Grimm Tidings: A Secret Library Short Read Page 2

  Alex’s heart was pounding hard now, and Hank was giving her very clear instructions on how to escape the situation. Just take out the book and get away, it was that simple.

  “Hello,” said Alex in a small voice.

  “Ah, yes, hello,” said the man. “My name is Wilhelm. I am pleased to meet you, er-”

  “Alexandria,” said Alex, stumbling over the bit in her name where the d meets the r and blushing in the process.

  “Pleased to meet you, Alexandria. See, we are friends now. And now that we are acquainted, I am wondering if you might do me a favor. It is just a small thing. You see, I seem to have found myself chained to this fallen tree here.” Wilhelm lifted up his hands to show that he was bound. “I cannot lift the trunk myself, but if you would help me, then I think I may be able to get free.”

  “Um,” said Alex, wanting to help, but knowing that she could no more lift the tree than she could fly.

  “I see that you hesitate. It is your strength, yes? Don’t you worry about that. We will use the wisdom of Archimedes and lift the log with a prop and lever.”

  Alex smiled weakly. As the Keeper of The Library, she could always tell when it was important to help someone. It was not always clear how or why, but she always got a feeling about what was the right thing to do. Alex knew that she was supposed to help this Wilhelm. Whether or not she could trust him was another matter. She stepped toward the man.

  “Good,” said Wilhelm. “Quickly now, before it comes back.”

  Alex stopped walking.

  “No, no. Don’t stop. It’s nothing really, but we don’t have much time.”

  “Before what comes back?” asked Alex carefully.

  A cold wind blew into the clearing, scattering golden leaves everywhere. Alex frowned. In all her time in this world, she had not seen a single leaf before, and now there were hundreds.

  “Oh no, it is here,” said Wilhelm, cowering back beneath the shadows of the blackened trees.

  “I would get out of here if I were you,” said the tree.

  Alex looked about, trying to see what Wilhelm had seen. The wind was blowing hard now, stronger, and stronger. The leaves, all red and bronze, were caught in small twisters, forming and then dissipating.

  “Please, just leave me alone,” begged Wilhelm. Alex was going to say something when she realized that he seemed to be talking to the wind. Another twister of leaves collected, but this time it did not dissipate. Instead, it twisted and curled and formed the shape of a giant bear. It stalked toward Wilhelm, menace in the dark hollows where its eyes should be.

  It was terrifying.

  The bear roared a deep and crackling roar and swiped at Wilhelm. He stumbled away from the swipe as best he could, but soon he had fallen back, and the bear was upon him. “Please no,” begged Wilhelm. To her astonishment, Alex realized that Wilhelm was crying.

  She knew she had to do something.

  With Hank protesting in her heart, Alex took a step toward the monster. “It’s only leaves,” she said to herself, “and leaves can burn.”

  It is at this point that it will do as well to mention that Alex has one small trick up her sleeve. Due to the questionable influence of a certain magic-user, Alex is able to tap into a realm beyond our world, a realm that exists as nothing but flame. It does not always work in all places, and it can be exhausting to use, but at least it meant that Alex has at least some chance in the face of terrors like the one before her.

  Alex rubbed her hands together and focused. Separating her hands apart, she imagined a bear cub. Alex had a particular talent for imagining things, the sort of talent that is required in every Keeper, and she uses this skill to make the most lifelike flame creatures. She formed her creation in the palm of her hand and then set it on the ground. It found its feet in the gray dirt and sniffed at its surroundings with curiosity. Alex gestured her hands forward, and the bear cub bounded toward its leafy counterpart, growing to the size of a cat in the process.

  It was a long way to bound for so small a bear, but Alex was not sure she had the power to make it much bigger. You never knew how much energy would be taken out of you when it came to magic. This was because the power depended on how far away the dimension of fire was from the one in which you wished to summon it. There were times when Alex had done no more than try to light a candle and wound up melting the whole thing down into a puddle of wax. It was always best to be on the safe side.

  “Hey!” shouted Alex when her cub was close. The leaf monster looked up at her. For a moment, Alex was captivated by the bear’s eyes, which were no more than jagged holes between jagged leaves, dark depths that made Alex’s eyes sore when she looked at them. She glanced away in discomfort.

  The leaf bear roared. It was the roar of a thousand storms in the deepest forest. Alex cringed at the sound, stepping back toward Fredrick the tree, who was himself staying silent.

  Alex made her flame cub roar in return. It opened its mouth menacingly, but no sound came out because it was only made of fire.

  The leaf bear completely ignored Alex’s creation and started toward her, driven by the swirling wind and some deep hunger. Alex fumbled for her book, her only hope of escape. As the bear bounded forward, it crushed the flame cub entirely. The leaves that made up its body began to burn as they swirled all throughout its form. The bear didn’t slow down. It roared again, and this time hot embers erupted from its gnashing jaws.

  The book was open.

  The bear was closing in.

  Alex fumbled for the first chapter, found her place, and began to read. Her periphery went dark, and all the air drained from her lungs. She took one last glance up at the terrifying creature and then disappeared into the pages.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Alex lay back where she landed on one of the numerous armchairs that were dotted around The Library. She watched as a single burning leaf floated toward the ground, burning up before landing softly on the burgundy tile floor as no more than a dusting of ash.

  Among the manifold wonders of The Library’s power is its ability to tell the precise moment when tea is required. Alex lay there and listened to the familiar whistle of the tea kettle as she stared up toward where the ceiling really ought to be. The thing with The Library was that in any particular direction, no matter how far you walked, there would just be more library. High above, sometimes Alex thought she saw things up there in the misty distance. They seemed to her to be great shadowy birds, or perhaps something of the dinosaur variety.

  The kettle clicked, and Alex sat up. Sitting on the side table, with steam waving gently in a subtle unfelt breeze, was the most ornate of tea cups. Alex picked it up, took a sip, and began to think. As she reflected on what had happened inside Grimmoire, she found that her thoughts were all muddled. It was like her experiences there were from a dream, not at all like the reality she usually found in books.

  A dream or a nightmare?

  Alex flinched as she thought about that creature that attacked the man who called himself Wilhelm. She wondered if she had done the right thing using the fire magic when she had. Surely she had just made the bear more destructive. If she went back into the story, would she find that dead forest ablaze with the fire she set?

  Even as Alex thought these thoughts, she knew that it was not a question of if she would return to the book, but when. If Wilhelm was still alive, then he would surely need her help, now more than ever. But Alex couldn’t shake the feelings of powerlessness she felt in that strange world. If she was going to make a difference there, then she decided that she would have to learn the rules.

  “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon,” said the Librarian.

  Alex looked up, startled. For a gorilla of her size, the Librarian could be mighty stealthy when she wanted to be. “Yes, I had to escape. There was this bear made of leaves. I sort of set it on fire.”

  “I see,” said the Librarian sternly.

  “It was attacking this man. He was chained to a fallen tree for some
reason. There was also this other tree, and I think it was talking to me. No, that can't be right.”

  “It sounds like you may have ventured into a fairy tale world,” said the Librarian.

  “Fairy tale world? Are they different than normal?”

  “Very much so. They are built from nightmares and superstitions. The people who live there are just as much as real as you or I, but their experience of existence is, how do you put it, squiggly.”

  “Squiggly?”

  “Squiggly.”

  “I see. I was thinking of leaving it alone. I wasn’t quite myself when I was there, and I don’t think that I am much help to anyone when I’m not myself.”

  “No one ever is, you know. If I were you, I would give the story another go. You may have the ability to do much good in a story such as that one.”

  Alex nodded and took another sip of her tea. Leaving the book alone would be the easy thing to do. But she knew she couldn’t, not with the way it was calling to her. Besides, the more Alex thought about it, the more her curiosity grew as to exactly how Wilhelm found himself chained to a tree. There must have been a good reason. And how exactly do leaves become bears, anyway?

  “Thank you,” said Alex, opening up her book once more.

  “Be careful,” said the Librarian. “Remember, the world is not at all like your one.”

  Alex nodded and began to read.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Alex landed in Grimmoire with a thud, sending up a small cloud of dust. This time around, she managed to land on her feet. Almost immediately, she felt herself overcome by the oppressive gloom of the place.

  “You’re back,” said the tree to her left. “I thought I’d seen the last of you.”

  Alex ignored the tree and scanned her eyes over the edge of the gloomy forest in search of Wilhelm. If she found that he had been harmed by that leafy monster, then this would be a short adventure indeed. Alex’s eyes fell on a small clump of something that was neither gray nor black and thus stood out among the general scene. It might have been a hat or a coat and was made of a deep brown material. Alex stepped toward it.

  “I wouldn’t if I were you,” said the tree.

  “Shush,” said Alex.

  When she was close, Alex saw that the coat did indeed belong to a person. In fact, it was still attached to a person. They groaned as Alex approached.

  “Wilhelm?” asked Alex cautiously.

  “Who is there?” asked the man irritably, turning over onto his back. When his eyes landed on Alex, he stood up and dusted himself off, apparently embarrassed. His hands were still chained to the tree stump, and he looked out at Alex from under a broad-brimmed hat.

  “It’s Alex,” said Alex.

  “Yes, of course,” said Wilhelm. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again after, er, well, I thought you had been combusted.”

  “What happened to the-”

  “The Bear of Autumn? She is gone now. Left me a souvenir, though.” Wilhelm tossed his long black hair back to reveal a scratch running down his neck.

  “That looks dreadful.”

  “It is,” said Wilhelm. “But now that I am awake, she will be coming back. You best be getting out of here.”

  “I can help you,” said Alex. She was feeling quite nervous now, as she always did in the presence of people. The thought of that thing, the Bear of Autumn, returning only served to increase her apprehension.

  Wilhelm looked relieved. “You are too kind. We will have to work quickly, though. I have it all set up, you know. Almost tore my hands off at the wrists trying to get the log in place.”

  “What do I need to do?”

  “We must push the log onto this little hill I have made. Once it is up, I will just need you to sit here,” he gestured to one end of the log, “and I should be able to pull the chain right off this end of the log. My hands will still be stuck together, but at least I can get away from that damned bear.”

  Alex thought she understood the plan as Wilhelm described it, but could not help but agree with Hank when he said that she would probably drop the log on the poor man’s foot.

  The wind began to blow.

  “Quickly now,” said Wilhelm, his eyes growing wild.

  Alex and Wilhelm worked fast to get the log into position. As they worked, a leaf blew gently in from the east. Though Alex had no thought as to which way was which, such winds always come in from the east.

  When they had the log in place, Alex felt that it was something that Wilhelm could probably have done himself, as she had done hardly any of the lifting.

  There was a growl from somewhere among the shadows.

  Wilhelm looked pained. “Oh, no. Not when I am this close.”

  “What next?” asked Alex. “We can do this.”

  Wilhelm snapped out of his despair and pointed again to the spot where Alex needed to sit in order for him to lift the log.

  Alex pulled herself up, wobbling a little as she tried to maintain her balance. The tree log creaked and moaned and began to lift at one end. Wilhelm got to work, pulling himself free of the log.

  The Bear of Autumn stalked into the clearing, wind sweeping all about it. This time, it seemed to have as many black leaves in its body as red or bronze. If anything, it was angrier than when Alex had last seen it.

  Wilhelm was working hard, glancing over his shoulder now and then to check the bear’s location, and then returning to his work with renewed vigor.

  “Come on, come on, come on,” he said, trying to pull the chain over a particularly troublesome knot in the trunk.

  “You aren't going to make it,” said the tree over the howling wind.

  “Nobody asked your opinion, Fredrick,” said Wilhelm.

  “No one ever does.”

  The creature was close now. Alex could smell the rich scent of damp leaves, as well as the crisp smell of burnt ones. Alex once more locked eyes with the terrible pits in the bear’s face where its eyes should be. It seemed to Alex that the bear could see her, really see her. Its gaze seemed to pierce skin and flesh and see her very soul. The thought sent a shiver down Alex’s spine, and goosebumps ran up her arms.

  She slipped.

  The momentary distraction was enough for Alex to lose her balance, and she hit the ground with a whack. A sharp pain ran up through her left leg.

  Wilhelm cursed as the log swung back down. “No, no, I can still do this!” he shouted.

  The bear seemed to have forgotten about Wilhelm for a moment and was moving towards Alex. She pulled herself backward and under the cover of the dead fingers of the blackened woods.

  “I think I have it! Yes!” cried Wilhelm, just as the bear jumped forward toward Alex. She rolled to the right, dodging its strike. Her sudden movement aggravated whatever pain she had caused her leg, and she cried out. The Bear of Autumn was quick and rounded on her new position.

  Just then, Alex felt a hand grasp hers. She looked up to see the crooked smile of Wilhelm. Alex held tight her grasp and pulled herself to her feet. As soon as she was up, Wilhelm ran off deeper into the wood, dodging the skeletal grasp of the long-dead trees, the chain that was still attached to his hands whipped behind him.

  Alex took one last look at the bear and started after Wilhelm. She knew now that she could use her book to escape, but there was some feeling within her that compelled her to find out more about this strange situation. The bear crashed through the trees behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she could see that the dense wood was causing the bear trouble as the winds started to break up. She heard one last terrifying roar before all noise of its pursuit ended.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Alex stopped to catch her breath, noticing that Wilhelm had likewise stopped. He had the most expansive grin on his face. It was as if he had just had the time of his life.

  “Wait till Jacob hears about this,” said Wilhelm, examining the chains that bound his wrists.

  “Who is Jacob?” asked Alex between breaths.

  “That would be my bro
ther. I will need to find him after I have found a locksmith.” Wilhelm smiled broadly. “I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me today. I don’t think I would have lasted much longer against that thing.”

  Alex smiled and said nothing. She was never very good at being thanked. She always thought that she would disappoint people by not reacting properly to the thanks and therefore did nothing at all.

  “Come, it grows dark. There is a village not far from here. I owe you a meal, at least.”

  Alex looked up into the sky and tried to ascertain how Wilhelm had come to the conclusion that it was growing dark. To her, the world looked just as gloomy as ever it had.

  After Alex had inspected the injury that had been inflicted on her left leg, the pair made their way through the black forest. The injury itself was no more than a long cut, but it stung as she walked.

  The trees that had kept them safe from the Bear of Autumn now barred their way as they clambered over dark roots, and dead thickets.

  At length, they pushed through the dead undergrowth and came to one of the many narrow paths that weaved their way through the skeletal forest. As they walked, Wilhelm began whistling to himself. Now that she had saved this man from the monster, Alex was not sure where the story would take her next.

  The path weaved and wound, and eventually, they found themselves in another clearing.

  “I wouldn't trust him if I were you,” said the tree in the center of the clearing.

  Alex glanced toward Wilhelm. “Are we going back the way we came?”

  “No, it is this way to the village. Don't mind Fredrick. He isn’t really there anyway.”

  “Are too!” said the tree.

  Alex tried not to look at the tree is as they passed, reasoning that if the tree really wasn't there, then it was probably a good idea to ignore it.

  As they moved through the forest, Alex started to notice some subtle differences here and there. It wouldn't be quite correct to say that the wood was coming alive, but it did seem to be gradually becoming less dead. Over the course of an hour, they passed the non-existent tree at least a dozen times. Each time they came into its clearing, Alex noted that there was something different about the space. The tree was still there, even the scuffed markings where she had first landed were still there, but there were at different times other things there too. They came at one time to a well, and when Alex approached it, Wilhelm pulled her back and warned her of the Morlocks. Another time there was a dead field with a single sad-looking scarecrow in the center of it. Two crows were perched on its shoulders. They did not squawk as one might expect but watched the two travelers with intense interest.