PAGE ONE |

Musty books. An entire building of them, in fact. An abnormally large aardwolf in a baggy maroon jacket teetered on two legs, carrying a stack of the things from chest to snout. Evening had fallen on the Apricot Bay Public Library, another week had passed, and the void of patrons meant he could round up what books had been discarded around the first floor by impatient children and uncaring teenagers. They called him Kevin.

Kevin emerged from one of the first floor supply closets, having retrieved a rickety, slate grey table cart to stash his collection on top of. He wasn't allowed to do the returns himself, as Kevin couldn't read, but Theo, the ancient bunny librarian, appreciated his boundless stamina for running all around the building, gathering books and tidying up, and tasked him with exactly that.

Kevin returning with the book cart as Theo checks out Gonzo's books

Theo himself was busy checking out one of the last patrons of the day, his old eyes squinting at each title, his wiry bunny handpaws pulling the ownership cards from their inside pockets and scribbling on each one. "The usual subject matter, Gonzo?" Theo asked the patron, his voice low and gravelly with a strange lift to his A's and matching dip to his R's like no one native to the area. "Crop circles, ancient aliens--if only you knew the truth..."

"I'm looking for the truth, man!" Gonzo protested. "That's why I'm here!" A library regular, young as Theo was old, timid as Theo was jaded, what they had in common was that they were both rabbits--and that meant Theo took a certain special pleasure in teasing him.

"Well, you could've just asked me," Theo smirked, shutting one of the books as he looked over the counter. "But that would have been--you couldn't handle it."

Theo emoting spookily, eyes wide and hands fluttering

"H-handle what?"

Theo leaned in closer, his voice dropping. "Beings staring at me through missing eyes, Gonzo, disappearing into waves of heat...I've seen undefined spaces that cast shadows, though there's nothing there..."

Gonzo's hands began to tremble, and he pulled them in close to his torso. "Heat people...?"

Theo only handed Gonzo his stack of library books. The rabbit ran for the door without another word.

Kevin pulled the book cart up behind the desk, stopping to lean on the counter. "Poor guy."

"He's remarkably easy to frighten. And those are real, you know."

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