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The grey-eyed girl passed Charlie coming out of the
elevator of West 96th street. The door was open and she could tell by the combined
odor of old paper, and Moroccan leather that there would be some decent books
here. Shelves ran along one wall of the apartment. She pushed the sliding
library ladder so she could get a better look at a set of Prescott’s History of the Conquest of Mexico bound in red
gilt leather.
“Just give me what you think is fair.”
“You have a very fine collection here, Dr. Sign.” She
said not looking away from the books.
“Yeah, I haven’t been able to part with them.”
“Moving?”
“You could say that…just leave the books on the shelf
all the way to the left. What is the quote? A room without books is a room
without a soul?”Derrick took a volume of The
Life of Samuel Johnson into his hand and caressed the binding. “Books have
given me joy all my life especially since I lost my sight. I don’t think I have to explain it to you, but
the feel of a book in the hand the binding, the boards, the smell of the paper
and leather. The sound of the pages even, still give me pleasure.”
She was busy calculated what he had and feeling a
little dizzy high up on the ladder, when a tall gaunt man (she hadn’t noticed previously)
with hollows under his eyes wearing a threadbare double-breasted suit sitting at
a desk, busy writing a letter, said “My
dear, does he have any works by the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred ?”
“I have an appointment
but an associate of mine will be here in about an hour to settle up with you.
Will that be enough time?”
“Yes it should.” She said feeling a nauseous pit in
her stomach.
Derrick rubbed his stumbled chin, “You don’t waste
time do you?”
“No, Dr. Sign, I don’t. It was nice to meet you.”
The grey-eyed girl retrieved a notebook and pencil
from her knapsack and began methodically recording the values of the books,
what they would be worth online and how much she could pay Dr. Sign. She was
sure she wouldn’t have enough money to front for all the books. There was well
over $50,000 worth of books here. A hot sensation ran made the tiny hairs stand
up on her arms.
“Quite a collection
wouldn’t you say.” The man sitting at the desk was pulling a book from the
shelf. Ah, the Arabian nights, one of
my earliest influences. Buying books from a blind man, I do wonder how he went
blind, perhaps he looked into one of these very books, possible a book
containing a message so unearthly, so titanic, so beyond the ken and realm of
human understanding his eyes ceased functioning rather than relay the horrid
message to his mind.”
“Perhaps” she continued
writing figures in her notebook trying to focus.
The gaunt man perused
the shelves, “Ah yes, the Iliad, the Odyssey, this blind man does see I
contend with a library such as this. This apartment is quite nice you know? Not
like the places I lived in while I was here, rat-holes they were, the high
ceiling and moldings are quite nice. I just adore these windows. Do you know
why Nito that I never liked New York? People say I found it too fast passed, to
diabolical, to monumentally oppressive, and it is all those things. What I really didn’t like though was I couldn’t
see the stars from my dingy apartment window. My view was a brick wall two
inches from my window. Really. Are you listening Nito? I see you are busy let me sit I will write
this all down in a letter for you; ok Nito?”
“Yes Howard…?”
“I just wanted to see
if you were listening.”
“Go ahead write down
for me. I know how you love to write
letters.”
“OK Nito but I will be
right here if you need my help. I do know my way around books you know. You
know right, that…”
“Yes Howard, I know.”
He sat back down at the
desk and started to write with a fountain pen.
After forty minutes the
grey-eyed girl had almost finished tallying up the worth of Dr. Sign’s library,
when a furry, orangey streak ran yipping by her scaring Howard out of the desk
and up the library ladder.
“Egads! What was that?”
Howard said.
The Pomeranian did a
circuit or two of the room. Behind the
dog Mort entered the room.
“Oh a mangy mongrel of
a dog! I so do prefer cats.”
“Come here Leland leave
her alone,” The Pomeranian continued to yap and run around the room.
“I’m almost finished.”
“You must the book
dealer.”
“How’d you guess?” The
grey-eyed girl recognized him from the poetry reading.
Mort recognized her
right away.
“Gads! Nito what kind
of people do you associate with.”
She tried to ignore
what he was saying.
“Professor Sign gave me
a check for you, just let me know how much when your done.”
“It will be just a few
more minutes, just have to tally it all up.”
“Nito, do not trust
this creature. I am sure he is probably an emissary from a unseen race of
creatures so beyond our understanding doing business with him will surely
infect your sanity.” He said from his perch on the ladder.
Mort walked across the
apartment and into the kitchen and started to move some glasses and dishes
around.
“Howard you have to
shut-up. Why don’t you leave?”
“He has pink eyes! I
bet he stole Dr. Sign’s sight and sanity.”
“Listen to yourself.”
“Did you say something?”
Mort called from the kitchen.
“Ah no, nothing” she
said.
“You have to leave,
now.” She said in a harsh whisper.
“Here I brought you water.”
Mort said.
“Oh thanks,”
“What kind of creature
drinks water? Probably to keep his gills
wet.” Howard said as he disappeared out of the door.
“My name is Mort by the
way.” He extended his hand
“My friends call me
Nito.” She said shaking his hand.
“I know what you did after
that poetry reading.” He said with small
smile on his face.
