Page 89 of Legends and Librarians
Excited murmurs spread through the crowd as people askedabout Willow and what kind of book she was writing. Usually libraries asked popular authors to sponsor them, but Willow was perfect for us. Having her offer her story to the gods helped her just as much as she was helping us. We were a team.
The stacks were full of patrons as we made our way to the magical book well, which was clean and glowing faintly after all of our efforts. The shimmering water cast a beautiful glow on the story gods’ statues next to it, illuminating them with the magical vibes they deserved.
Terra, the goddess of worldbuilding, held a giant pen in her hands, drawing rivers through the air with her imagination. Solas, the god of characters, held tiny people in his cupped hands like he was giving us a gift. Finally, the statue of Orion held a massive book, as if he was reading the tales of everyone here. He was the god of fate after all, giving every character’s life a dramatic plot all their own.
Standing in front of these statues was awe-inspiring.
I bowed low. “The Misty Mountain Library honors the story gods,Terra, Solas, and Orion. You created our world from your imagination and need for a good story. Those stories shape our lives and fill our minds with joy. Today we’d like to give back in our own way. With our own stories.”
Willow approached, easing her book into the well with reverence. The water glowed brighter, accepting her offering. I smiled at her as Lisa and the others handed out paper and pens for the patrons to write down their story too. It was an important part of the festival, writing down what happened in the past year and what you hoped would happen next.
I eyed Roan as I took my own piece of paper, writing down the story of how we met and how we restored this library together. I even dared to write that we’d end up happily ever after, like every good love story.
His eyes met mine as he wrote his own story down, andI wished I could take a peek, but that was frowned upon. Everyone’s story was their own, to share or keep private. This was about telling the gods, not other people.
When it looked like most people were done writing, I stepped up to the statues again, holding my paper high and then setting it inside the story well.
“We share our stories with you,” I said warmly, gazing at the gods’ statues, “so that you can stay connected to us and enjoy the world you created. Thank you for giving each of us the spark of a great story.”
I moved to the side as Willow, Lisa, Roan, Oren, and everyone else here dropped their stories into the well. The light grew brighter and brighter with each offering. This well connected us to the gods, merging all of our stories together.
A beautiful golden light pulled my attention to the great book tree. Its branches grew larger as new books sprouted all over, from tiny buds to full books in a matter of moments. Its warmth shone over all of us, blanketing the library in magic as the story gods blessed us.
My heart soared as the crowd cheered. We’d actually done it. We’d saved the library!
My grin was so wide my face started hurting, but I didn’t care. We proved that the town cared, so the gods had given us their blessing in return. They believed in the Misty Mountain Library, just like we did.
I pushed through the cheering crowd to get closer to the tree. My hand brushed over the bark, feeling the warm magic surge beneath my fingertips.
“Thank you for believing in me, Misty,” I whispered to the book tree. “This was only possible because you trusted us and I’m so glad you did.”
The book tree’s branches curled around me, draping me in leaves and new books. I breathed in the earthy scent of trees andpaper, letting it bring me back to memories of my childhood. The library was exactly like it had been before, full of magic and patrons.
No. It was better now, because now it had story spirits too and would never be alone again.
When I first got here, I was so worried about failing and determined to do everything myself. I thought things needed to be absolutely perfect if we wanted to succeed, but now I realized that some of the best stories happened in those moments of imperfection when everyone banded together to achieve a goal.
I never would have been able to make this festival a success on my own. I needed the story spirits and Roan, the library and everyone in it.
I’d never felt more at home than when I was here and that feeling had only grown since I’d returned. I’d found a family at the library, and together, we’d made it a home.
This was the Misty Mountain Library, and I was its librarian.
Epilogue
Nyssa
A few months had passed, but the magic of that festival was still going strong. Not only the magic the story gods had blessed us with, but the magic of people gathering to show their support and love for the library. People visited daily, browsing the shelves and checking out their favorite books.
It was like that wild magic storm had never hit the library and we’d never closed our doors.
Kids were huddled up in the new children’s section anxiously awaiting story time with the knights, who always went all out when they told a story. Fans crowded around the Demon Lord, no matter how much he tried to shoo them away. A group of teens was asking Lisa for romance recommendations.
All in all, the library felt healthy and full again. Everything felt exactly like I remembered, but better. Because the library was my home now, and the home to so many other amazing people.
Cerbie bounded through the stacks, chasing a ball Roan was not supposed to be throwing inside.
He smiled sheepishly at me as he bent down to pet the lovable dog. “Sorry. He just really wanted to play.”
