4. The Falafel Windsbaum Himself

Even a few bookstands further the subject of the volumes did not change. The racks were getting bigger and bigger, not only in height but also in the width. He started to firsthand experience how massive that place was, and then a sound ripped him from this state of wonder.

Some books fell to the ground not too far away from him, so Trevor just followed his curiosity, and went to check what was going on out there. The closer he got, the more he could hear. Somebody was whispering in a language he couldn't understand, or maybe it was just some emotion-driven gibberish since it was clear to him that the person responsible for the noise was angry. They had to be moving some books since there was a lot of shifting and sliding involved judging by the sounds.

He finally got close enough to have a peak from the corner of one of those massive bookshelves and what he saw was a small creature with long pointy ears wearing a long, dark-blue robe, and a small hat with vertical stripes, yellow and also blue. They were climbing a ladder to reach at least four meters tall bookstand, to put several positions back on the shelf.

- H-helo? - Trevor said.

The short man turned his face to him. He had glasses on, and a small, completely white goatee accompanied by a strange-looking, also white, mustache.

- Oh, yes. Good day to ya sir – he responded, nodding slightly, and returned to climbing.

- D-do you need help, maybe?

The creature stopped to look at the boy again.

- Oh… Yes. If you would be so kind… You see, I knocked a book… Books… And… And even more fell, which led to this unfortunate position I'm in right now. These ladders were definitely not designed for creatures of my size. Which is preposterous. It will take me a full day to put them back.

There was a hint of anger in the voice of the small man, which also sounded like he was quite an old fellow.

- You want me to do it for you? - asked Trevor.

- Yes lad! - he said with a wide smile. - I'll be in your debt.

- Ok. I will do it.

- Great – the man got so excited that he even slightly jumped on the ladder, which caused him to almost fall.

He caught himself at the last moment, releasing the books in his grasp, which fell to the ground.

- Yaykees! - he squeaked, and then without any more words, climbed his way down safely.

On the ground, he dusted off his jacket and made a few quick steps toward the boy with an extended hand.

- Falafel Windsbaum. The Falafel Windsbaum – he introduced himself. - And what's your name, young fella?

- I'm Trevor. Trevor West – boy introduced himself finally getting out from behind the bookshelf, and immediately shook the small hand.

- Nice to meet you. You seem to be a human. Not many of you visit this place.

- I… I don't know. I'm new here…

- Good. Great even. How about I'll repay you for your help with some useful informations then? Doesn't that sound great? - he punched the air with a right hook.

- Yes, please. I don't know anything, and miss Vera didn't tell me much - said Trevor, smiling mostly because he found the interaction quite funny.

- Oh she is like that, isn't she? All the mystery, and none of the answers. Keeps you in the dark, as long as she can – he chuckled slightly. - But don't worry. Falafel Windsbaum is here, he he. You will get your answers straight from one of the wisest.

The small man puffed his chest. Trevor smiled even more, and then awkwardly made his way around the creature to put his skateboard on the floor, to instead grab the books that just a moment ago landed on the floor. He got them all and started climbing his way up to the empty shelves.

- Should I place them in some order? - he asked.

- No. Just put them there. They will assign themselves anyway. Frankly speaking, we could probably just leave them here, on the floor, but I'm a bit afraid of the witch…

- Wich? - Trevor stopped, to look down at Falafel.

- Vera the witch. Vera the vampire. Our lovely librarian – he put on a fake smile, with a little bit of fear mixed in, as he weirdly looked around like somebody could be listening.

West nodded and restarted his journey up.

- So… What are you looking for, young fella? I can point you more or less in the right direction. Maybe even guide you. You see… This place is a real maze. Some folks even got so lost here that they ended up dead. I myself found a few skeletons. You don't want to lose your way here.

Since Trevor reached the right place and stopped anyway to put the books on the shelf, he peaked down on Falafel.

- I was actually thinking about that, but since the bookshelves are smaller at the front, couldn't you find your way by following this?

The small man chuckled almost triumphantly.

- No. It might seem this way when you look from here, but the deeper you go, the stranger this place will become. You see... The gravity, space, and time have no sense the deeper you go. By the way, what are you even looking for?

- Uhm… - the boy hesitated, as he made his way down to grab more volumes. - I… I don't have any magic.

- So you are one of those… Hm... - he grabbed his chin, clearly getting deeper in his thoughts. - Show me your library card.

Trevor hesitated again, but instead of grabbing the tomes, he reached into his pocket, and took out the plate, with the dragon dangerously hulking over the picture of him.

- May I? - asked Falafel, reaching with his hand to grab the card.

Trevor was not sure if he should give the item to him, but he also needed directions, so he took the risk. The man grabbed the plate and after examining it in his hands for a moment finally spoke.

- It's a rare sight to see one of you here. And I don't mean the human side. I mean the no magic side… You are searching for a different kind of book. I'm not even sure if searching is the right word – he said, and returned the card to the boy. - You see… The books I'm talking about… You don't pick them. They chose you, and that might be something very, very dangerous. I'm afraid I can't help you. You need to get yourself lost here, in the library, and you need your book to find you.

As he finished speaking, he nodded, like he was confirming the words to himself.

- Are you sure? - asked Trevor.

- Yes. I am. I wouldn't lie to you, lad. I know we just met, and you might be suspicious, but I am one of those gnomes that never lie.

West nodded slowly. The conversation kinda died for a moment. To break the awkward silence the boy asked:

- So you are a gnome?

- Yes. Have you never met any of us?

- No – explained West, as he finally grabbed some more books, and started climbing the ladder again. - Actually… The place I live in doesn't have that much magic. Other districts do, but not ours.

- In my world, there is magic everywhere – explained Falafel with a smile on his face. - We use it every day.

- I would love to use it every day too…

- If you are lucky, you might, but this road is very dangerous. You need to be careful and watch out for yourself. This place might not look like that at first glance, but there is plenty of darkness here. Some books are alive, and they will know who you are, and what you are looking for. They might try to trick you. They might try to lure you in, and use you. Not to mention the monsters or lost souls. There are ghosts here of those who got lost and died. Some hunt the others who are thirsty for knowledge. It's good to know how to take care of yourself. Oh… And remember, do not scream. It's a library after all…

Trevor climbed all the way to the right shelf and was already putting the books in, but he stopped to look down.

- What do you mean by that?

The gnome rolled his eyes.

- Many things boy. If you don't obey the rules, the library might reject you, and you won't be able to return here ever again. You might also wake up very scary beings that are asleep in here. Not to mention the owner…

- Owner?

- Yes. The mysterious owner. He exists, but that's all we know – the gnome nodded again, more to himself than to the boy.

Trevor got down again, and grabbed the last few books, then started climbing.

- Does miss Vera know him?

- I presume she does – stated Falafel. - But she is not somebody who shares a lot. Sometimes you can't make her speak at all. She just stares at you, as I stare at my sandwich sometimes… Yes. Speaking of which, I could really eat something. How about we speak again sometime soon if you return from your journey? What do you say, lad?

West got a bit confused by the words of the gnome, as he was placing the last volumes in their place.

- Y-yeah… Sure – he smiled as he looked down briefly at Falafel before starting to make his way down.

- Good. Good luck then, lad – the man smiled, and just walked off, to quickly disappear between the bookshelves. - If I can figure out something to help you, I will try!

He said louder, as he already escaped from the boy's sight.

Trevor took a long look around, a bit scared, still digesting the thought of getting lost in this strange new space, but he was determined to get his magic, and if it meant he had to do something risky, he was willing to do so. He took a very deep breath, went to grab his skateboard, and just started walking in a random direction.