loves her writings #so detailed #makes Bobby feel like he's part of the story #“Whipped: The Beginning” is his favorite book #Bobby is very literate #but also very loud #Bobby can't quite stay calm in a library #Bobby is a passionate reader #if the book character moans and groans #so does Bobby #it's just sweeping him off of his feet #maybe Bobby will join a book club #Bobby also enjoys books about horses #such a romantic soul

[binah-beloved]

Birbna going through a molt... Maybe she'd let you help her with pin feathers. You ought to be very careful - they hurt when disturbed. But if you open the pins gently, you can free the stuck feathers and soothe the pain. Brushing Birbna's wings with a soft hairbrush, only to find out later that many birds only trust their mates to preen them anywhere but the head.

she tries not to let you see, not to force you to bear witness to this... mess. Binah knows she's hideous now, a warped beast of feathers and eyes and claws. you shouldn't have to deal with this. it's her burden to bear, her punishment

but alas, you're perceptive, as you always were, following the scattered feathers to where she's tucked herself away, hunched over and scratching erratically at her skin. she stiffens when you approach, then slowly slumps and extends one of her wings at your gentle request, trembling when you begin to carefully run your fingers through the feathers

you use the utmost care as you straighten bent feathers and remove loose ones, Binah leaning more and more of her weight on you until she abruptly sweeps her wings around you for a close hug. you're so gentle with her, so sweet and delicate despite how she's a monster now. or, more of a monster than she was. her claws run through her feathers, plucking a particularly glossy one with an iridescent sheen and pressing it into your hands. you'll keep it, won't you? to show that you're hers, and she's yours?

#project moon #lobotomy corp #library of ruina #binah #binah lobcorp #binah library of ruina #birbna is love birbna is life #big distorted bird lady needs love too #it'd be sweet if she eventually partially undistorted #binah with feathers in her hair and a feathered cloak #little feather patches and talon-like hands #but she can still give you her familiar smile #oh what if distorted binah learned to speak #that'd be nice