The Magic of Stories

2 - Cat

The cat's eerie glow came as a surprise, but what happened next made me doubt my sanity. The tabby opened its mouth in a broad grin, showing off a row of pointy teeth.

"Don't you like blue?"

I stepped back, suddenly wobbly on my knees. My left hand found the cool metal of a shelf, and I hung onto it like a ship to its anchor, needing it to keep myself from fainting while I fumbled for words

"Um, sure." This wasn't a masterpiece of an answer, not even when talking to a cat. A talking cat. Was I going bonkers? I tried again. "It—it is a fashionable shade of blue, and it suits you well."

The cat blinked and folded the paws under its chest. "Ha, an eloquent young lady. So, I gather you are the new collaborator in this place?"

I shrugged, my initial shock about the talking tabby fading to leave me in a state of unbelieving wonder. "I guess. Although this is my first day, and I still have to prove that I can replace Marjorie."

The cat tilted its head, wrinkled its nose, and scrutinised me from head to toe with huge emerald eyes. "I'm sure you'll do. At least you didn't run away screaming when you saw me, like some others I could mention."

"Should I have?"

The mischievous grin was back. "I don't eat librarians, if that's what worries you. Not even assistant librarians, even if they look as yummy as you."

Was this the feline equivalent of a compliment? Yummy was a first for me. "I'm glad to hear, I guess. Tell me, what is a talking blue cat doing in a library?"

"Ha, I know a nosy one when I see one. But is our new assistant librarian clever, too? Let's see, what about making this into a riddle and test if you can find the answer on your own?"

Great, on top of a hostile coworker, I'd now encountered a riddle-playing tabby cat. Wasn't the riddle game more a sphinx kind of entertainment? This place got weirder by the minute.

Quick steps behind me interrupted my thoughts of abandoning the ship before I lost my mind and made me whirl around. Conny strode down the aisle with a clipboard, her heels clicking a no-nonsense rhythm on the floorboards. As if on cue, the lamp above me lit up again and filled the space with bright light.

"Ah, that's where you are hiding." She pointed her ballpoint at the lamp. "Is this one broken?"

At least she talked to me, even if my definition of friendliness differed from hers. I shrugged. "It seems kind of erratic, turning on and off at will."

"Hm, I remember we had that problem before. We will have to call in the janitor to fix it. It's perhaps best if you tell Marjorie—the man nurses a soft spot for her."

She took a book from the top shelf and checked its label. "I think you should go help her now anyway. A teacher is about to bring in his class of rascals for a library introduction." She shook her head without looking up. "Marjorie is way too lenient with kids."

"Sure, I'm about done here." I checked the last two shelves. They looked fine at a glance, but somehow, the cat had disappeared. Had I imagined my conversation with the extraordinary beast? I frowned and passed Conny, who picked up another book and noted something on her board. Should I ask her about the blue tabby? No, she'd probably declare me nuts, and rightfully so.

While I returned to the front desk, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that a pair of eyes watched me from behind. But all thoughts of talking cats and someone staring a hole into my neck evaporated when the ruckus of the school children piling through the door reached me.

Marjorie and a woman a few years my senior helped them out of their coats and shoes and stowed the garments. The librarian greeted me with her trademark smile. "Ah, Lynn, could you take over here? I have to bring this young lady to the restroom."