literature

A Night in the Library

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The quiet buzzing of fluorescent lights filled the reading room. It was quite late in the afternoon - the sun was already setting, and the usually crowdy library was almost empty, safe for a handful of people who enjoyed this time of a day to indulge themselves with reading. One of them - not surprisingly - was Ayumi.

The silent humming brought her in a right mood to sunk into lecture. Exploring the exotic worlds hidden within the pages, meeting magical strangers and learning about ways of ancient peoples - it didn't really matter what the book was about. It was reading itself that kept Ayumi going on and on. She wasn't like that all the time, naturally - it was kind of a burst. A week of sitting in the library from early afternoon to closing hours - and then she'd have a month or two long break. Well, everybody has a quirk of some kind.

She just finished reading her last find - a short, action-packed steampunk story - and left her station to put it back on the shelf. Entering the maze of bookshelves, she noticed she was the last person remaining in the reading room - it seemed the time was high to go home...

* * *

Ardis considered the decision to move into the library to be one of her best in life. The place was cozy, with plenty of places to hide (not that she hadn't had her own ways to avoid being noticed - but it was always nice to have an alternative) and the inattentive visitors were a great source of food and drinks. They got immersed in the book - and zap, suddenly they had a sip of soda missing from their bottle, or a single cookie removed from the seemingly tightly closed box. Ardis knew a handful of useful tricks - and never hesitated to put them in use.

When she first noticed this particular "big one", she was rather indifferent towards her. Just another reader, like thousands she has already seen. Once or twice she snatched a chunk of chocolate from her bag, hovered around her head, checking what she was reading... And during one such visit, she noticed the girl was unlike the rest of visitors. She kept choosing not the books she had to read, but instead those she wanted to. And the stories... Well, Ardis had never really understood why big ones spend so much times with those boring paper things - until she saw what that girl was reading. Those worlds of magic and fantasy started fascinating her - even though some stuff written there was, delicately speaking, ridiculous (like the whole unicorn thing - what a bunch on nonsense!).

And so, as time passed, she started developing a sense of attachement to that girl. Not quite an emotional one - but every day she flew across the reading room, hoping to explore the mysterious world with her. And, if she was there, they'd spend the whole afternoon together. Of course, Ardis never dared to reveal herself - not in front of the remaining people. But today, when she noticed the girl became the last person remaining in the reading room, she decided to give it a try.

* * *

The book storage had its own, distinctive atmosphere - it was a bit dimmer than the reading space, and the distinctive smell of old paper was much stronger here. Putting the book back on the shelf, Ayumi took a deep breath, savouring the atmosphere - it was a part of being here, a way to get immersed in the stories contained in all those books. If possible, she'd have stayed here all night long...

A sudden, short sensation on the back of her neck made her turn round. It was delicate, like some scratching... But at the same time, vivid enough to disturb her. She rubbed her neck - it couldn't be the hair, it was too short to reach that spot...

What happened next was almost too fast to comprehend; first, there was a tingling sensation, spreading from her neck across the whole body. Then she felt as if the ground literally started sliding from under her feet. Instinctively, she grabbed on the closest thing avalible - the bookshelf. The structure first tilted to the side under her wieght - but then returned to stability. But there was not time to breathe - Ayumi left her feet lose contact with the ground, flipflops slipping off. Desperately, she climbed upwards, feeling the shelf under her fingers becoming... Slippery? No, that's not it. She was not slipping - although she deifnately felt the surface move under herself. Finally, just as she managed to climb up and sit, she realised when had happened.

She has just climbed the shelf. She was sitting in the space between the rim of the shelf and the books, as if it was a wide, spacious balcony. She took a look around - and gasped in horror.

"No, please... Not again..."

* * *

Ardis sat on the opposite bookshelf, still invisible to Ayumi. She giggled, seeing the girl struggle to climb the shelf. Well, maybe that was unneccessary - but she just couldn't resist doing this. All in all... No harm done, just a bit of laugh.

She jumped into the air, heading towards the now tiny girl.

* * *

"Oh no, not again..." Repeated Ayumi, shocked. First when Tammy and Mari visited, now in the library... Was that some kind of a curse?

Panicked, she quickly checked her clothes - but luckily, they were all in place. The ankle-long flower dress has shrunken alongside her. The shoes fell off - but it seemed they were changing size as well. Much better than last time, when they had to stay inside her oversized yukata for the rest of the day. But still... What the hell was that... Magic?

She stood up, feeling the rough wood beneath her bare feet. It was almost as bad as walking on concrete. Wincing, she took a look around. The books were towering by her side - it seemed she shrunk to around an inch.

"Always better than the last time..." She mumbled to herself, shocked. But how was she supposed to survive in here, without Mari or Tammy to pick her up? Her tummy rumbled - she hadn't eaten since she entered the library some... Four? Five hours ago?

Suddenly, the lights went out. Of course, the closing hours! The librarian knew her well enough not to ask for the ID each time she visited... She must have assumed she left and decided to close the reading room. But... This was getting worse and worse...

"Hello!" Ayumi jumped and let out a scream of surprise, hearing a voice coming just from behind her. But what realy startled her was seeing the voice's owner.

In front of her stood a girl. In the dark, she could only make out her outline - the visitor was slightly taller than her, had at least shoulder-long hair and was wearing some kind of a robe. She also seemed to wear some kind of a transparent cloak. Ayumi took a step back, bracing herself against the closest book.

"W-Who are you?" She asked, glancing to the sides, hoping to notice anything to defend herself. A splinter, pin... Anything.

"Don't be afraid" Said the figure, taking a step towards Ayumi "I mean you no harm. I just wanted to..." She paused and for a second, in spite of the darkness, Ayumi was sure the stranger blushed "...meet you"

"What do you mean?" Ayumi noticed that the stranger's "cloak" sparkled faintly in the dim light coming from the window. Just who was she?

"Don't be upset... I know it wasn't the best idea... I just wanted..."

"What idea?" Ayumi felt a sudden burst of irritation and anger "Shrinking me? Is this what you mean?!"

"I..."

"Restore me now!" Ayumi thrusted forward, trying to grab the stranger. But the figure just jumped back, plunging into the gaping chasm... And after a second reappeared, hovering in the air, her "cloak" - which turned out to be some kind of dragonfly-shaped wings - buzzing.

"Exactly what I was afraid of!" The girl snorted, crossing her arms "If you were normal sized, you'd just swat me like a bug! Tell you what, I'll just leave you here! Sorry, 'big' lady!"

"Wait..." Ayumi tried to shout in reply, but the stranger just rocketed upwards, leaving her field of view.

Shocked, the shrunken girl backed off to the books and sat slowly, trying to gather her thoughts. The burst of anger was as brief as violent - and now she was just sitting there, a tiny girl inside an overwhelming library. And her only companion was that... Thing.

She looked up, feeling the shiver crossing her spine. It was slowly getting cold in here. How was she supposed to survive in here, alone?

"Erm..." Ayumi started unsurely, but loudly "Are still you there?"

"Yup" A grumpy voice came from somewhere above "If you want to say sorry, come up here and do so"

Ayumi gulped, taking a look around. Did she really mean climbing to the upper shelf? But that was impossible... Not at at this size...

"Oh c'mon" The voice above seemed to read her mind "You can do this! Or should I turn you into a termite so that you can dig your way through?" This time a high pitched giggle followed. Auymi felt the irritation build up in her tiny body once again. Not to mention the idea of being turned into a bug was... As frightening as disgusting.

She approached the shelf's side. The whole furniture was simple in construction - the sides made kind of a wooden ladder, with horizontal boards connecting the four "legs" in the corners. Maybe, if she could climb the lowest ledge, she could somehow walk the plank to the pillar... The wood seemed rough, at her size it sould be a bit like a climbing wall... Always worth a try.

With nothing but silence coming from above, Ayumi decided to put the plan into motion. Climbing the horizontal piece of wood was relatively easy - but one look downwards made her vision blurr. It was like standing on a beam, just outside a skyscraper, the dark, infinite gap opening under her feet. But she mustered the courage - and turned towards the pillar. There was no going back...

The feeling of rough, unpolished wood was not making it any easier. Barely conscious from fear of falling, she approached the only way she could climb upwards. Luckily, it was just as she expected - there were some shallow cavities she could rest her feet and hands in. The only problem would be the complete lack of support, should she lose balance... But what if that girl did not joke about turning her into a termite?

She rushed upwards, hoping to return to a firm surface as soon as possible. Adrenaline pumped in her veins, the heart pounced like a hammer, her toes and fingers hurt every time she missed the cavities. But she kept on. Until, somewhere in the middle of the climb, the inevitable happened.

First her left foot slipped when she shifted her weight to the side. Then she lost grip on her right hand - and in a blink of an eye, Ayumi was plummenting down, air wooshing all around her. She tried screaming - but the pressure just knocked the air out of her lungs. She was only able to close her eyes, waiting for the crash to come...

Suddenly, she landed on something soft and warm. Her vision still blurred, she could have only registered the relief of being alive - and passed out.

* * *

The next thing she felt was something gently prodding her belly. Some sort of soft light was visible through her shut eyelids, it felt nice, warm and cozy. Still a bit shaken after the fall, Ayumi opened her eyes - and this time screamed in fear.

In front of her, hovered a gigantic face. It looked as if taken from some sort of anime - olive skinned, with large, almond-shaped green eyes and purple hair. A symmetrical spiral tatoo ornament adorned both her cheeks. She grinned happily, evidently relieved that Ayumi was alive.

The tiny Japanese girl backed off - hitting some soft surface with her back. She glanced back - it was the giantess' finger, rising upwards like some sort of a column. How small could she be now? What had happened?

"Good to see you back" The giantess put her delicately to the ground, whispering some bizzare word. As soon as Ayumi's bare foot touched the ground, she started growing - until she returned to her previous size.

"I never thought you'd risk something like that" The other girl continued, giggling. "You're a brave one"

"Th-thanks..."

"And sorry for shrinking you again while you were falling... I wanted to make sure you wouldn't splat on the floor" The girl stroke the back of her neck, blushing a bit "I know you don't like this, but..."

"No problem" Ayumi answered quickly, observing their surroundings.

They were inside some kind of a tent - the canopy, supported by a wooden skeleton (which looked disturbingly like a bunch of toothpics somehow fused together) was pale yellow, with tiny flowers stitched all over it. The light was coming from a yellow orb, hovering just beneath the canopy. Outside she could have seen the book storage - the tiny hideout must have been located under one of the bookshelves.

"Is this your home?" Asked Ayumi, turning attention to the other girl. What she thought to be a robe turned out to be kind of a short gown, much like the ones fairies in fairy tales wear. Dragonfly wings were folded behind her back, sparkling in the orb's warm light. She was sitting on top of a wooden chest, bare feet dangling in the air. Apart from it, the tent was devoid of any furniture.

"Yup" The fairy finally smiled back "Not much - but I spend most my day outside either way. By the way - help yourself!" She jumped off the chest, opened it, and took out two tiny bottles and what seemed to be chunks of biscuit.

"Thanks" Ayumi gladly accepted the meal - the stress turned hunger into starvation. "So... You said you wanted to meet me?"

"Yeah..." The fairy took a while to muster her confidence "You know... I've been following you for a couple of weeks. I-I just love the books you're reading, they are fascinating, I though you are a very interesing person and I think we may be friends, forgive me for using magic on you, I just wanted to be safe" She recitated at the speed of light, blushing all over again.

Ayumi blinked, surprised. Then left out a nervous giggle.

"Oh my, it all went out so awkward..."

"Yeah..." The fairy looked down "I'll show you the way out and restore you. I'm terribly sorry it worked out this way"

"No, no wait!" Ayumi stopped the fairy, who was already on her way outside "I-I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have blow up this way"

"Really?" A spark of hope appeared in the other girl's eyes.

"Yup. By the way, my name's Ayumi"

"Ardis" The fairy grinned, shaking hands.

* * *

Not surprisingly, the conversation soon derived from books to more mundane matters. Ardis has proven to be most curious about the human world - and so was Ayumi about hers.

"So, how long have you been living here?"

"Dunno really. Two, maybe three years. You know, you don't really have to measure time when you live like me"

"Guess so" Ayumi giggled, taking a sip from the bottle. Ardis' magic was outstanding - it turned out the bottles were ordinary Colas, shrunken to a suitable size for her to use. Which reminded her...

"By the way - you were serious about that termite stuff?"

"Wha- Oh, of course not!" Ardis smiled, but then looked cautiously at Ayumi "Why did you think I was serious?"

"Well, normally people don't just shrink like that, so..."

"Hell no!" The fairy burst into laughter "If I was able to do such stuff, I wouldn't take the leftovers, would I? I'd just make food up"

"Makes sense..."

"Still..." Ardis' suddenly stoped laughing, her gaze set somewhere outside the tent "I wish I was a bit more powerful with magic. I can't really even leave this library on my own... It's so dangerous and wild out there..."

Ayumi looked at her surprised. It was really sad to see Ardis like that. She thought of all the outside things the fairy missed while living among the books... And an idea dawned upon her.

"Then come with me. I've got tons of books in my flat, you can make a cozy little corner of your own... And since you can get invisible, we can go on walks together!"

Ardis watched Ayumi with a blank expression, stunned.

"I mean..." The shrinkee quickly changed front, fearing of offending the fairy "If you can't leave... Or just want to stay here... Sorry if..."

"No..." Ardis finally chocked out a word "Do you really mean this? I mean, living in your place and stuff?"

"Yeah, sure!"

* * *

They set out just before the library opened next morning. Ardis packed up her tent into the very same chest she kept the rest of her stuff in (shrinking magic was pretty awesome, when it wasn't about making herself tiny), then they set out to find Ayumi's shoes and pick up the bag. Then they climbed upon a windowsill and squeezed through a narrow hole between the frame and the wall. Luckily, Ardis turned out to be strong enough to carry Ayumi without the need of yet another shrinkage (which, needless to say, was to the girl's great relief).

Once she finally regained her former height, Ayumi let Ardis fly into her bag, then slowly shut the zipper. As cozy darkness engulfed her, the fairy let herself get comfortable - and started pondering on what had happened during the past night.

She was overjoyed. She just hoped to have a short talk, maybe to start meeting Ayumi from time to time... But never would have expected her to be such a kind and nice person. And besides... There was one thing she didn't dare to tell Ayumi. Not yet.

There was something in her she started to like. Maybe the way she smiled, maybe something in the way she crossed her tiny feet together when she was embarrased... Maybe it was even her curves. It was hard to tell. In fact, she never felt this way towards anyone...

"Well" She told to herself, feeling the bag slightly tilt with Ayumi's every step "Time will tell".
One more story featuring my OC Ayumi... With a third OC, Ardis, making her debut! :)

Ayumi's reference sheet by :iconherretik:: herretik.deviantart.com/art/Ch…
Ardis' referece sheet (also by :iconherretik:: herretik.deviantart.com/art/Ch…

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