STRANGE DAYS

Chapter 251

See first chapter for disclaimers.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Storyseeker for beta-reading this. As usual, if you have any comments or preferences, please don't be shy. RandR.

Star Trek: TNG & ST: ToS & Andromeda Ascendant & The Orville

And now…

Ascendance of a Bookworm And…?

Wondering Why We're Here?

Myne walked down the street toward the market with Lutz as her ever present shadow. She was being trusted with a small errand since her reading was better than her parents, and she had shown she could handle money. Things had begun to look up for her. Paper production was slowly getting underway. The other products were doing well, and Benno was chomping at the bit for more.

The practical side of her, however, knew that the production of books was still years in the future, and she had to find a way to deal with the devouring or she'd not live long enough to enjoy or even properly begin to make books.

"What's wrong, Myne?" As usual, he had picked up on her mood immediately.

"Just recalling how far I have to go to be able to produce books." She sighed dejectedly.

"Focus on how much you've managed to do." Her closest friend advised. "And don't get dejected. You know what'll happen if you do."

"I know." Myne nodded. "And I have done a lot. I know. There's just so much left."

"I know."

Neither spoke of Myne's real worry, that she wouldn't live to see the fulfillment of that goal. The devouring had no cure, and the only real options they had weren't good ones. Frieda had the devouring as well, and had made a deal to become a noble's concubine to get access to treatment. The thought gave Myne a full body shudder. What sort of person took a little girl as a concubine? Hopefully, that aspect wouldn't come about till she was much older.

She was broken out of her morose thoughts by something Lutz said.

"What?" She looked around to find Lutz staring at a crowd of people gathered around a wagon that someone was using as a stage. Four young women in odd clothes were the center of attention as one of them, the youngest, told a story to the crowd.

The two approached and listened to a story that, to Myne's shock, she recognized. It was an old Japanese folktale. She had read it when she was a child, the first time, and knew it by heart. Could this girl be like me? The thought, the mere possibility filled her with excitement and dread. Was this actually a common thing? How much did this girl remember from her old life? Were they even from the same world? Should I talk to her?

Unsure how to answer that question, she listened to the story. There were a few differences, she noted as she listened, and thought they might be to make the story more exciting. After a moment's thought, she recalled an anime series. 'Altered Folktales From Japan.' She had never cared for it, preferring books, but the changes the girl was making made sense if she was remembering an anime version. Looks like the girl had been something of an otaku in her previous life.

"Myne? What's wrong?" Lutz was looking at her oddly. Her thoughts must have been showing on her face again, she realized. It was kind of annoying that he could read her so easily. Still…

"That girl, Lutz. She's like me."

He looked at her uncomprehending for a moment, then his eyes widened. "How do you know?"

"I recognize that story," she answered quietly. "From my last life."

"I still don't understand that," Lutz said, frowning, "but okay. Want to talk to her?"

Myne still wasn't sure. The girl could answer some questions for her, true, but it might be dangerous. She knew nothing about these people. The oldest of the four girls wore armor and carried a sword. Two of the women held what looked like magic staffs straight out of a fantasy novel. After a moment of dithering, for which she silently scolded herself. She nodded. "Yes. I do."

When the story was done, she waited for the crowd to disperse a bit. She wasn't sure how to proceed. How to test the stranger without alarming her or sounding like a lunatic if her guess happened to, somehow, be wrong? She thought on it for a moment, and decided to simply be direct, if a bit obscure. She approached the girl who had told the story.

"Japan, 2019."

The girl stopped in her tracks, and stared at her for a moment. "Japan, 2019. Saitama."

"Gifu." Myne answered, giving the name of the city she had lived in. "Urano Motosu." She bowed slightly. "Well, Myne here."

"Misato Kurihara. Mile." The girl responded and returned the bow. "Nice to meet you."

Lutz and the girl's companions all watched this exchange with some confusion. The girl in armor stepped forward. "Mile? What's going on?"

Mile turned to her friend. "She's like me. Remember what I told you about my last…" she hesitated and glanced at Lutz.

"Oh. He knows about me. Kind of figured it out. Lutz is smart that way."

"I told my friends." Mile nodded.

"Eventually." the redhead interjected.

"It makes things simpler…in some ways." She cast a tired look at the other three.

"We didn't ask that many questions," a redheaded teen protested. Then, she glanced at the other two. "Did we?" She shook off that concern and asked Mile. "Do you think she has anything to do with why we're here? About the records of the lost civilization?"

Mile shrugged, noting the confused look on Myne's face. "I don't know, but I kind of doubt it. I think this is likely just a coincidence."

Looking around to ensure they had a measure of privacy, Myne asked about the other girl's previous life. No one was in range to hear, but there was a sound she couldn't account for, and glanced around several times. It sounded like an insect, an odd buzzing, but she couldn't find the source, even when it seemed to hover next to her ear.

"I was considered something of a prodigy." Mile said with a frown. "Which was annoying in a lot of ways, as I was expected to work all the harder. Too little time for normal fun and just being a kid. When I died, I asked that in my next life, to just be allowed to be average." Her friends snorted.

"What's that about?" Myne asked, finding their reaction odd.

"I didn't exactly get what I wanted, but I got what I asked for." That took a bit of an explanation.

"Wish I had gotten what I asked for." Myne sighed. "I always loved books. I could spend hours reading, so my dream job was to be a librarian. I finally got the job I wanted, but…"

"What happened?" Lutz asked. She hadn't told him this part.

"There was an earthquake my first day on the job. I…I…a heavy bookcase fell on me." The others winced. "I'm sure there were plenty of people who found that ironic or even funny." She scowled. "Died as I lived. Buried in books."

"That's awful!" Mile's brown-haired teammate exclaimed. "I'm sure no one said that."

"Doesn't matter." Myne shook her head dismissively. "After I died, there, I woke up here, as Myne." She shook her head. "I'm a little confused on that point, actually. I'd had a fever and nothing's really clear." Vague memories assaulted her of a small voice calling for help, fading even as she awakened. Remembering that first awakening and the initial troubles she had had always disturbed her, and she tried not to dwell on it. Was that what reincarnation was like for everyone? Was it even reincarnation? She shook off those thoughts as morbid and decided she wouldn't ask.

"It was quite an adjustment." She told them instead. "No one in my family even knew what a book was."

"Is that why you're so obsessed with making books?" Lutz asked.

Myne nodded, looking distinctly unhappy. "Books here are curiosities of the rich nobles. Hard to say if any of them actually appreciate them. The impression I get is that they're more status symbols than anything else for the nobles."

"That…is true to an extent." The blonde girl in the armor allowed. "My father had a large library he was quite proud of. I rarely saw him reading, though."

"Exactly!" Myne huffed. "So, I decided to make books. First step is paper."

"Mostly," Lutz offered. "Books are expensive because they have to be handwritten, and scribes charge a lot."

"No printing presses?" Mile asked, only for Lutz to give her a blank look.

"It's on my to-invent list." Myne sighed.

"She's kind of obsessed with books." Lutz offered, giving up on getting an explanation anytime soon. "I think she might be happy if she could just live in some noble's library."

Myne scowled at him for that, but after a moment, she sighed again. "Maybe…. once. Books are so rare here. It feels unfair, y'know? And not just to me."

Mile tilted her head as if listening to something. Then, hesitantly, she asked. "Is that pretty much all you did in your last life? Read about distant places you'd never go and other people's accomplishments?"

"Well, mostly. I became a librarian so I could be surrounded by books." She thought for a moment. "I wanted to help other people appreciate books as much as I did, but I never got the chance."

"Maybe that's why you're here?" Mile offered, after listening for a moment to something no one else could hear. Myne decided not to ask. "In a place where books are rare and mostly unappreciated, maybe you're getting a chance to accomplish things for yourself and make a contribution to this world. Live a meaningful life instead of just reading about one."

Myne stared at her for a moment. The idea had never occurred to her. "You think so?" She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"It makes sense. You have the knowhow. I'm willing to bet you will be surrounded by books someday, but you'll have to make them first, something that would really benefit others."

Myne considered the idea for a moment. It almost made her current life sound like a bit of a punishment for not doing much with her last one. She dismissed that idea quickly, deciding it was the wrong way of looking at it. She'd been given a marvelous opportunity. A broad smile spread over her face. "I like that idea."