Tuesday
Back to the moment, Andi picked up her books and left the creative writing class, armed with a new assignment: Write two poems, each in a different style of rhyme theme and narration. She liked Haiku—they were easy to write.
Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the library glass, she smoothed back her wavy, long dark hair behind an ear. Maybe she didn’t need to hide anymore. Last night at the PJ party, Mom and Dad both said she was pretty. For Dad to comment, meant it was probably true. She smiled and recalled his gift, a purple MP3 player with matching purple ear-bud headphones. He also gave her his newest video game, Queen of the Jungle. Kissing her cheek, he said, “I made this one just for you, baby. It’s got lots of big cats.”
She couldn’t wait to try it. There was also the promise of Dad taking her out to practice driving around the Target parking lot this weekend. He would let her drive his precious Land Rover. It was better than driving Mom’s Honda van; it smelled like dirty socks and coffee.
She still had to get through the rest of the day at school. She continued to worry over the mystery of Flora. Last night, they had all argued, with Dad saying he never hired anyone. Flora didn’t leave an invoice or business card, or any indication she had been there other than the delicious meal and a clean house. Andi was the only person to see the housekeeper. They argued about what happened to Petunia. They never found her body. The whole thing was as if Andi had made a silly birthday wish, except there was no cake or candles to blow out to make a wish.
Mom rarely made birthday cakes for them, saying it was bad for their health, or maybe it was that Mom was a wreck at baking. Usually they had Birthday Spaghetti. If she wanted pastries, Mom usually bought fancy treats from the Hungarian Rhapsody Bakery on Third Street. She preferred to offer other treats like activities of movies, beach combing, or actual gifts for which they would shop.
For all her friends’ parties that Andi had attended since she was little, she loved the cupcakes, and colorful decorated cakes. She usually took some home, hiding it in her room to take a bite or two each day, until gone. Even though it was a bit silly, she still wanted a birthday cake.
As far as her birthday was concerned, it had been a downer, disappointing in the gifts and activities and no real party. Yet spending time with Mom, Dad, and even Matt had been fun. They ate popcorn while playing Monopoly until almost eleven. It was nice that Brook wasn’t there. They played the game without her cell phone interruptions.
Yawning from the late night, Andi thought she was overly tired as she again observed a wisp of smoke exiting through the library glass door. The dark vapor slid along the walls, darted across the hall and out the exit door.
That was weird.
Andi shook her head saying, “I need more sleep.” She pushed out the door, heading to the gymnasium with other students. A student rally was on this morning for the upcoming class elections, and then to cheer for the Mavericks’ football game this weekend. Andi spotted her sister ahead in the crowd with a pack of her cheerleader friends.
She rarely saw Brook at school, their classes, and circles of friends navigated in different waters. They never rode the bus together; it was beneath Brook to ride with the dweebs. If they met in the hallway, Brook ignored Andi. Perfect Brook was too stuck-up to acknowledge that Andi, the nerd, was her sister.
Andi felt something brush against her legs. She wore a short denim skirt today, with red argyle knee socks, Doc Martins, and a red and white plaid sweater vest. It was perfect for the rally today, the school colors, scarlet and white, not that she had intended to do it.
When she awoke this morning, she had good feelings, from a lovely dream where she and Petunia played in a field of green grass among little white and yellow flowers. Feeling cheerful for the first time in a long time, she dressed up a little for the day, even though she pinned a silk, black poppy on her white blouse for remembrance of little Petunia.
She looked down to see nothing, so she continued making her way to the gym. At the doorway, students were handing out buttons, pencils, posters, and the roster of the candidates for class councils. She absently took a packet, and noticed Scott’s name was on for junior class historian.
Ha! The kid could hardly write his name, let alone write an article. His head was for sports, brews, and girls—nothing but fun in his brain. He had been fun, and for the years he and Andi were pals, she went to many parties and events with him, even if she was among the circle of his friends, but never as his date. Out of spite for his cruddy treatment yesterday, she almost wanted to vote for the other candidate, Patty Sharp. She was already a featured writer on their student newspaper. Tucking the orange souvenir pencil behind an ear, Andi then wadded up the colorful posters and tossed them at the trashcan.
“You missed.”
Blushing, she rushed over to pick up the papers, then depositing them. She looked about wondering who spoke, but the crowd in the entryway had thinned out, no one was near. There was a roar of applause and shouts from the gym. The cheerleaders were already getting the students psyched.
Andi sat on the steps near the colonnade leading to the gym. She didn’t care about school politics, heck, she hardly cared about the national election for President next week. If she was old enough to vote, she had her choices of Presidential candidates and issues. Besides, school politics were mostly about who was popular, cute, funny, or the best student or skilled jocks. It rarely had anything to do with voting in people with actual talents for the jobs. Peaches, was class editor for last year’s school annual, which was a dud too. Andi’s class picture looked like a seventh grader with a zit and dark glasses. She hated it. Of course, Brook looked fabulous, she always did.
Sour now, Andi wondered what she should do with her time, sighing, she grumbled, “I am so bored. I despise pep rallies.”
“You should go read in the library.”
Andi looked about. “What?”
“Books, they are your friends …” the voice was sibilant and soft, almost in her ear.
She rubbed her ear and a shiver wriggled up her spine. “Okay, knock it off. Is that you, Phil?”
“Tag. You’re it. Come find me.”
Andi stood up expecting someone to leap out of the bushes or go running away. There was only a raven in the elm tree. It looked at her then picked at its wing, preening.
“Did you talk to me?” She peered up at the raven. It suddenly flew off with a raucous cry. Shouldering her pack, she started after it.
“Wrong way, silly.”
Andi stopped and stared around at the area between the gymnasium quad and the colonnade covered walkway to the main school building. The grounds were empty, only cars passed by on the street. “I’m nuts.” She grumbled and headed to the main building, ready for a snack, after the dull morning and another crummy breakfast.
She enjoyed walking the quiet halls of the school, void of kids and the often-derogatory remarks she usually received from her peers. She felt an odd sense of another time. The school was old, built in the early 1900’s, so there were probably ghosts of teachers or students here. Yet, the renovated hallways, brightly painted lockers, posters, and the latest stylish classroom furniture kept her in the modern day. It was the old porcelain bowl drinking fountain by the boys’ lavatory, which evoked the older history today. She sipped the tepid water instead of the refrigerated water at the new steel fountain down the hall. She slipped into the cafeteria vending area, bought a bottled peach tea and a packet of Fig Newtons. Figuring she might get away with her snack, she headed to what she hoped would be an empty library.
She happily perused the shelves for a few minutes looking for a novel, and something to waste some time or maybe to inspire her for the poems.
She took a couple of books and headed for a carrel in the back. It was out of sight from people who passed by the library, quiet, and certainly her favorite spot there.
Andi settled to her snack and skimmed through the books. Sighing, with an odd feeling settling in her chest, she looked around the area feeling as though someone watched her. “Great, Mrs. Van is probably spooking around here, ready to pounce. I’ll get detention for not participating in the rally.” She shivered and ate another fig bar. “Wish I was invisible.”
A warm, soft something, wound about her legs. Startling Andi, a fluffy tailed black cat leapt upon her lap then climbed onto the desk.
“Holy smokes!” She looked about confused. “Where did you come from?”
“Tag! I found you!” The voice said again. This time it seemed the cat said it as it sat on the desk.
“You were to find me. Let’s go.” The cat jumped down from the desk and sauntered away, the fan of its tail waving gently. It looked back at her with brilliant traffic-light green eyes. “Well?”
“Are you actually talking to … me?” Andi gaped then rubbed her eyes and an ear.
“You are talking to me, so why can’t I talk to you?” The cat sat, curling her bushy tail about her tiny black paws.
“It’s nuts.” Andi looked about but only saw the cat. “I’m nuts.”
“Yes, some days you are a little odd. But let’s go, time is wasting, there is much to do.” The purring cat lifted a paw, licking it and rubbing its ears. “You wanted an adventure … yes?”
“I do?” Andi scooted back the chair, then rose and took a step toward the cat. “Are you the smoke I keep seeing in the hallway?”
“If you want me to be … then … yes.”
“This is weird.”
“Yes, you are.” The cat allowed Andi to stroke its face and rub under its chin, “That tickles.” It laughed, sounding like tearing paper and a little VW car. “We go. En-y-va.”
Andi took another step in the cat’s direction as it walked away.
“You’ll need your pack and the food.”
Andi shook her head, “This is too weird” and grabbed up her snack. She began stuffing the books in the pack.
The cat shook its head and ears, demanding, “Leave the books, they’re not what you need.”
Leaving the pile of books, she followed the cat through the library stacks, then it disappeared through a closed door marked ‘Fire Exit’.
“Curious,” she remarked feeling like Alice following the rabbit down the hole. She cautiously opened the door hoping the alarm wouldn’t go off, and peeked through to see the stair well. The cat’s meow echoed, then it said, “Hurry!”
She knew if she closed the door it would lock—she’d be stuck in the stairwell. “I can’t.”
“Hurry!”
She stepped out and eased the door closed. The stairwell shifted before her eyes. There was the cat sitting on a table across a big room crowded with bookshelves and many boxes. “Oh! I never knew this was here. How odd, it’s kind of like the Room of Requirement in Harry Potter!”
“No, it’s not.” The cat replied as it paced across the table to greet Andi. “This is my library. My books are better.”
Andi crept to the cat, she reached a hand, rubbing its head on her palm. “Is this real?”
“You see it, don’t you? You see me?” The cat sat again asking, “Are you real?”
“Is this still my high school library? Are we still in Santa Monica?”
“Look out the door and you tell me.”
Andi raced back to the fire door, peeked out to see the library as it was but then the cat and the room disappeared. “Hey! Where did you go?”
“Close the door.”
Andi shut the door and laughed, seeing it all appear again. “Cool.”
“Actually, it is quite warm …” the cat laughed and then stretched languorously. It rose and padded to the end of the table then leapt to a bookshelf. “Come.”
Andi shouldered her pack more comfortably and followed the cat, keeping it in constant sight. It was at times difficult to follow, for the cat agilely jumped from bookshelves to tables and up again, always seeming easy for the animal, while Andi had to climb around and between stacks of boxes and furniture. She sneezed several times. “It’s so dusty!” she complained.
“Here it is. Get it.”
Andi stopped below and peered up at the cat into the dark shelves near the ceiling. “Get what?”
“The book with Arkan on it.”
“The what?” Andi asked confused, trying to read the spines for the titles.
“You don’t know him? He’s legend.”
Andi made a face and rolled her eyes, snorting, she said, “I don’t know you either.”
The cat hunkered down and was only a dim shadow above, yet its eyes eerily glowed through the gloom. “I am Ain-u-tep. You know me.”
“Ha! All of fifteen minutes!” Andi looked about and shuddered. “Can we hurry it up here? I don’t like this place, it’s creepy and dirty.”
“I like creepy. But yes, do hurry, get my book!” The cat reached down and patted a cobwebbed shelf. “Here it is.”
“It is too high. Is there a ladder or something?”
“Kitten, you can do it.”
“My name is Andi, Ainputa.” She gritted losing her temper. “This is stupid.”
“Ain-u-tep,” the cat hissed.
“Whatever.” Sighing, Andi pulled a table close to the shelves and set some heavy boxes on it. She used them to climb like stairs, and then carefully stepped up the shelves. Nearing the cat’s top shelf, she sneezed.
The cat shied, “You sneezed on me!” and swatted Andi.
“Ow!” Andi pulled back, nearly losing her balance. “You scratched me!” she sucked her knuckles.
“Book. Now.”
“Nag.” Andi timidly reached again. “Don’t scratch me.” She grasped a heavy worn book below the cat’s dangling paw. “This one?”
“Yesss, give it.” The cat sibilantly agreed, its tail impatiently twitching back and forth.
“I can’t, it is wedged in tight.” Andi worked to free it from the shelf.
The cat’s tail brushed Andi’s face. “Hurry!”
Andi swatted the tail away. “Don’t rush me. You’re making it kinda hard here. If you want it so badly, then why don’t you do it?”
The cat hissed, “I have paws, you have strength and nimble hands, silly.”
“You’ve got a smart mouth too.” She forcefully tugged and the spine collapsed—the book flopped over.
Arroooo-Roar!
Andi’s fingers felt as if electrocuted and the heavy tome fell from her sore fingers. She and the cat watched in dismay as the book hit the table, exploded, and parts fell to the floor, its pages fluttering like falling leaves in the air.
“Cat Scratch! You oaf! May you and generations of your kittens all have mange!”
Shaking her sore hands Andi stumbled down the makeshift steps and jumped to the floor. “Me? You!” She accused as the cat nimbly leapt from the tall shelf onto the book boxes and to the floor.
“Hurry, pick them up, before he escapes!”
“Who?”
Another roar echoed about the room, shaking books and dust off the shelves around them.
“Arkan. He sounds unhappy. Find his page!”
Andi knelt on the floor and hastily began picking up the pages of the book. The writing was faded, and in another language. She stuffed them in the book, but when she tried to pick up the book, it was heavy. “Whoa, Mama! I can’t lift it.”
The cat backed away hissing, “Oh dear, not good. Arkan is coming.”
Another roar and Ain-u-tep darted for cover. “Hide!”
Feeling heat upon her, Andi slowly turned about to see a glistening red and gold creature, rising like a fiery Phoenix from a page on the floor. She screamed.
The cat cringed, putting a paw to her ear. “Don’t scream! Don’t draw attention to us.” She mewled.
“What the heck is it?”
“Arkan.”
Andi quailed in the steaming presence as the creature uncoiled its body. A spiked tail struck out, hitting a set of shelves, the books, and wood turned into confetti. Andi screamed again.
Arkan lashed out with a set of talons like golden spears. Andi ducked under its reach and crawled under the table with the cat.
“You knew that thing was in the book? Why did you want it?”
Ain-u-tep squirmed and hissed as the creature with sharp spikes and razor-edged armored scales clanked by their hiding place. Its leathery red wings began to unfurl, filling the room. “Highest Far-seer wants him. I was trying to protect the world. The man is an evil beast himself, he wants to rule the galaxy.”
Andi cowered as the creature roared and slashed its claws, destroying more books and a beautiful antique library table and chairs. “This is bad. What do we do now?”
Ain-u-tep slipped nearer Andi, she put a paw on her arm. “You must feed him and tell him a story.”
Andi gaped and shook her head. “Cat, you are crazy.”
“You want to live? Then do it.”
“Yeah, right, like I’ll walk out there and say, ‘Hey dude, you hungry?’ He’ll have me for shish-kabobs. No way, cat.”
“Dragons like sweet.”
Another roar shook the aged library storeroom.
The cat’s eyes glowed as she asked, “Are you thinking? Hurry.”
“No. I just want out of here.”
“Listen and learn, Kitten.” Ain-u-tep sighed with a purr. “Feeding dragons, especially one as old as Arkan, is important. If they like your food and story, they might give you what you want.”
“And that would be, what?”
“A claw or a scale, sometimes a tooth, and then an alliance can be made.”
“Ew, why?”
“Magic.”
“That’s nonsense, there is no magic.”
The cat snickered. Her whiskers twitched, her bright eyes following the path of the creature as it paced restlessly about the library room. “Feed it, now. But you must be very reverent, and bow to it first.”
Andi eyed the cat and winced at the increasing pressure of its claws on her arm. “Fine. What do I feed it?”
“You haven’t been listening. Feed him your snack, silly.”
“This is nuts. He won’t eat this junk! He could swallow a Shetland Pony in one gulp!” Complaining, Andi dug in her pack for the remainder of the Newtons and the bottle of tea. She took a long sip then gripping the snacks, she slithered from under the table. She approached the creature and cleared her throat.
“Um … Mr. Arkan … Dragon, sir? Are you hungry?”
The dragon’s head twisted about toward Andi. Its eyes like molten gold, it sniffed and then shuffled to turn about in the crowded room. The creature’s breath was a sulfurous inferno, yet Andi stood still as it smelled her. She bowed to it. “Something sweet, sir?”
A low growl emitted from the Dragon, “I want”. A red and gold forked tongue snaked out, the ends wriggling towards Andi’s hand. Blanching at the reptilian thing, she backed away putting the food on the floor.
“No, you must feed it.” The cat moaned from under the table. “We are lost.”
Andi picked up the packet of cookies. “I’m sorry, there isn’t much here. You are so big and powerful. How can a few cookies feed you?”
Arkan’s laughter was like the hissing of a boiling old radiator; hot and shrill pitched. “I want. You feed me.”
Andi reluctantly held out a cookie and the tea. The beast’s great head neared, the tongue wrapped around Andi’s hand but then after a second, whipped the cookie into its mouth past huge scimitar shaped teeth.
“I like. More!”
Andi fed the remaining three cookies to the beast and poured the tea into its open mouth.
“More!”
She scurried to remove the packet of carrot sticks from her backpack. She fed them in a handful to the Dragon.
“Not as tasty. Want more of other.”
“All gone. Sorry.”
Arkan’s head tossed about angrily, its tail lashed out. “More!” it bellowed.
Andi put up a hand. “I will buy more, but I don’t have much money to feed you.”
“Want more!”
While Arkan thrashed about, Andi sped across the old library room, dodging between the cluttered mess and a hurled ball of flame she then arrived at the door. “It won’t open!” She looked about afraid the dragon would set the room on fire. “Ain!”
The cat suddenly appeared sitting on a box near the door. “You called?”
Andi pulled at the door.
“Push.”
Andi pushed and the door miraculously opened onto the stairwell.
“Come back soon, or the Dragon will eat me.” The cat winked out.
Andi ran out of the school library, finding it odd that the halls were still empty. She sped to the cafeteria and bought two more packets of cookies and a chocolate bar. Ready to wet herself, she dashed to the restroom and caught her image in the bathroom mirror. She was filthy, her face and hands grimed and cobwebs in her hair. But right about now, it seemed to validate what she had just experienced. It was real, although only five minutes had elapsed on the hall clock since she went into the library storeroom. “This is so bizarro!”
Andi dutifully returned to the library and the fire exit door. However, the door would not open. She banged on the door.
“Cat! Ain-u-tep, open the door!” Then she pulled against the door and it opened instead of pushing in as it had before. She looked back to see Mrs. Van, the head librarian rushing toward her.
“What are you doing there? Stop—”
“Oh dang!”
She slammed the stairwell door, but the library did not appear. She turned about and held the door as she heard the librarian calling, “Who is out there?”
“Take me back,” she murmured. Andi closed her eyes and held the door shut against the librarian, her cries suddenly blending with those of Arkan. She opened her eyes to see the library in flames. Arkan in the midst gleefully igniting pieces of furniture.
“We’ve been waiting hours for you. Hurry!” The cat reappeared and its plumy tail swished as it trotted ahead of Andi in between walls of flame.
“You! Creature of the night!” Arkan bellowed, followed by a jet of flame aimed at the cat.
Andi dodged the fire and shouted, “Arkan, sir, I have your treat.”
Arkan’s eyes glowed, as he purred, “Mm, I want …” creeping closer to Andi, its golden eyes narrowed in suspicion “give it to me now, or die.”
“First, put out the fire.” She dared to ask, hoping he wouldn’t immolate her on the spot.
An icy wind swept around the room, frost gathered and hung in icy stalactites where the flames had been before.
She then hand-fed the treats to Arkan, although the chocolate bar melted in her hand. She had the unusual and sickening feeling of the reptile licking the candy from her hand. The dragon shied when she reached to stroke its ruby-red head. “You aren’t slimy but silky soft.”
The dragon closed its eyes and snickered. “I am beautiful.” It purred as it curled its feet and tail about its great body. “Mm, you are nice human. I no kill.”
Andi smiled in return. “That’s a relief.” She looked about for the cat. “Hey, Cat, what do you want of the dragon?”
The Dragon’s head lifted. “Oh, you. Ain-u-tep. I knew you were somewhere here. I smelled you. What do you want?”
The ebony cat slunk low to the floor, creeping toward the great beast. “I tried to protect you, oh Great One. The High Far-seer is searching for you and your power. You must not give it. All dragons are in danger.”
The beast roared, shaking down dust from the rafters. “I do as I please, Cat.”
“I know, you are wise and mighty, Arkan. But, this man will chain you to him forever and make you do things against your will. You must hide in your book and I will see it safely hidden from all magical eyes and him, or you must give me a gift of yourself. I will make a spell to keep you safe.”
Andi’s eyes and mouth went wide, asking, “You are a magician?”
Sneering, the cat replied, “No, a witch. It was a bad spell that turned me into a cat.” It reached about to scratch its neck with a foot. “I don’t mind so much except for the fleas, and I don’t enjoy eating birds.”
“Birds! I want.” The dragon licked its mouth, a little steam issued as it murmured, “Mm … birdies …”
Andi rolled her eyes remarking, “This is ridiculous.” Two pairs of eyes landed upon her, making her cringe. “So, um Cat, I have to get back to class.” She began to turn away but the cat leapt in front of her.
“No, tell Arkan a story.”
“I don’t know any.” She peered over her shoulder to see the dragon with its great head lying atop its front clawed feet, like a dog. Something about his pouting face endeared him to her in that moment. “Is it true that Arkan is in danger, if I don’t do this?”
“True. He must be lured back into his book.”
“Okay.” Andi trudged over nearer the dragon. “What kind of story do you want?”
“Tasty.”
“Hm, okay.” She was thoughtful for a moment then began, “One time, my brother, sister, Mom, and I, were baking gingerbread men cookies for Christmas—”
“Men? Cook-ees? I like crunching men’s bones. What is Krees-muss?” Arkan’s sibilant voice stumbled over the unfamiliar words.
“Um, it is a holiday we celebrate and make tasty treats. All the family gets together and we exchange gifts with the people we love.”
“I want gift.”
Andi looked through her pack hoping to find more food, shaking her head, she said, “Sorry. Here, you can have this or this …” she held up the orange pencil and her new purple lip gloss with the amethyst colored jewel-like cover, saying, “It’s grape flavored.” She stepped forward, opening the small disk, letting the dragon smell it.
The tongue whipped out around her wrist.
“No, don’t eat it, you wear it.”
“Why?”
Andi smeared some on her lips and smiled, “To make you pretty.”
The huge snout pushed closer, its nostrils like empty caves, whistling as it breathed in the scent on her face. “Me want.”
Using nearly all of it, she rubbed the gloss on the dragon’s mouth and around its nostrils. The purple glitter sparkled on its ruby skin.
The dragon purred as she held up a compact mirror. “Pretty. Me want story.”
Andi stroked the dragon’s snout, while she spoke. “Okay, so we made all these cookies, because we always make a lot to give as gifts to friends and neighbors. After we package them we take a break, and have milk and cookies.” Andi began to laugh, “It was so funny, Mom was telling us a joke and Mattie had just taken a drink of milk when it came spewing out his nose—”
“Spew-ing?”
Laughing, Andi explained, “Yeah, like you spew flames out of your nose and mouth, but this was funny, because it was milk. My sister Brook was so grossed out. That was the best part!”
Andi stepped back as the dragon’s head raised, a whistling sound arose then exploded into hissing laughter.
“Yeah, it was real funny.” She giggled nervously.
“Spewing milk, this is a talent humans have?”
“Not usually.” Andi back-stepped as the dragon stepped nearer.
“Your brother is a mage then. He can free me?”
“Nope, just a dopey brother. He throws dead frog Frisbees at me.”
The dragon hissing like a pressure cooker about to implode, replied, “I like frogs. What do Frisbees taste like?”
“Not good, they’re plastic.”
“Oh.” Laughing, the dragon turned about, he nodded at the cat. “You! I will do as you ask. I do not want to be enslaved. I want to be free. My book is boring, all the knights and dragons in it are bored too. We play Chess just to have any fun. I eat the losers. It has been a thousand years. I want a new adventure.” Arkan ruffled its scales and wings. “Here, my gift, I will molt soon anyway.” A platter-sized ruby and gold edged scale clanked to the floor as he shook his head. “Do your magic, Cat.”
The dragon stepped around the library, crushing furniture and pushing aside the stacks of boxes with its long tail. Sniffing, it found a page on the floor. “Here. I wish to go here.”
The cat crept up to the dragon, bowing it said, “You are wise, my old friend. I will grant your wish. Thank you for the gift of your scale. I will make sure you are safe. You will help save the world, both here and in her time.” The cat nodded to Andi who stood by with wide eyes.
When it put a talon on the page, the dragon began to shrink. Hissing, it said, “You owe me freedom, cat,” its voice shrinking with it.
The dragon laughing, said to Andi, “I will try spewing milk sometime, but first I must eat a cow. I like cows—” The rough voice faded. A pop, the miniature dragon, like a crystal bubble tinkled in the air. The laughing dragon was gone.
The cat ran to the page, scratching at it, she hissed, “Quick, put it in the book, Kitten.”
Andi knelt to pick up the torn page. “Why did you ruin it? Besides, this page doesn’t belong in the book. It’s got—”
Ain-u-tep growled. “He can’t escape from there now. If I need him I will find him on another page.” She looked about the frozen library, and shook her head. “Arkan always makes a mess.” The cat turned about twice, making a hideous yowl, and the room was suddenly as it was before the dragon escaped.
“Cray-Cray. This is sort of like tricking the genie back into his lamp. Yeah?” Andi remarked.
Ain-u-tep sprang into the air at her, saying, “Djinn are trickier than dragons, you will see.”
She awkwardly caught the cat in her arms. The cat rubbed her face under Andi’s chin.
“You did well, Kitten. Arkan has a long memory and he will be a formidable friend to you.”
Laughing, Andi stooped to pick up the book finding it not so heavy this time. “He’ll be my friend as long as I have cookies or a cow.”
“Make them gingerbread, I like those too.” The cat dropped onto a table glistening with melted ice. “Now you put that book in your pack but kiss it first.”
Andi’s face went agape. “I don’t want that thing! What if he comes out again?”
The cat ran over to the red scale saying, “Take this too, he won’t escape. You’ll need it anyway.”
Andi shaking her head, said, “I don’t understand any of this. Why all the nonsense about feeding the dragon?”
“If you hadn’t dropped the book and kept it closed, he would not have escaped. We would be done, long ago.” Ain-u-tep put a paw on Andi’s arm. The cat nosed the book saying, “Keep it with you, or better … hide it away.”
“Why me?” She groaned, “I mean—”
Ain-u-tep glared up at Andi. “Who better to hide a magical book than a human girl? No one would suspect you. If I have it then the enemy might find it.”
“What about all that stuff of putting a spell on it to keep Arkan safe?”
“Kiss the book, right on Arkan’s picture.”
Andi regarded the ancient skin-bound book. The embossed image of a dragon shimmered in red and gold upon the book’s cover, but she could not read the words about his picture. “What kind of language is this?”
“Dragon-speak. Hardly anyone remembers it but the dragons, and the fiend who is searching for him. He wants an army of dragons, and evil things at his call.”
“I don’t think Arkan would like that.”
“No. So kiss the dragon and put the book away. Take it home and hide it.”
“Can I read it or at least look at the pictures?”
“No. Other dragons and horrible things might escape. Don’t you know the story of Pandora’s box? Now there was a fool. The Gods said not to open it, but curiosity got the better of that bad kitten. She let out all the evils and illnesses on the world.”
Feeling silly, Andi kissed the dragon’s image then stuffed the large tome in her pack. She probably imagined the dragon laughing. She snickered, “You believe in all that? Hey, I’m a Christian, so I know it is the devil that does all the bad stuff.”
“Evil is evil however one puts a name to it, and it is better not to name it.” The cat trotted away toward the door. “Let’s go home.”
Andi wistfully looked back at the old library storeroom. “This was kind of fun. I still cannot believe it.”
“Believe it.”
The cat turned into a wisp of smoke and passed through the old wooden door. Andi pushed and pulled at the door, it finally opened, again, out onto the concrete and metal stairwell. She ruefully closed the door. Then easily she opened the metal exit door as the screeching fire alarm cried out.
“Oh crud!” She ran through the door, then dodging through thick smoke around the carrels and bookcases through the library. Hitting the exterior glass door with a resounding crash, she skittered out into the hallway, into a mass of students. They were laughing and rushing toward the exit door. Andi crushed in the press, like a piece of flotsam on a wave, exited too.
Soon, the school principal with a megaphone was calling them to order out on the grass, as fire trucks pulled up near the school. A rush of yellow-coated men, equipped with fire axes and wearing masks, ran toward the school’s entrance.
She nervously chewed her thumbnail, wondering if what she experienced in the old room had really made a fire in the school. The kids were restless, some texting, and calling on their cells. A few cars pulled up at the curb with people gawking at them. The teachers and principal corralled the kids and took count.
She looked about the crowd, hoping to see her friends, or sister. She spied Scott and made her way to him.
Punching at his phone with a thumb, he caught her looking his way. He turned about, ignoring her.
“Fine, you, big derp. I was worried you were stuck in there.” Andi felt like kicking him. She angrily moved away through the crowd.
The principal in rolled-up shirtsleeves and wiping his sweaty face, met the battalion chief on the lawn. After a few minutes of talking, they both looked a bit relieved.
Even though it was early November, the California sun was beating down upon them, the day unseasonably hot in the high 80’s. Andi was sorry she wore a sweater vest and the knee socks. She was hot as heck and growing fidgety, worrying that she might be somehow to blame. Mrs. Van might have recognized her as she chased her into the stairwell. But, then again, maybe not.
After some minutes, the alarm bells stopped. A firefighter carried out a smoking metal trashcan. The kids laughed. A group of firefighters soon exited the school and gathered around the chief and principal. Then they returned inside with exhaust fans and yellow snaking collapsible tubes.
The students were growing restless while waiting to return. Many were complaining loudly and wishing the school would close after the fire.
Andi was glad it was nothing serious. Now she wondered if it was possible for the strange magic, she had experienced today, to leak out into the real world. She unzipped the backpack to see if the mysterious book was still there, however, it did not look so old or large. In fact, it was a smaller book, with a red cover. It resembled the red chemistry book next to it. How odd.
She hurried away from the crowd. Under the shade of the tree, she pulled out her books. The ancient tome changed as soon as she touched it, and she almost dropped it. She stuffed it back, afraid for anyone to see it. Maybe the cat was right, there might be someone evil lurking about.
The cat’s voice hissed near her ear. “Put it away, Kitten.”
She looked up to see the cat perched a few feet away on a limb. “Can only I see you?” She asked.
“Be careful.” The cat disappeared.
“Stupid, Cheshire Cat.” Andi said grumpily.
The students of the high school restlessly stood about for another half hour. Meanwhile, the bell rang for first lunch. Andi sprawled under the tree, without her lunch, and wishing she hadn’t spent all her money to feed Arkan, she could have left for a salad at Mickey D’s. She found a couple of mints in her pack and sucked on those until, finally, the students could return to the building. Andi dashed through the halls to her locker. She was relieved to find a granola bar and a juice box there. She munched the bar and slurped the juice, on her way to class.
The day was over soon, even though Andi was lost in thought about her earlier adventure. She headed for the bus, again seeing the wisp of smoke about the library. She went inside thinking the cat might be waiting for her, however, she collided with Mrs. Van. She ran the other way before Mrs. Van could say or do anything. Andi dashed away to her bus, climbing on and ignoring others. She felt as if she was a spy or on display, everyone must certainly know about the secret in her backpack.
Andi raced home, and went straight to her room, relieved to be in a safe zone. She kicked off her heavy shoes, and wrenched off the gaudy argyle vest. She washed up then changed into a pair of white shorts and black camisole, finally feeling cool and comfortable.
She closed the shades on the window and then upended her backpack. The antique book fell out, then before her astonished gaze, it changed to a blue book matching the denim bedspread. “Cool.” When she touched it, the book reverted to its original appearance. She tried to open the book, but it seemed as if it was glued shut. She traced the splash of gold on the cover, and the book quivered in her hands, the dragon glowed red again. She looked about her room for a hiding place. Thinking logically, in plain view, she shoved it onto the bookshelf over her bed. The book changed to a lavender color matching the painted wall.
“That is some magic. Nice job, Cat.”
Shaking her head, she now knew the day was not a dream, nor was she crazy, except when she boldly fed a live dragon. She picked up her laptop then logging into her Face Book account, she started to write about the extraordinary day. However, by the time she reached the third sentence, to describe the cat and dragon, she yawned. Her blurry eyes watered, so she set aside the laptop. She snuggled into her pillow and promptly fell asleep.
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