The Library of Enki

Long ago, before the birth of the son of God, before the Bible and history took a sudden turn, there was a man named Daon. He was an architect during the second half of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He visited many places but the one that impressed him the most was the Library of Alexandria. When he returned home he decided he will create something of such greatness for his god, Enki. He started by collecting manuscripts and designing this tall building. Not large and grand like the one in Constantinople but tall as if it could reach the god. He did believe he was creating a stairway to heaven around which nothing could be found but knowledge.

The book collection and the construction of such a library cost him all his fortune leaving his family with very little. When Daon died, he left his project unfinished. He let it to his son, hoping he will continue his dream. But he did not, he hated it and ended up cursing it for destroying their family. It is said that one night while the young man was cursing the gods for bestowing such an obsession over his father, flames fell from the sky and burned everything, including the son. That, or more realistically, he burned it down and could not save himself.

In his anger, Enki saved the library by moving it outside time and space. But he needed someone to go in and out and gather knowledge for the collection. He placed this deed on the son, Aos. Enki connected the library to his soul so that if he ever decided to destroy the library again, he will also be erased from existence. Aos did his deed for a long time and he only had one rule to obey: gather knowledge from the Intimed World.

Time passed and the world changed. Aos did more or less his job but he started to resent his life. He was immortal but he could not enjoy the pleasures of life. He tried to get himself killed but it did not work because he was indestructible, he tried to shift his deed on somebody else but that did not work either because his job was his alone. In the end, he decided he might as well use the library for profit and he started to sell knowledge to lords. Seeing how the library’s purpose was being misused, Enki banished Aos, erased his memories of the library, and abandoned him in the medieval world as a poor villager. There was another soul Enki used, of a man already old and past his time who became later on one of the first spirits of the library. Then Enki chose someone else, a girl that was ostracized by society because she could not fulfill her role as a woman. Thus Erica became the longest human heart of the library.

London is the city that became a world of its own. So many people immigrate and emigrate to London that one would imagine the rest of the United Kingdom does not matter to foreigners. The economy is well, education is well, the health system could be better but still, London is a city where many want to work in.

Such was the dream of a man in his thirties, an age when adults do not dream anymore but work to sustain themselves. But not him. He worked so much that he ended up looking at the world with too many expectations.

“Ten minutes and we’ll open the doors!” came a voice from the front.

That announcement came as bad news for the workers in the back, whose job was to make sure the books were placed on shelves and ready to be broken by thousands of hands.

“Do women really like to read this?” one of the workers asked, swaying one sample at his co-worker.

“My girlfriend likes it. She told me I should take some notes.”

The first one scrunched his nose in disgust as he placed it back on the shelf. The cover itself was enough of a hint at what the story was about.

“Maybe you should read it too, Tom. When was the last time you went on a date?” The second worker asked his mate, a teasing smile widening on his face.

Tom shook his head vehemently, his ideas of a good book being far from what was before him.

“I used to work in the publishing business. This is one of the reasons I gave it up.”

“I thought you were fired because you weren’t doing your job right.” commented the second worker keeping his eyes on the books.

Tom narrowed his eyes at him and puckered his lips, feeling his pride shatter.

“Let’s not talk about that.”

“Mate, you’ve been abandoned by your parents and now you live in the apartment above this store. I do believe we need to talk about your future.”

“Ruddy, no matter how much I like it when you stop talking about yourself, let’s not concentrate on me. I’m doing fine.” Tom said, turning around and walking into the staff room.

“Why don’t you call your father and ask him for a loan?” Ruddy asked following his friend through the door.

“No, I’m not having this discussion again!” Tom exclaimed searching for something else to do. It didn’t seem like Ruddy was one to give up.

“You should leave aside your petty fights and ask him when it’s hard for you.”

“You sound just like Nina,” Tom said passing by Ruddy on the way back into the library.

“Well, maybe she was right. You shouldn’t have broken up, she knew what you needed.”

“Yep. That was the problem.” Tom mumbled as he walked out. It seemed the 10 minutes ended because a crowd of women made their way inside, some more calmly than others, and went straight to the new book.

It was just past the craziness of erotic novels and their fans when Thomas was ready to take his well-deserved break. He was talking to someone when he was surprised by another one of his colleagues.

“Tom, this very well dressed gentleman wants to talk to you.” She said, eyeing him.

Thomas only needed to take a glimpse of his shoes and he knew who that was. He sighed but walked to the grey-haired man without much ado.

“Is my father disinheriting me, Aldo?” He asked feeling like he will lose his precious break on something insignificant.

“As a matter of fact, sir, I am here about an inheritance. Your grandfather’s,”

Tom raised an eyebrow, still very suspicious.

“Shouldn’t you be talking to father then?”

“No, sir. You and you only are the benefactor.” Said Aldo, the lawyer of the Bennington family, and retired from what Tom knew.

“What is this about then?” Tom asked growing curious. He couldn’t lie; he was anticipating some money since he was in desperate need.

“Should we arrange a meeting to discuss this issue? Perhaps tomorrow morning…?” Aldo answered in his posh accent. Tom raised an eyebrow but with how much attention this old man seemed to draw, it was better to go along with whatever he planned.

“Sure. Your office, if you still have it.”

“Just because I retired does not mean I do not still own the law firm.” He added before he gave Tom one of his quick bows of head and left.

“What the heck was that?” Ruddy asked as he approached his colleague from the back. “Are you in trouble?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

As soon as the next morning came around, Tom woke up and groggily made his way into the bathroom. Looking at his reflection he couldn’t help but notice how much weight he actually lost in the last six months. It’s been hard making a living by himself but it was far better than having someone breathe down his neck.

He didn’t try dressing up; he actually chose to wear clothes that he knew would never be up to his father’s standards. His father, the big conglomerate, the man with the money albeit not made by his own handy work but by others he paid.

Getting the cab was the best choice to get there in time so maybe that was why Tom took the subway. There was also the problem of not having any money but one more reason to be seen as a disappointment could not be avoided. If he chose that way he may as well go all the way.

So when he arrived at the prestigious law firm, as soon as he stepped inside he was met with incredulous looks. There he was, dressed in black pants with a nerdy shirt and a khaki jacket barely covering the front, which was a picture of an anime character. His hair was a mess and he looked like he hadn’t slept in months. Anyway, once he arrived at the information stand he smiled.

“I’m here to see old Aldo.” He said with no filter whatsoever.

“And your name is?” The well-dressed, superior-looking employee asked from behind his neat desk.

“Bennington.”

The secretary looked up at him in a way that almost questioned if he was or not who he implied. After a sigh and a few types on his laptop, the secretary nodded and let Tom walk to the elevator.

While inside he couldn’t help but tap his foot. He was curious about what inheritance he missed and how come his father never claimed it. All these questions were killing him.

“Ah, Thomas, I’m glad you came. Please, take a seat.” Aldo said as soon as the messy man entered. “I’m sure you’re wondering just what is happening.”

“I’m curious why my father isn’t here to claim it.”

“Your father does not know about this inheritance,” Aldo answered surprising the younger man. “As I told you before, you are the sole inheritor of this particular house.”

“It’s a house?!”

“A house with everything inside and of course a sum of money attributed to it, for its care I suppose,” Aldo said before he pushed the document towards Tom.

The young man read it carefully and with every paragraph, his eyes shifted over to the lawyer.

“This is a lot for just a simple care of a house,” Tom said, growing suspicious of the lawyer. “Why does my father not know about this?”

“This will has been left by your grandfather to my father, especially for this day. It marks 80 years since he died. He wanted you to receive it once your grandmother passed.”

“But why me?”

“Because you need it. The will says it too. It needs to go to the person that hit the lowest point of his life. If there is too much greed then the house shall not be used but sold. This house is very important Thomas. If you accept it, you have to move there.”

“There where?”

“Aberdeen.”

“Scotland?! It’s in Scotland?”

“You decide, Tom. It is a good opportunity but it’s also a big responsibility.”

It took a few minutes for Thomas to make up his mind. Only looking at the huge amount of money allocated to the house was overwhelming. He really needed money and it seemed like he could use this rare chance to pull himself out of the artistic pit he was in.

“I understand.”

A content smile formed on Aldo's face.

"Good luck, son."