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The library had always been Kara’s sanctuary, a cathedral of knowledge and fictional escape. The towering rows of shelves packed to the brim with books offered her a peaceful refuge, and today was no different. Although lightning splintered the sky and thunder rattled the walls of the building, convincing all but the most intrepid to stay at home, a silence permeated the air of the old library, more so than usual. She loved it and would often spend hours roaming the stacks, flipping through the pages of any book that caught her eye.
Kara barely registered the flash of lightning and resulting thunder before the sizzle and crack of a nearby transformer startled her out of a novel’s first chapter. The explosive sound of the failing transformer was unmistakable. The lights flickered then shut off completely. Emergency lights powered on, providing just enough light to safely navigate through the library but also bathing the walls with an eerie yellow glow.
She considered the disquieting atmosphere of the library, and smiled. Perfect. Kara walked to the center of the library, and settled into a chair with her book. Using her cell phone’s illumination, she dove back into the newest Stephen King novel.
A whimper drew her attention to the stack to her left. Placing her book on the table in front of her, she walked over to investigate. She bent down and came face to face with a small boy curled into a ball on the bottom shelf.
“Hi,” she whispered. “Are you okay?”
The boy’s bottom lip trembled and his eyes filled with tears. He shook his head.
“Are you hurt?”
Again, the boy shook his head but didn’t say a word. Another booming clap of thunder rent the air causing the boy to flinch and draw his knees even further into his chest.
“Did the thunder scare you?” she asked him.
The young boy nodded and sniffled.
Kara nodded in understanding. Settling onto the floor, she told him, “Storms can be scary.”
“They scare you?” he asked, his voice so small that Kara barely heard it.
“Sometimes. My name is Kara.” She peered up and down the row looking for anyone searching for the boy. No one. She turned back to him. “What’s your name?”
“No talking to strangers,” he answered.
“That is very good advice. Whoever told you that must love you very much.”
Tears and storm momentarily forgotten, the boy grinned. “Mommy.”
“Your mommy is very smart. Is she here?” By now, someone should have noticed their son missing, and yet, there were no frantic cries or the sound of searching footsteps.
He shook his head again. “I was doing arts and crabs. We lined up to go potty, but the lights went away. I hided in here.”
The boy must have been a part of the daily summer camps that the library hosted. She glanced at her watch. It was half past two, meaning his mother would probably be here soon to pick him up.
“Arts and crabs, huh? That must have been fun.”
The boy’s nosed scrunched up. “No. I didn’t see any crabs.”
“Ah, well, maybe next time. For now, I have to go let someone know where you are. I bet a lot of people are worried about you.”
“No! Please, don’t leave me.”
“We can’t sit here all day, little man. Soon, your mommy will be here to pick you up and how will she find you?”
The boy thought it over. “I come with you.” Unfolding his body, he crawled out from his hiding spot and grinned at Kara.
He must have been around the age of three. His smile was capped by chubby cheeks, and locks from his curly mop of hair fell over his forehead. He looked like a cherub, but not in the creepy Renaissance-painting way. No, this boy was adorably angelic.
“Alright, little man, let’s go,” she said and walked back towards the reading nook where she had stationed herself before she heard his cries.
“Kara, wait up! I got little legs!”
Kara looked behind her and watched as he scurried to catch up, his face knotted with determination. “Ah, sorry,” she apologized.
“S’okay. D’you got kids with little legs?”
She laughed and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Nah, so you’ll have to remind me if I walk too fast again, okay?”
“Kay! D’you like Turtles?”
Picking up the discarded novel, she tucked it under her arm and resumed their walk. She kept her stride short enough for him to keep up. “Turtles? What kind?”
“Ninja Turtles! See?” He pointed to his shirt emblazoned with the Ninja Turtles. “This is Leo. He’s blue and the leader. This is Raph. He’s red and has sai swords! Donny is purple and that’s his bow staff. And this is Mikey. He likes pizza a lot.” Glancing up at Kara, he asked, “Who’s your favorite? Mine’s Leo.”
Kara considered the question. “Um, let’s see. I like… April O’Neil.”
“Aww, no fair,” he said with a frown. “Mommy always picks April, too, ‘cause she’s pretty. She never picks a turtle.”
“Okay, then I like Michelangelo because he loves pizza, and so do I.”
The boy nodded. “He likes it a whole bunch!”
“Yep, a whole bunch,” Kara agreed.
They walked through the non-fiction stacks, past the romance, into the western section, and finally out of the fantasy rows. Peeking into each room they came across, Kara didn’t see any sign of the class the boy must have come from, nor had they passed anyone looking for him.
“Let’s go downstairs to the main floor, little legs. Someone will be there,” she told him. Thunder rumbled again, and Kara felt the boy latch onto her leg almost tripping her. Patting the boy’s back, she whispered, “Hey, it’s okay. I know it sounds scary, but you’re safe inside.”
Unwrapping one arm to wipe away a tear, the boy nodded. “I know. Mommy says thunder’s just a sound, but if I hear it I gotta go inside where it’s safe.”
Kara knelt down and wiped the tears from his eyes. “We won’t move until you’re ready, okay?”
“Kay.” He looked at Kara through his lashes, and her heart melted. “Ready. Hold my hand? Safer that way.”
“You got it, little legs. Now, if you slow me down too much, I can just drag you along,” she said, causing him to giggle.
As they walked, the boy whose name she still did not know, prattled on about everything from cookies to dinosaurs with a heavy dose of Ninja Turtles thrown in. They were halfway down the grand staircase in the library’s main hall when they heard shouting.
A blonde woman stood toe to toe with a man a foot taller. Not intimidated by his size, she poked his chest as she continued her tirade.
“How could you not know where my son is? He’s three for God’s sake! Did you even look?”
The boy gasped and let go of Kara’s hand. “Mommy!” He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, and right into his mother’s arms. “I got scared and I hided by the books. Kara saved me!”
At the same moment the boy’s mother looked over her son’s head, the power kicked back on and the library was flooded with bright light. To Kara, it was like watching an angel emerge from the heavens.
“Woah.” Kara stood rooted to the spot. “He, uh, hid on a bottom shelf. Um, up there,” she said, pointing up in the general direction from whence they came. “I was, uh, reading and I heard crying and… yeah.”
The woman stood with her son in her arms and walked towards the staircase. “I see.” Her eyes flicked up and down Kara’s body, no doubt scrutinizing her. It seemed she passed inspection, though, because the woman smiled. “Thank you,” she said.
“Oh, hey. Yeah, no problem. Your kid is pretty amazing.” Kara adjusted her glasses, a nervous habit that only appeared in the presence of a beautiful woman.
“Kara likes April, just like you, Mommy!”
A blush tinged the woman’s cheeks as she buried her face in her son’s hair. “I see. She must have good taste, then.” She pressed a kiss to the boy’s curls and looked up at Kara. “Thank you for saving, Carter. I’m Cat Grant, his mother.”
Kara nodded. Cat and Carter. How cute. “You’re welcome.”
Carter, snuggled on his mother’s shoulder, looked ready for a nap. Suddenly, his head jerked up. “Mommy! You gotta bake her a boobarb pie!”
“A, uh, boobarb pie?” Kara asked, confused.
Carter bobbed his head up and down. “Yeah! Like in Mommy’s show. The lady baked that man a boobarb pie after he tooked her kid back. They kissed,” he finished with a whisper.
“Rhubarb, sweetie, and that was just a story. It wasn’t real.”
“Oh.” The poor kid looked crestfallen.
Shifting her son in her arms, Cat apologized. “I’m sorry. It’s just a show I watch. It would seem he thinks that’s how people are thanked for returning children.”
Kara grinned. “It’s fine. Sounds like an interesting show.”
“I enjoy it.” She shrugged and smiled. “I can’t bake you one, but I do know a place that sells them by the slice. My treat?”
Two pairs of eyes focused on her. Adorable baby blues pleaded with her to say ‘yes’, and the enigmatic hazels sparked with interest. “I’d love a slice of rhubarb pie. Thank you.”
“And kisses?” Carter asked, causing his mother to blush again.
Kara laughed, and looked away as Cat said, “Can’t promise kisses today, sweetie.”
She was right. Probably not today, but Kara hoped for a next time. Actually, the warmth that infused her body told her that she hoped for many next times.