[Short Story Collection - Flower Crown] Episode 13: 'The Silent Library'
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The Silent Library - Grage -
The place at the bottom of the stairs looked exactly like the basement of the library I had visited before.
However, there was no musty smell, nor was it dusty.
A fresh breeze flowed through it, and it seemed to be kept clean.
Beautifully decorated lamps were lit on the walls.
The books on the shelves were all brand new and neatly arranged.
However, no matter which book I opened, only blank, white pages without any text continued.
There was no philosophy, history, or story to be found there.
What on earth does this space exist for?
At the very back, there was a stone staircase.
There were no footprints, nor was there any accumulated dust.
Even though there were no signs of maintenance, it was unnaturally tidy.
A cool breeze blew down from the space above.
I felt a sense of nostalgia in that wind.
Suddenly, I realized that I hadn't spoken a single word to Salim since we descended the stairs of the hut.
"Salim, aren't you tired?"
"No. ...But, is this the same place as the basement of the previous library?"
"It's very similar. But there are too many differences.
It's as if we've wandered into a different time..."
"Grage, let's go."
Salim said that.
His voice was clear, and there seemed to be no hesitation in it.
I took a step, then another.
My footsteps were swallowed up and vanished, and the space grew even deeper in its silence.
The sweet scent in the wind grew stronger.
It was the scent of flowers I had smelled somewhere before.
White light was shining in from the end of the stairs.
And, at the top of the stairs—
The library that should have been burned and collapsed was not there.
A beautiful 'Temple of Knowledge and Records,' free of ash and dust, spread out quietly.
" ...There's no one here."
"But, the wind is blowing."
A floor of white marble.
Every wall was filled to the brim with books.
And in the center of it all, a large tree stood.
It was so tall that it was hard to believe it was indoors.
At its base, colorful flowers bloomed, swaying quietly in the breeze.
In front of the great tree was a large, beautifully carved desk.
And upon it, just like in the room of that hut, a book lay open, fluttering in the wind.
Salim ran up to it, peered into the book, and read the words aloud.
"This is the Hall of Records for those who have crossed the boundary.
We have been waiting for you for a long time."
When I peered into the book, the very words Salim had spoken were written there.
"The boundary?
...Waiting for us?"
My voice echoed through the library, but no answer came back.And on the next page, other words were lined up.
And on the next page, other words were lined up.
"Those who touch the book touch the records of other worlds in other times.
What you will experience are the memories of other lives.
However, your names will never be inscribed there."
"Grage. What does that mean?"
"Salim. That is what it means to read a book.
We experience various histories, thoughts, and lives there.
However, we cannot rewrite those records."
"So you mean we can know about them, but we can't do anything?"
"Usually, yes..."
The page turned once again, soundlessly, as if guided by the wind.
"O you who have crossed the boundary. Take the first book and go outside."
"The first book?"
When I muttered that, I heard the sound of a book falling in the back.
<<End>>