KNOCK! KNOCK!


    “Come in.” Kelsie Pearce, the Head Librarian, said.


    In walked a young lady. She is pretty, but what stood out most was her appearance. With her long cascading silver hair, black jeans and high boots with thick soles, she looks more like a goth rockstar than your typical librarian.


    Kelsie sighed as she shook her head. “Miss Smith. Can''t you adhere to the dress code just a little bit?”


    Shiori Smith just shrugged. “Oh come on, boss. Who cares?! I stayed in the basement anyway. It''d be one thing if I worked at the front desk.”


    “Oh? So if I put you at the front desk, you''ll get a suit?” Kelsie teased. Half determined to actually do it.


    “Hehehe, I may put on a suit. But I''m sure those hags would hate it even more.”


    Kelsie rolled her eyes. With Shiori''s apparent penchant for the macabre, she would probably dress for the grave rather than the office look.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    “Fine. I give up.” She raised her hands, surrendering. Then, her expression turned serious. “So? How did it go?”


    People who knew Shiori, knew how tiny her smile is. She could be cured of cancer, and that tiny smile is the most joy she could produce to the public.


    So, seeing her smiling wide right now, really caught Kelsie off guard. “...it went THAT well, huh?”


    “Hehehe, of course. The Smithsonian has agreed. They have agreed for us to make a copy. Soon, the Library of Congress shall have our own copy of the Salem Witch Spell Book.”


    Kelsie almost jumped in joy. “Hahaha, that''s great.” The joy was short lived however, because she remembered something. “Hey wait a minute. They are not usually that charitable. What''s the catch?”


    “Hehehe. It''s just a small favor. They wanted us to assume a part of responsibility to restore the book. All they want…”


    Before she could finish speaking, Kelsie slammed her hand on the desk. “Do you know how expensive it is to restore a book? We barely had any funding as it is?”


    Shiori quickly interjected. “No, no. Listen first, boss. They don''t want money. Just manpower. A.k.a. me.”


    “Huh? Why you?”


    Shiori scratched her head, feeling awkward. “Well…one of the professors of the Smithsonian book restoration team was my professor. And she said I should stop hiding in the basement, and use my degree for what it''s intended.”


    Hearing that, Kelsie burst out laughing. “Hahahaha, she called you lazy, huh? She must''ve cared for you a lot.”


    Shiori clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Yeah. She can be kind of a bummer, but she did care for her students. Which is even more frustrating!”


    “Hehe. What''s wrong with a good professor?”


    “That''s why she''s annoying. She''s a good person. I can''t hate her if she''s decent. In fact, I gotta be thankful for her now. Ceh!”


    Kelsie chuckled. “Thank god for her then. Not only can we save money, we can soon have a copy of a rare book. Now, that''s something.”


    Shiori''s eyes were gleaming. She was also excited. Imagine, an actual spell book.


    It''s like meeting Santa Claus!