And so off into the new writing experiment we go, the story continues…
Day 8: ‘I suppose today is the day.’
‘I suppose today is the day.’ Anna took one more glance at the sky and wondered how likely it was that she would be caught in a storm. She had a small travel umbrella in her bag. She had never bothered to use it but kept it inside just in case. It was a small thing, meant to provide more peace of mind than actual coverage in a rainstorm.
Still, it was something. Anna finished her coffee and set the cup down. She picked her bag up and fished around in the bag, digging under her papers and notebooks to the bottom of the bag where spare pencils and other odd bits lived. There were quite a few individually wrapped peppermints in the bag. The archives did not allow ink pens, food or drink and Anna often found her throat getting dry and dusty in the artificially controlled space. She used the breath mints to get her mouth to produce more saliva without either angering the archivist or needing to leave to go to the water fountain by the restroom. To go to the restroom, she had to actually leave the archives, checking out and then returning. Occasionally she needed to do so, but Anna tried to limit the number of times that occurred.
The archivist always studied her hands. Anna washed them after using the facilities and then dried them with the hot air drier. While her hands weren’t wet, the skin was still moist from the dryer. They were always dry by the time she finished signing back in and made it back to the desk she was using, but the archivist studied her hands intently as she signed in. Anna was always curious if she was more concerned about the dampness of the skin or possible contamination from germs in the bathroom.
After each check in, she found herself wondering more and more. Anna let the thought go as her hand closed over the umbrella and slowly maneuvered it out of the depths. She managed to extract it without spilling anything else out of the bag. She placed it on the table, steadfastly ignoring the envelope with the letters in it. As she placed it on the table a louder crack of thunder sounded.
The storm, such as it was seemed to be getting closer. Anna fastened her bag as she looked out of the window.
“Makes you rethink going out,” a voice said. Anna turned. She smiled at the man. Anna had seen him around but never talked to him. He occasionally did some work in the library but never really went near the archives. His business took him elsewhere in the building, but he was a familiar face.
“It does,” Anna said.
“At least you have your umbrella,” He gestured to the small fold up umbrella she placed on the table. It some how looked much smaller than usual.
“I’ve generally only carried it to ward off rain,” she admitted. “I’ve never actually put it to use.”
“I have seen these anti rain talismans before. Kind of exciting to see it in action. I’m Christopher by the way, you are one of the researchers?”
“One?” Anna asked. “I am glad to know I am not the only one even if I never see the others.”
Ten til Midnight 