Tourmaline Library Archives

Tourmaline Library Archives: The Rat King

Waking to the sound of stone creaking and cracking, Pierre opened their eyes as they shook their head slightly. Moonlight peeked in through the open window and their skin gradually turned back to its original state. As each second passed they gained more and more mobility; the stone receded until eventually they were free to move, albeit a little stiffly for a few moments.

"Can't believe I forgot to close that blind..." they murmured to themselves as they closed it and wandered into the kitchen, filling the kettle up and heating it. They leaned backwards on the counter, rapping their fingers on it as they waited for the kettle to boil. They saw that the light in the living room was on and let out a brief sigh. "Gods, that's gonna put a bit of a dent in the energy bill."

The kettle started boiling and the wizard went to grab a mug from a small wooden cabinet, patting some stony flakes out of their brown curly hair. They picked out the first one they saw, a light brown mug with a picture of an orangutan with the text 'hang in there!' underneath. They held it as they lumbered over to the steaming kettle, pouring the boiling water into it before dunking a tea bag that they fished out of a small box into it. They added some milk and sugar into the tea and took a sip of the sweet drink.

Pierre crouched down and opened the cupboard in the counter, pulling the scratched, brown wooden door and examining the contents of the compartment. They rested their chin on their fist, pondering like a philosopher, though rather than deciphering life's greatest questions, they were deciding what cereal to have. Would they have chocolate hoops, or would they have wheat biscuits? Perhaps some of that porridge that was piling up? After a few moments of contemplating, Pierre reached into the cupboard and grabbed a box of Honey Nut Cheerios™.

Grabbing a dull grey bowl and a spoon from the drawer, they seized the milk and poured it into the bowl, following it up with the cereal. They put the carton back in their highly disorganised fridge - one shelf was completely empty except for a single pack of lettuce and another was filled to the brim with various packs of food - and closed it, grabbing their drink and cereal and sitting on the sofa in the living room. Pierre turned the television on and started flicking through the channels as they sipped their tea and began eating their breakfast at half past eight at night.

"Huh, I haven't got much time to get ready tonight do I? Gotta be at work by nine..." they muttered to themselves as they stuffed another spoonful of the delectable Honey Nut Cheerios™ into their mouth. They finished about two minutes later and dumped the bowl into the kitchen sink, adding to the small mound of dishes and cutlery that they hadn't gotten around to washing yet.

Pierre went through their early night routine as they got ready for work; they took a shower and cleaned their teeth before getting dressed, putting on their black turtleneck jumper, orange plaid skirt and black tights. The wizard dried their hair and looked in the mirror, sighing as they glanced at the short stone horns on their head. Just before they left they pulled on their brown boots and donned their caramel leather jacket, grabbing their bag as they unlocked their flat door and left. They forgot to turn the light off again.

"I'll be a little bit late," Pierre whispered, running down the old-fashioned stairs and out of their flat block onto the street. "But I'm sure Astor won't mind."

They made their way to the library, which was only a ten minute walk from their flat, walking briskly down the street. There were still a decent amount of people on the street as the darkness of night steadily crept across the sky. Pierre glanced upwards, their gaze resting on the moon which shone vibrantly in the ever-darkening sky. They found solace in the moon, its glowing light comforting them, granting them freedom from their curse so long as it hung in the sky like an all-encompassing guardian.

Pierre tilted their head downwards, glancing at the pavement for the remainder of their journey, hands in their pockets, as they strolled along swiftly. It wasn't much longer until they were standing in front of the Tourmaline library entrance; a familiar figure stood outside the door with keys in hand. His crimson face scanned the area like a sentinel until he noticed Pierre and glared at them. The wizard jogged up the steps to the entrance to meet the figure.