“What?” Merly asked.
“You heard me correctly. After you said to me the other day that you had no idea of where Nora was, I asked a few people, but nobody was able to tell me about her … none of the students in fact, but then do you know Stuart?” Jeremy asked.
“You don’t make any sense, what has Stuart got to do with this? And I think I have heard the name, but I am not sure who he is.”
“It will make sense. Stuart helps Mr. Summers run errands. I was in the park the other day asking someone I know if she had seen Nora leaving on the sad morning, and Stuart was on his way out. He heard us speaking then stopped and said that he had seen Nora on the bus stand, and do you know where she was heading … to Elmhurst.” Jeremy gave Merly the time to digest the news.
It did take her time to digest the news. She had a hard time believing that it was not only Natalie’s source, Natalie herself, but apparently Stuart and now Jeremy knew about Nora’s destination, too. Merly pretended that she was only half aware of the news.
“How did Stuart even know Nora? Of course, he must have seen her around once or twice, but to specifically remember someone going out to Elmhurst a week ago … that is not possible … so many students go out and come in everyday. Do you suggest he remembers everyone of them, where they come from or where they go to?” Merly didn’t believe what Jeremy said.
“What if I tell you that Nora asked him about the specific route or where to get off? Stuart said that he is sure about it, because he spoke with Nora a few days ago.” Jeremy had his answer prepared, or so Merly thought.
“Nora never told me anything about that. I had no idea she even knew him, I was not very well over the last few days, so I must have missed it even if she told me about it, but did you ask Stuart why Nora met him?” Merly exactly knew why Nora met Stuart, but she wanted to keep up her pretense so that Jeremy would think that she is oblivious to Nora’s motives as he is.
“I was beyond surprised. Nora tells me almost everything, but kept this news hidden from me, and I wonder why. I didn’t want to ask Stuart about why Nora met him, because there was someone with me, so I got a hold of him a day later. He said that she wanted to ask a few things about Mr. Summers. What is Nora up to?” Jeremy looked genuinely ignorant regarding the matter.
“She was asking about Mr. Summers?” Merly acted surprised.
“You didn’t know about it?” Jeremy squint his eyes while uttering the words.
“What made you think that I know about it?” Merly got nervous every second and anxiety started creeping in.
“I saw you looking at him with a strange look in your eyes during class, and it was right after Nora left. I didn’t pay much attention to it, but when Stuart told me the reason why Nora wanted to meet him, which got me thinking. In fact, it is not just me. Michael was asking me if you and Nora had a falling out. I avoided the question, because I know that is not true. Now if you still don’t want to tell me what it is, then there is nothing else for me to say, but in case you do, then I will try and assist you in whatever problem you are having.” Jeremy assured Merly, and for once, she knew that he was being honest about it.
“Jeremy, I understand that you are trying to be helpful and that you mean good, but there is nothing that I can say or divulge to you at this time, so please understand,” Merly painstakingly said.
“But I am concerned about Nora and you, too … we are friends and…” Jeremy’s phone rang out loudly and those sitting around made a sound of irritation. He looked at his phone, then abruptly cut his conversation. “Merly, I have to go, but just think about what I said.” and he left.
Merly was left alone, but she didn’t have the heart to go out, so she sat there by herself alone. She was almost lost in her own thought when a soft melancholic voice called out her name. Merly thought it was an illusion, but when the name was called out twice, she looked up slowly. Merly didn’t know the person who was now sitting in front of her, so she asked, “How do you know my name? I don’t recognize you.”
However, no sooner Merly uttered those words, the green eyes of the one sitting opposite from her reminded her that she had seen the person before. “Wait, I have seen you before, here in the library. How do you know me?” Merly questioned. Last time, the green cold stare had given her creeps and she remembered it then.
“I know everyone around here, and not just you,” her voice was slick and cold.
There was a similar look in her eyes like the ones Merly had seen before. “I don’t know you, so I am not the person whom you are looking for,” Merly said then pretended to be immersed in her books.
“Can I ask you a question?” the woman asked.
Merly was not too comfortable in answering, yet she obliged the woman. “Go ahead,” she said not knowing what question she might be asked.
“You look troubled,” the woman said instead of asking a question.
Merly looked at her with an annoyed expression. She has had enough for a day answering people about her troubles, so she replied roughly, “That is not a question, and it is none of your business.”
“Yes, it is,’’ the woman replied calmly as she was from the beginning. She didn’t seem to be bothered by Merly’s rough behavior, but became even more persistent.
Somehow Merly was not able to speak to her roughly. The calmness that the woman sitting opposite to her possessed affected her as well.
“I don’t think I want to speak to you now” Merly tried reasoning.
“But I haven’t even asked you the question yet. Do you believe in ghosts and spirits?” the woman asked.
“What silly question is this, and why do you want to know that? Who are you?” Merly by this time was annoyed, but her unlikely appearance scared her. One student from the other corner looked up at her and had a curious look on his face. Merly wondered the reason, but she didn’t pay much attention.
The woman was still waiting for her to answer, but Merly didn’t. “I asked you something,” she said again.
“I fail to understand why you want to know that. I hardly know you and I don’t want to answer that now, so please leave me alone,” Merly requested for the final time.
The woman didn’t get up, but remained seated. Then she moved closer towards Merly and said, “I care to know, because very soon you will see one.”
Merly was shocked; she looked at the woman sitting opposite her in bewilderment then looked around her to see if anyone was watching them. Merly calmed herself down, then suggested that the woman leave her alone.
“You seem to be unfazed by what I am saying,” she said even more calmly.
“Whatever you are saying doesn’t make any sense. Moreover, you are bothering me and asking me stuff that I don’t want to answer. Are you even real?” Merly cried out.
“You don’t believe that I am real?” the woman questioned.
“Are you new here? That is what I meant.” Merly was freaked out by the apparent lack of understanding that the woman was showing.
“You asked me if I was real, didn’t you? And I am saying that I am real, even beyond your imagination,” the woman said with an aura of confidence.
Merly noticed a few stray eyes looking at her, and she thought it was because of her raised voice. However, she noticed something else. The woman looked older, probably in her finals years, but she didn’t remember her seeing on the campus.
“You want to know which year I am?” the woman said breaking Merly’s chain of thought. Those words hit Merly like a bolt, “You wouldn’t know what I was thinking. Who are you? Please tell me who you are?” Merly pushed back her chair and got up, but the woman remained sitting calmly not even batting an eyelid.
“I have to go ... I can’t stay,” Merly managed to say and bolted out of the section, but she hit someone on her way out. She wasn’t looking where she was headed, so she slowed down, “I am…” Merly’s words were left unfinished, because in front of her was standing the librarian, and it was not Mr. Stevenson. It was someone sh
e had seen before and was warned by some. The lady librarian gave her a gentle smile and tried to reach out for her. Merly took a step backwards then three more steps and her back hit a table. The way out was blocked and by this time, Merly knew it was the ghost of the former librarian and she was reaching to hold her hand.
Merly tried to dismiss it, but her mind said otherwise. “It is not possible. It is not real, and you cannot be real!” Merly kept stammering, “Go away ... is this a joke? This must be a joke, a sick joke that you are playing.” Merly went on blabbering, but her words were beginning to choke in her throat. “Go away, go away, and go away,” she tried to scream out, but words failed to come out.”
The librarian didn’t move and there was ghastly look about her. The eyes looked expressionless and dead, her body was sickly thin and on a closer and concentrated look, Merly realized that the person standing in front of her was not human. It was impossible to believe that this was happening to her. Merly’s mind went blank, her palms became sweaty, her throat were parched like during those dreams she would always have.
“This is just a dream. I am being silly. This can’t be real. The woman was lying. I can’t be seeing a ghost; this is not a ghost.” She licked her lips to moisten them and tried to cling on to the words she was saying in her mind in the midst of trying to gain back her voice again.
All her efforts were crumbling down like a tattered pile of bricks. The librarian made no movement or showed sign of backing off. Merly felt a chill behind her back, her nerves began to shake tremendously, her eyes started to get cloudy and her heartbeat increased to a humongous level, her legs gave away under her weight. Merly managed to find her voice, gave out a loud shriek, and it was more a cry for help before passing out in complete darkness.
Merly woke up in the doctor’s chambers with a nurse sitting beside her bed.
“Nurse Richardson, what happened?” Merly said in a feeble voice. She tried to get up, but her head was beating too fast making her weak. She rested back in the bed.
“You don’t remember what happened to you?” Nurse Richardson asked kindly.
Merly lay quietly in the college resting center. She noticed that she was given IV drops. The dizziness was still there, and she felt a surge of nausea.
“Don’t move too much,” Nurse Richardson pleaded. “Stay put,” she urged.
“What happened to me? Who brought me here? The last thing I remember I was in the library … and then…” Merly suddenly remembered what happened in the library and didn’t finish her sentence. The memory made her shudder and she closed her eyes in pain.
“Are you all right?” Nurse Richrson probed. Merly didn’t say a thing, her silence made Nurse Richardson nervous so she asked, “Should I call Dr. Peters to check on you once more?”
“No, just tell me who got me here, I need to know, what happened?” Merly begged.
“Relax, Merly. You are stressed, so don’t over work yourself.” Nurse Richardson laid a motherly hand on Merly’s shoulder.
“I asked you something, Nurse Richardson. Please answer me that,” Merly pleaded for the second time. She wanted to be sure that what she happened and not just an illusion.
“I will tell you, but first you need to completely rest. Can you do that?” Nurse Richardson asked firmly.
“I can do that,” Merly promised, but a little tear escaped her eyes and that did not get unnoticed by Nurse Richardson. Therefore, she didn’t delay in telling Merly what actually happened.
“Mr. Stevenson gave me a call, and there were two first-year students who got you here,” Nurse Richardson stated.
“What did they say?” Merly wanted to know more.
“Mr. Stevenson called me and said that they heard a loud shriek, more like someone was afraid, and they went over to inspect what had happened. You were lying there unconscious, and there was no one there. They looked around, but you were alone. There were very few students in the library at that time, and all were sitting at other ends of the room. They didn’t see anyone approaching or leaving you. So it was assumed that you passed out due to stress. Someone did question why you shrieked so loudly, but nothing was found, so everyone is waiting and eager to know what actually happened. You were unconscious for about twenty minutes and your heart beat was rapid, but other than that, you are fine. There is nothing serious to worry about.” Nurse Richardson stated each fact very carefully, so not to make Merly more anxious.
“They are waiting to know what happened, but what do I say?” The incident was not pleasant for Merly and she was at a loss of knowing the appropriate explanation she should provided.
Nurse Richardson seemed to have comprehended that something was not right about the situation. “You don’t have to say anything that you don’t want, but I hope that it is nothing serious. You can tell me if you want.”
Merly wanted to tell someone, what had happened was too much for her to keep to herself, but she was not sure if she could trust Nurse Richardson with the truth, because it was still unreal to imagine it herself.
“You don’t have to, just rest for a while and call me if you need me. I will just be outside.” Nurse Richardson stroked her hair gently then tucked her in with the cover and moved towards the door to get out of the room.
“Nurse Richardson, please wait. Don’t go.” Merly stopped her.
“What is it?”
“Don’t tell anyone anything, please!” Merly pleaded in a grieving tone.
“But you didn’t tell me anything, Merly.”
“Just tell them, it was fatigue and I lost consciousness due to that. I don’t want to say anything.”
“But eventually they will want to know and you will have to offer an explanation. For now, I will say what you want.” Nurse Richardson left the room without saying anything more.
Merly turned to her side and sobbed. She hated to be pitied and she pitied herself for being so weak, and that made her hate herself even more. Nurse Richardson’s last words, “But eventually they will want to know and you will have to offer an explanation. For now, I will say what you want.” For the first time in her life, she wanted to run away. For a fleeting second, she had the urge to go away to the comforts of her home where she will be looked after and cared for. It’s where she will be safe and have nothing to worry about. That thought made her well up and she cried even harder. Merly didn’t remember how long she cried, but she must have drifted off to sleep. She opened her eyes and batted her eyelids as the light in the room was too bright and Merly took time to adjust to it. When she woke up, it was past 6:00 p.m. and Merly felt hungry.
“Nurse Richardson! Nurse Richardson!” Merly called, but no one came in, so she pressed the switch beside her bed, which alerted the nurse outside. Nurse Richardson came in a hurry obviously thinking there might be an emergency, but seemed relieved to see that everything looked normal. Merly said she called her to inform her that she was feeling a lot better.
“You were sleeping like a baby, so I didn’t wake you up. If you want, we can let you go. Dr. Peters can check you for one last time and you will be good to go,” Nurse Richardson informed.
While removing the covers and cleaning Merly up, she wanted to know if she slept well, to which Merly replied that she felt much better felt rested. “Wait and I will call Dr. Peters for you.”
Doctor Peters was the college doctor and resided on the campus. He was kind and friendly and knew most of the students who visited him. Merly was already up and ready to go. She tried to act normal, so that the doctor would let her go with a minimal check up and not probe too much into it.
Nurse Richardson came back with a different doctor, “Merly, this is Dr. Cameron. She is new here and she will be checking on you, so lie down,” she ordered.
Merly didn’t, because she was expecting Dr. Peters and wanted to get over with the process, but with the new doctor, the possibility looked minimal.
“What happened to Dr. Peters? I thought he was here when I came here first.” Merly wanted to
know and in the process forgot to greet the new Doctor.
Nurse Richardson looked as if she was not prepared to answer the question; she briefly mentioned, “Dr. Peters said that he had to leave, so Dr. Cameron took over. She will be checking on you.”
Merly looked at her intently and greeted the new doctor, “Hello, Dr. Cameron, nice to meet you, but I haven’t seen you around. Are you new?”
“Hello Merly, I heard you were unconscious. Are you feeling better now?”
Dr. Cameron was warm and her words were comforting, but they didn’t sooth Merly’s discomfort. Dr. Cameron seemed to overlook it and went on checking her. First, she checked her pulse rate then her eyes. Merly shifted a little showing her impatience, but the doctor was unfazed. Merly wondered if it was on purpose.
“How long will this take?” Merly wanted to know,
Nurse Richardson answered instead of the doctor. “You seem to be in a hurry. Be patient. This will take a little time. We don’t want you falling sick again, we are answerable, too, you know.”
Merly thought that Nurse Richardson’s behavior was cold and stiff, but as she was in a hurry to get out, Merly decided it was best for her to keep quiet.
“Now, you are fine, and you can leave.” Dr. Cameron gave Merly a clean bill of health. Then she wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “Here, take this. I have prescribed a vitamin for you along with a nerve soother. Take them before you sleep, and tomorrow you will be ready to go.”
Merly thanked both Nurse Richardson and the new doctor meekly and left he room. She saw no one waiting for an answer, and she decided to head back and ask Nurse Richardson if she had followed what Merly had ask her to. However, she was already out and half way to the medicine store, so she continued her way to get the medicines before going back to her dorm room.
Merly handed the pharmacist her prescription and he started looking for them from a shelf behind him. While going through the bottles of different colors, he asked indifferently, “You fainted today?”
Books of the Dead Page 17