Chapter 3
The following morning Vera woke early to give herself time to eat a filling breakfast and prepare for her initial meeting with Mrs. Peterson.
She had laid out several outfits the night before and had settled on a teal button-down shirt and a pair of grey slacks to wear as she wasn't sure how she was supposed to dress and had been given no prior notice. In the city one could expect library staff to be more finely dressed, but in a small town there was a chance that the dress code wasn't as strict and refined. Vera decided that going for a nicer outfit on her first day would probably be safer and give a better first impression.
Aunt Belinda had offered to drive her to the library to ensure she got there on time, but Vera respectfully turned her down, knowing it wasn't a far walk and noting that she wanted to get a feel for the town. It was a warm sunny day anyway, and Vera felt like a quiet walk alone down the old streets would give her some brief respite from the busier past week. She had only decided to take the job two weeks ago and had been occupied working out the details of her trip and stay since then.
It was all short notice and happened faster than Vera would have liked, but staying busy had kept her from focusing too heavily on her worries for at least a little while. Her own thoughts and imagination became her greatest foes when she was left alone with them, and even as she enjoyed the fresh air and sunlight filtering through the trees around her as she headed for the library, there was an ever-present feeling of anxiety within her, threatening to cut through the pleasantness of the surrounding area and send a jolt of unease coursing through her.
No, no, no, stop it, stop it, stop it! Vera mentally scolded herself. Just focus on the present for a little while; the future can wait. Don't make this bigger than it really is.
Vera pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh as if in disappointment that doing so didn't relieve her anxiety. She really didn't want to deal with any negative thoughts today when she was already busy thinking about her first day at a new job.
In the meantime, the trip to the town library was scenic and picturesque Vera noted as she walked, taking in the quaint houses, the large trees spreading towards the wide streets, and eventually the old buildings that managed to retain some of the character they were imbued with from earlier decades. If the librarian let her leave earlier enough, Vera figured she could spend some time walking around the town a little more – there were a couple small shops and a park space she had seen when out with her aunt earlier that she was interested in visiting – assuming it was still light enough outside.
The town wasn't big, but not being that familiar with the roads and locations yet, the last thing Vera wanted was to get lost somewhere out in the dark and have to ask around for directions like a tourist. It was okay to be a tourist in the big city because nearly everyone was one in some way, but in a place like Derry, Vera didn't want to stand out too much if she could help it. She wasn't much for attention and felt that her arrival was made known to more people than she probably realized.
Faster than she could believe – any maybe even liked – Vera stood before a two-story red-bricked building, noting the green sign in front that read "Derry Public Library." She glanced at her watch: only a few minutes early – the librarian probably wouldn't mind. Biting the inside of her lip, she navigated around the circle of purple flowers out front and climbed the small set of stairs leading up to the front doors. Letting out nothing more than a quiet breath, she pushed one open, not waiting to give herself time to think and therefore worry too much about what might happen once inside.
Vera was met with silence as she entered into the library, a large semi-circular desk sitting empty before her. Behind the piece of furniture stretched a rather empty-looking hallway that Vera assumed led further into the library. To her immediate right and left stood a pair of closed oak doors, giving the space a rather closed-in feeling. Raising her eyebrows, Vera moved towards the desk, feeling like she should tiptoe lest she disturb the heavy silence.
"Hello?" she called out hesitantly when she saw no signs of anyone around. All was quiet for another moment before a light swooshing sound could be heard against carpet somewhere in the distance.
Turning to look towards the space that lay beyond the desk, an older woman with short gray hair appeared from somewhere to the left and made her way up the hall, her hands busily dusting at the front of her long khaki skirt as if it were dirty.
"Oh, yes, hello," her voice came out old but warm. "You must be Vera; it's so nice to meet you. I'm Mary Peterson, the head librarian of the Derry Public Library," the woman greeted her and outstretched her hand.
"Yes, it's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Peterson. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work here and help out," Vera managed to get out and firmly returned the handshake.
The old woman adjusted her spectacles and gave Vera a quick once-over as if to mentally assess what she could for the time being. "Delighted to hear so," she offered a quick smile and continued. "I usually have the help of a couple volunteers here but most are still in school right now, and I'm afraid the majority of the older adults have either moved on or passed away. It only seemed logical to hire someone else on who could help during the day or at times without having to balance schoolwork or health issues like Mrs. Poole – God bless her. As you can imagine, I was glad when I heard about you from your family, so that worked out quite well, I thought. Sometimes it's hard to find help around here, even when there are plenty of people," she explained at length.
So much for librarians being strict old ladies who disapprove of noise, Vera thought to herself and smiled inwardly. This one seemed like keeping quiet wasn't her strong-suit.
All Vera could get out was an "oh" before Mrs. Peterson turned and began walking back down the hallway from which she had emerged, leaving Vera to quickly move after her in the assumption that she was meant to follow the older woman. The action felt a little rude, but Vera shrugged it off as a habit of the somewhat quirky librarian.
As they moved further into the library, Vera let her eyes wander across the dark teal and white wood-paneled walls with their old portraits and photographs, catching glimpses of what was likely the town and its inhabitants in earlier decades. Mrs. Peterson had switched roles to that of a tour guide, offering narrations and histories of the building and its founders and items as they traveled down the halls from room to room.
"Now the main floor here contains two reading rooms and most of the building's offices. There aren't many, but I like to keep one reserved as a break room and another for myself and the other staff as well. Oh, and I just want to point out that neither food nor drink are permitted anywhere in the library with the exception of the break room, but you're more than welcome to eat outside so long as you clean up after yourself. Bathrooms are located here on the first floor only, and we have small storage spaces on all three levels. Upstairs you'll find another larger reading room along with some smaller, more private ones we like to keep in case any visitors require a quieter space to work in. Both floors contain books that can be accessed by anyone, and I'll be sure to give you a more thorough tour after we've covered the basics – that way you can at least see where certain things are, where different books can be found, and the like."
She led Vera into a large room lined with bookshelves and occupied by rows of empty wooden tables and chairs. "As I noted before, anyone can access the books we have on either floor, but the older more invaluable ones are kept downstairs away from the public and must be retrieved by staff. The same goes for any records, newspapers, or the like. Down here…" she gestured with the raise of her arm and led Vera through a doorway and down a set of stairs towards a dimly lit space. There was a subtle drop in the temperature as they proceeded downwards, and Vera repressed a shiver as they reached the bottom.
"I realize it's not the most pleasant-looking space, but as you know, we can't have anything delicate exposed to too much lighting or heat should they deteriorate," Mrs. Peterson explained and ushered Vera to stay by her side. "As I said before, you'll find the majority of the more dated materials here; most are organized by aisle, shelf and box, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find what you're looking for – assuming it's been filed back correctly," she added and gave Vera a look that promised her much regret if she ever dared misplace something.
Vera nodded in recognition of the librarian's nonverbal warning. The older woman was nice, but Vera figured misplacement and disorder were likely two of her pet peeves given her occupation.
As if reading her mind, Mrs. Peterson's look softened. "No, I won't fire you; no one's perfect when they start. But I highly recommend making some notes for yourself. If something goes missing, you're the one who's going to be looking for it first."
