This is today's offering (day 217) for @mydivathings' #365daysofwriting challenge (click here to see her current post)
Today's picture prompt (below) is a Photo by Jaredd Craig on Unsplash
The Library of the Dead was quiet, today. Mind you, Gilbert thought, as he hovered above the desk, casually flicked through a book, it was pretty quiet everyday.
Gilbert liked quiet.
He didn’t allow noise in his Library. He had a sign that read “Please, be quiet!” that he pointed to whenever other ghosts floated in. There were always those who were laughing and merry making - particularly those spectres that had been drinking or taking drugs - high spirits, Gilbert called them.
Talking - even in hushed tones - was frowned upon (even if Gilbert’s frowns these days lacked substance. When he was alive he was renowned for his frowns. He won awards), and, if he heard murmurs or mutters, Gilbert would glide around the library with a little sign that read “Quiet! PLEASE!”. Gilbert especially didn’t like “shushing”. He had a special sign for the shushers who shushed others. “No shushing!”, it read. This sign he would thrust into the faces of the guilty parties often making them recoil with shame.
Of course, since Gilbert had permanently barred the poltergeists things had certainly become more manageable. When he had first arrived the Library of the Dead had been in chaos. Books out of order, books thrown on the floor, books flying around the place, willy nilly! Gilbert soon put a stop to that! Poltergeists had no respect for authority, of course. They were Tantrum Phantoms, Wraiths of Wrath: spoilt little brats who couldn’t go anywhere without making a scene. Like two year olds.
Or Presidents.
They had no interest in reading books, just throwing them about. There was no place for that sort of ghost in a Library!
There had been protests, of course. Poltergeists liked to protest. But they got bored easily, so soon forgot about Gilbert and his Library.
Now, he had other things to deal with. Vampires of all things. He had nothing against vampires per se. Whilst most vampires were well read, well mannered, respectful creatures (unless they were going through their bat phase: cleaning bat shit off of books was not Gilbert’s idea of fun!) they were undead. And this Library was for the Dead. It was very clear. Rules were rules.
The problem was the vampire lobby was pretty powerful. Gilbert was under pressure to allow them in. A lot of pressure. But you let the vampires in and where does it stop? The undead community was a broad church. Perhaps church was the wrong word to use. A mixed bag. If you let the Vampires in the next thing you’d have the zombies shuffling over to demand access to the Library of the Dead. They’d have no interest in reading books, of course. No interest in using their brains. Just eating other peoples. No the zombies would just want to hang about, creating a stink and moaning about stuff.
It just wouldn’t do.
Gilbert sighed, and the air around him chilled for a moment. He would have to put his foot down. Which was pretty difficult when you didn’t really have a solid foot to put down.