The Magic of Stories

8 - Exhibition day

The rest of the week passed in a breeze. Even reading to the knitting circle and the kids on Wednesday lost its horror as I settled into the library routine. I still was too preoccupied with the reading task to watch out for otherworldly visitors, but my audience seemed content and my self confidence grew. During the quiet morning hours, I worked on my opening speech for Paco's photo exhibition.

I also got to know Luca better. Unlike Cat, he kept in the background when other visitors were around. Wednesday morning, I found him watching me from the sofa by the window front. As usual, I could see the upholstery through his semi-translucent body, but the sight didn't shock me anymore. As Conny had her free day and the library was still empty, I walked over and sat in an armchair facing him.

"Good morning, Luca."

He acknowledged me with a nod, but kept silent. I suppressed a sigh. "We're alone, so you can talk to me, you know—but you don't have to, of course."

A grin tugged at his lips and I could see the dimples Amber admired so much. Except for the see-through quality of his face, he was attractive, with a strong jaw, a fine nose, and prominent cheekbones beneath wide blue eyes.

"Good morning to you, too, Lynn."

Now it was my turn to grin. "Much better. How come you honour me with your esteemed visit today?"

His grin faded, and his glowering eyes told me I had touched a sore spot. "Cat says he told you about my predicament."

"Well, he mentioned you might be caught between two planes of reality because of an unfinished story."

He nodded and ran a hand through his hair until it was spiky and stood in all directions. "It's his theory, but I'm not sure it's the truth."

"Oh—you don't know which story you came out of?"

"No, and unlike most of the other crossers I've met, I cannot find my book in the library. Believe me, I searched up and down during these last years, and I'm sure I read every single story on these shelves. Including the encyclopaedias."

"And that's why I keep telling you it must be an unfinished story." Cat appeared on the sofa beside him, blinking his emerald eyes.

I pinched my nose, thinking. "Or could it be something not printed, a story only available on the internet, perhaps? Or simply something we haven't in our library?"

Cat wrinkled his nose, but Luca's eyes lit up. "So, you think you could find it with your machine?" He pointed at the computer.

I shrugged. "I don't know, but I can try. If Cat is right and the story is unfinished, it might be an ongoing story on one of these online writing platforms, like Wattpad."

Cat's ears perked up as I caught his attention. "This would support my theory."

"I guess. Have you checked the internet?"

"How? We aren't corporeal in this plane. Your human machines don't accept us as valid interaction partners."

I'd never thought of that, but the thought of Cat working a search engine or creating a social media account made me smile. Perhaps it was a blessing he couldn't. "Okay, I'll volunteer to do some research for you."

We were interrupted by the doorbell as my first customer of the day entered. My conversation partners faded away, but I believed to glimpse a sliver of hope gleaming in Luca's eyes.

As promised, I searched the internet for any hint on a story that might contain a mention of Luca—in vain. We had another brief chat on Friday, but he couldn't give me more information to base my search on. I resolved to talk to Amber, the only person aside from Marjorie who could see him. Perhaps she had another idea.