The Enchanted Library
Irving Ambrosi forgot
to comb his hair again. He forgot most basic things like eating, bathing, and
changing clothes. He wore his stained button down shirt from yesterday topped
with a tweed sportcoat. But he never forgot to put in his dentures. He didn’t
want her to see him without his teeth. He swiped a hand over his disheveled
white hair and hurried into the library of his old home. Their home.
The library always
spoke to Lilibeth’s imagination. She used to spend hours reading and writing
letters, which she never sent. Irving often thought that her letters were
really stories of her own composition.
The day she died,
twenty years ago now, left him broken and alone. Their forty-year-old daughter
tried to get Irving out of the house, but over the past six months, Irving had
completely refused, claiming disinterest in her attempts to go for a drive or
to restaurants.
Irving had no
illusions about the fact that he was probably going crazy, but his path to
insanity had been so sweet, so precious, he did not fear it. He welcomed it
with the eagerness of his blissful wedding to Lilibeth with the stars twinkling
overhead.
As he stepped into the
library, those same stars transformed the ceiling of the library into a glowing
wonderland. The moon shown an amber light onto the books, fading carpet and
himself, making everything appear golden. She stood next to the desk, her back
turned. “My love,” Irving whispered.
Lilibeth’s honeyed
head spun and she greeted him with a delighted smile. Her beautiful blue eyes
seemed to dance for him. Irving sighed as they reached for each other. She looked
exactly the same as he remembered, only now less human, more goddess in her
glittering, immortal beauty. It baffled him how she could possibly become
more enchanting. They clung to one another. Irving breathed her scent—soft
lily, spicy musk, all Lilibeth.
“I have something for
you, my Irving,” Lilibeth said. She disentangled herself and walked gracefully
to the bookcase behind the desk. Kneeling, she extracted a hefty book. Lilibeth
pushed the tome across the desk. Irving opened the cover, finding a hidden
square hole containing folded papers. Irving lifted the delicate pages with
care and began reading.
Lilibeth’s stories.
The two looked at one
another, their eyes sparkling. “Thank you, my love.” Irving pulled Lilibeth to
him and kissed her cherished lips.
© Dawn Leslie Lenz
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