The Third Artifact

By Rachel Clemens

Soji leaned back on the bench so that her skin could soak up as much of the sun’s rays as possible during her lunch break. It had been depressingly dreary for weeks now and her skin had grown dull without the sun to make it sparkle. Fortunately for her, she had skin that could soak up the sun and develop a brilliant shine relatively quickly. Not everyone was so lucky. She had learned to love the color of her skin, which was darker than most sparklers with copper-colored flecks of light. But having such an exotic complexion was a double-edged sword.

Soji sipped the last of her tea, gathered what was left of her lunch and the rest of her things and started the journey back to the library. She didn’t mind that she was catching a few eyes as she glided through the park. That is until she passed one particular keeper. He leered at her and his crooked grin exposed a few misaligned teeth. Afraid and feeling suddenly exposed, she wrapped her scarf tight around her shoulders and quickened her pace through the park. It wasn’t the first time a keeper mistook her profession.

Within 10 minutes, Soji was back at work at the library. This was a good job for a sparkler. She got it because she is considered smart for her kind, is generally quiet and doesn’t complain too much. Around the library she is given tasks to do like keep various areas clean, make sure there is coffee throughout the morning in the break room, and sometimes she runs errands for the library curators – expert knowledge keepers tasked with ensuring the library contains information on a wide variety of topics. A library with a gap in its collection is considered disgraceful. If it goes unchecked for too long, a library can be shut down by the state and it’s collections redistributed or, in the case of rare books or niche topics, sold to the highest bidder.

Running errands for the curators was Soji’s favorite task. She would never be as knowledgeable as they were, but she was so curious about the various books and scrolls they would fawn over. She loved catching little bits of their conversations about the newest documents that came in that week. Once, Soji walked in on a loud and spirited discussion among three of the curators. They were debating how many copies existed of the book that had recently come into the library’s possession and how it compared to a more common book on nearly the same topic. The book was about ancient earthworms of the world. How could anyone care so much about creatures no one ever saw unless they were using them as bait? Apparently these eyeless beings served some important function in an ecosystem. She must have stood there for over ten minutes while they argued, waiting to receive direction. Keepers didn’t like to be interrupted, especially by a sparkler, and especially these keepers. And she certainly didn’t mind waiting.

One day, Gharn called for her to run an errand for him. He was alone in the curators room. It was the end of the day and the others must have gone home before the long, holiday weekend. It was unusual for curators to be here this late and she was surprised that he called her in for any reason, let alone to run an errand.

As Soji entered the room, she could see Gharn stacking papers neatly at his station. It looked like he was about to leave for the day as well.

“You sent for me, sir?”

“Yes,” he barked, “several minutes ago. What took you so long?”

“I’m sorry sir, I came as quickly as I could.”

“Perhaps you have trouble understanding the concept of time.” Soji lowered her gaze. She had been on the other side of the library. Had someone told her this was such an urgent matter she would have accelerated her pace from a brisk walk to a run. “I just wonder if you are up to the task I have for you.” Gharn turned a piercing gaze toward her.

“I hope so, sir. I do well with clear direction, sir.” He knew this was true. Whatever protocol Gharn ever gave to her, she would follow it to the letter. It was why he called her specifically.

“I need you to hold onto something tonight. And tomorrow I will call to collect it at a location and time that is convenient to me.” He had softened his gaze somewhat, but it still felt as if he was trying to read her thoughts.

“I can do that, sir.” She did have plans to start celebrating the holiday with her family and close friends tomorrow, but this was a good job that didn’t ever ask her to spread her legs for anyone. She didn’t want to lose it.

“One other important thing,” he said in a lowered voice. “You must not, under any circumstances compromise the integrity of the packaging. This book is very old and very fragile. I fear if it encounters the air at your house it will be ruined beyond repair. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. I understand.” Her gaze was still lowered to the floor.

“Very good.” Gharn turned back to his station and grabbed a box about the size of a box of her favorite holiday sweets. The box was wrapped in plain paper and taped all around. She had never seen any document so painstakingly sealed from the outside world before. Soji didn’t notice before how anxious Gharn seemed until he placed the box in her small, sparkling palms. “Don’t drop it,” his gaze was on the box.

“I will keep it in good condition, sir.” Lifting her eyes slightly, now she was trying to read him.

“Good.”

It was at this moment she realized how unusual this request was.

“May I ask what this book is about?”

“Girl, I have to get home, I don’t have time to try to explain details of a keeper’s duty to society to you. You won’t understand it anyway.” Back to the old Gharn.

“Apologies, sir. I was only curious.” Her gaze was back to her shoes as she clutched the box close to her body.

“Now go. I need to lock up the curators’ office.”

Without a word, Soji turned on her heels to leave the curators’ room. She too wanted to get home. After Gharn left, Soji walked through the library to turn off all the lights. Starting on the top floor, she systematically started with the lights along the wall. She would place a finger on a power pad and with a twitch of her skin the lights connected to the pad would go out. Then she moved to the desk lamps, starting with those furthest from the staircase, turning them off by touching the base of the lamp or some conductive part of the shade. She used to get a kick out turning off lights by touching the bulb, until the day a bulb exploded as she switched it off. The head of library took wages out of her paycheck to cover the cost of the bulb in response. She decided to never do that again. She descended the stairs to the next level, turning off lights in the staircase as she went, to start the process again. The six-story library was especially quiet at the end of the day and she found this ritual to be quite meditative. It was a great way to end any day, regardless of how a curator treated her.

* * *

When Soji arrived home that evening, preparations for the holiday that weekend were already well underway. The Bright Bash was one of the more raucous holidays every year. For Soji, this weekend meant that many people – friends, family, friends of friends or family – would be coming by throughout the day, catch up, laugh, and eat one or more of Soji’s mother’s special Bright Bash tuynocs. Torji, Soji’s mother, only made tuynocs for the Bright Bash. A tuynoc is dough stuffed with whatever is on hand. Soji’s mother and four rambunctious siblings have weathered good times and bad. That meant the filling for the tuynoc was always different. Some might think this lack of consistency might impact how family and friends would feel about Torji’s tuynocs from year to year. Others might assume that in lean times the tuynocs would be unsatisfying. On the contrary, it only made them more special. Soji and all of the other fixtures of Torji’s household would crave them throughout the year. Some years, Torji’s tuynocs had only vegetables and a spice or two. Other years she could get her hands on some fish, meat, or cheese. Some years she had to get creative even with the dough, as she had very little flour. Despite these fluctuations in quantity and quality of ingredients, her tuynocs would turn out amazing, leaving everyone lucky enough to taste them wishing she had made more. Usually about a month before the Bash, everyone would start talking about Torji’s tuynocs and how much they were looking forward to them.

By 10 am the next morning, Torji’s house was full of laughing guests. Torji herself was bustling around the kitchen making more tuynocs, while unabashedly reminding guests they needed to leave some of the pastries for other guests that would be arriving throughout the weekend. She would never hurt anyone, but something about her voice made you not want to cross her. It’s the voice you might expect from a general, or a mother of five.

When Soji walked into the kitchen she saw among a half dozen guests, her cousin, Jahm, and some friend of his. The young man caught her eye as he was so striking. Unlike her dark skin with copper sparkles, his skin was much lighter with bluish-silver flecks, like a white opal. Although a stranger to this kitchen, he was already cracking jokes with her uncle, Ferand, who was probably one of the wittiest people she knew. Soji kissed her mother good morning before grabbing a plate and a freshly baked tuynoc and sat down next to her cousin and his friend.

“This is my cousin, Soji.” Jahm informed his friend. “Soji, this is Raf.”

“Nice to meet you, Soji.”

“Likewise. I see you are fitting in just fine here.” Soji loved being at home. It was so unlike work, where she could only speak only when spoken to. Here she could express her thoughts and emotions freely and whatever grief her uncles gave her, she could give it right back.

Raf let loose a hearty laugh.

“This boy talks like some kind of disrupter!” Ferand announced to the kitchen. “Talking about how sparklers and keepers could be friends. That’s some crazy talk!” Soji’s uncle turned to her mother,

“Torji, could you imagine having a keeper in your kitchen, eating your tuynocs? They wouldn’t be able to stand one minute with this lot!” Ferand laughed at the absurd scenario he just painted.

“Anyone is welcome in my kitchen, Ferand, you know that. Besides, who’s to say the world won’t change. It’s about time folk like you and I step aside and let the young people lead the way.” Torji defended the stranger.

Ferand wasn’t ready to let go. “Soji, you want to invite any of those stuck-up library keepers to this affair here?”

Just then, a gaggle of children exploded into the kitchen, mercifully obliterating the early morning debate. “Auntie Torji! Auntie Torji!” a chorus of excited little voices pierced the brittle, early morning eardrums of the adults in the room.

“Well then. What do you say?”

“Happy Bright Bash, Auntie Torji! May we have a tuynoc?”

“My goodness! A happiest of Bright Bashes to you, children. And of course. Find a place to sit and I will give you each one tuynoc.”

Torji was a master of her kitchen. In addition to feeding five, rambunctious children – they got that from their father – Torji would also make meals for neighbor kids who’s parents were on hard times. Through this act of kindness, she had long ago earned the title of Auntie to any child who grew up in the building.

The children quickly dispersed, shouting, “Thank you!” as they found places to sit around the apartment. One boy accidently brushed a lamp stand, turning off the light in the room. The apartment filled with laughter while the boy stood blushing in the dark. It takes time to learn the control of turning off and on lights with touch, much like walking does.

Torji delegated delivery of the tuynocs to Jahm and Raf.

Soji was finishing her second bite of tuynoc, trying to savor it, when her uncle asked, “How are you young people celebrating Bright Bash tonight? Any fun parties this weekend?”

“I’m not sure. I might have to work this weekend, so should probably take it easy this holiday.”

“Oh no, honey,” her mother moaned. “I hope you are still able to enjoy some of the festivities this weekend.”

“Damn keepers have no regard for a person’s life,” Ferand grumbled.

“It’s ok, Uncle. I may just have to run a quick errand. That’s all. I just want to be ready when I get the call from the curator.”

“You work at a library? That’s amazing! But, what kind of errand would you need to run for a library?” Raf asked.

“I have something I need to deliver to one of the curators. It’s not a big deal.”

“What is it?” Jahm inquired.

“I’m not sure, it’s all wrapped up. And curators can get pretty cranky if you ask them too many questions.”

“Why would the curator need you to deliver…” Raf started.

“Enough! Let poor Soji enjoy her breakfast.” Torji has always been protective of her youngest child.

Just then, the timer went off and a fresh batch of tuynocs were pulled from the oven while Jahm scrambled to let in a fresh group of guests who were knocking at the door.

* * *

Bright Bash weekend continued as it had in years past. Torji would spend all day generating a continuous supply of holiday treats to an unending stream of guests while the evenings were reserved for light art and fireworks displays for the young. Soji never received a call from Gharn during the day and figured that he would be busy with the holiday in the evening. So, she decided to join Jahm and Raf who were already out that evening trying to find a party.

She bid her mother and her uncle goodnight. Torji spent about 20 minutes questioning and instructing Soji on how to stay safe during Bright Bash, as if it was her first. Soji did her best to ease her mother’s mind before Ferand finally stepped in and reminded Torji she had raised a smart mouthed, but level-headed, girl and all but kicked Soji out of the house. “Fly free!” he whispered as she waltzed down the hall to leave the building, making her chuckle to herself until she found her cousin and his friend waiting in a park nearby.

The three of them had an absolute blast, meeting new people, drinking some seasonal beverages, and dancing almost constantly. Music was playing at full volume everywhere. Soji’s ears would be ringing whenever they left one party to walk to another. And a few of the festival goers were wearing some kind of lighted costume that brightened even the darkest streets. It was nearing the end of the night and they all agreed that one more party was in order. Raf had a few friends at one party near the edge of the neighborhood. It was not a part of town that Soji ever went. She felt a little uneasy stepping into uncharted territory, but she trusted Jahm. And Jahm seemed to trust Raf, so she decided to spread her wings a little.

Before entering the house, they could hear music playing and people inside cheering or singing along. It was like any other party they had been to earlier in the evening. But as they entered the house there was a noticeable difference. This was the first Bright Bash party that Soji had ever been to where keepers her age were also in attendance. Really, this was the first party that Soji had been to with a keeper of any age.

Raf was raucously welcomed as he entered the house by several of the guests, including a couple of the keepers. He easily returned all of their greetings with smiles, back slaps, and a hug. Soji slid a glance toward Jahm, who didn’t seem as surprised as Soji, but looked like he was just as uncomfortable.

Raf introduced Jahm and Soji to a couple of the partygoers. “Come! Don’t be shy. These are my good friends, Clai and Lairn. We’ve known each other since we were small.” Raf gestured to Clai, “Our mothers used to work for Lairn’s family.”

“These two would distract from my studies by turning off the lights in the study. It would infuriate my instructor, to my immense delight!” Lairn doubled over laughing at the memory as Raf and Clai added details to the story and quickly they were all laughing so hard, they had to lean on each other for support. Inside jokes were exchanged.

Soji had shifted from nervous to confused. They seemed quite at ease with each other and Soji wasn’t sure what to think. Had Gharn ever laughed like this? The thought actually brought a devilish smile to her face. Well that and the sight of friends unable to stand due to extreme guffawing.

Conversation began to flow between the five of them, although Soji felt more subdued in the presence of a keeper. She was fascinated by Lairn. He was openly sharing – and listening to – thoughts and ideas with four sparklers. Nothing seemed to be off limits for him to discuss, which was so unlike her experience at work.

“Soji here works at a library,” Raf shared. Perhaps trying to get her more involved in the conversation.

“Really?!” Lairn looked at her with new eyes. She prepared herself for ridicule. “Lucky you! I would love to be surrounded by that many books all day! Much more exciting than at the city archivist’s office. How are you liking it?”

“Oh, it’s fine. I guess it’s a good job.”

“I bet you have come across some interesting books there. That library has a great reputation. What have you read lately?”

Soji looked at Lairn with utter shock. Was this a joke? She felt herself start to collapse inward, retreating from the world.

“What is your deal, Lairn?!” Jahm came to her aid.

“What?” Lairn shot a panicked glance at Raf. “Did I say something to offend? It was not my intent, I swear!”

Raf turned to Lairn. In this moment, Soji noticed that Raf was just a touch taller than Lairn. Or perhaps Lairn was in a defeated slouch. “Sparklers probably aren’t allowed to leave the library with books, Lairn. Even if they work there.”

Lairn apologized for his misstep, but it was difficult for Soji to recover from that. Although she appreciated the gesture, she was already on edge being at a party with one keeper. She was so used to guarding her speech around them at work that it was impossible to relax with her friends here. Soji and Jahm stayed for a couple songs before excusing themselves from the party together. It was late, after all.

Aside from that one brief encounter at a party, the weekend was near perfect. And although Soji had been ready to jump into action at any time, Gharn never contacted her. She didn’t give it too much thought and instead enjoyed the uninterrupted time with her family.

* * *

When the work week began, Soji started her day as always. Of course, sadly, there were no Tuynocs left over for her to take for lunch, but there were other holiday treats that she gathered into a small bag after popping a few in her mouth as breakfast. She stared at the package that Gharn had entrusted with her as she was packing up her things for the day. He had asked her to keep it until he called. And since he still hadn’t, she decided that she should leave it at home. So, she gulped down a cup of coffee and briskly walked out the door to catch transport to work.

Soji arrived at the library a few minutes before the hour, around the same time she normally does. But, as soon as she entered the library, she could sense a strangeness in the air. It was always quiet in the library, especially in the morning. Today it was particularly quiet, not even the sound of people turning pages of a book. And the clacking of Soji’s shoes striking the slate floor was deafening. So she tried to lighten her step. As she moved through the library on her normal path, she noticed that the keepers who also worked at the library spoke to each other in low voices. And as Soji passed a cluster of them, they shifted a probing glance in her direction. She tried to ignore the stares, but something was off. Until someone decided to share a bit of information with her, she decided to go about her day as she normally would.

One of the first things she would do in her work was go to the breakroom to make fresh coffee for staff. To get to the breakroom, Soji had to pass the curators’ office. The curators were often in some kind of discussion, but today the gesticulations were particularly desperate. From her peripheral vision she saw that one of them had an expression of panic on his face. One of the curators happened to see Soji as she attempted to stealthily pass by the office. The conversation among them stopped as the other two curators swiveled their heads, following their colleague’s gaze, to stare wide-eyed at Soji.

The curator who had first noticed her arrival ran to the office door, nearly jumping out of the entrance as he opened it. “Soji, come here please. I need to ask you something.” She was almost surprised that this one knew her name.

This was already a strange morning, and this curator’s sudden need to speak with her, to obtain vital information, made her extremely nervous. The curator impatiently motioned for her to step into the office where she was suddenly surrounded by all three curators. The first curator closed the door.

“How can I help you, sirs.” She tried to hide her trembling, but the slight vibrato in her voice betrayed her.

“You closed the library on Friday, right?” Soji nodded, looking confused.

“And you saw Gharn here, right?”

Again, Soji nodded in the affirmative. “Why…”

“Did he say anything to you?”

“He…” Soji remembered how protective Gharn was of the package he entrusted her with. “... gave me an errand over the weekend.” The curators stopped talking and looked at her as the gears whirred in their heads. “Why are you asking me so many questions about Gharn?”

“Because he is dead,” one of the curators barked.

She could feel the sparkle leave her face. That must have been why he never contacted her over the weekend. She instantly felt stupid and selfish. She should have been concerned, not relieved!

Spending the whole weekend partying instead. But, what would she have done? And how could she actually have known?

The other curators wanted to talk to her because they knew it was possible that Soji and Gharn may have crossed paths. Had she seen anything? What was their conversation? What was the errand they had given her? They had seen Gharn acting strangely that week, especially on Friday. He was extra irritable. They felt he was hiding something. She started to wonder why she was so protective of a document that these curators were the most qualified to take care of. Eventually, their persistent questions wore her down and she told them about the package.

“Do you know what was in it?”

“No, sir.”

“Why did he give it to you?!”

“I don’t know, sir.”

“Do you still have it?”

“Yes, sir. It’s in a safe place, in the dark, at home.”

“We need you to go get it for us. As soon as you can.”

“Now sir? What about my morning duties?”

“Forget about that!” he snapped. “This is more important.”

“Yes, sir. I will return as soon as I can.”

Soji burst out onto the street and headed home to grab the package. When she returned at mid-morning and walked directly to the curators’ office, she saw all of the curators eagerly staring out from the fishbowl-style office in her direction. Had they been watching the door this whole time? They reminded her of a devoted pet, impatiently waiting for the return of their beloved owner. If Gharn had not just died, she would have chuckled to herself at the sight.

One of the curators snatched the package out of her hands before she could offer it to one of them and set it on a table. They crowded around as they hurriedly, but carefully, unwrapped its contents. Bits of packing paper and cardboard were jettisoned from the circle, no longer useful. She would clean that up later.

Soji realized that they had forgotten about her entirely. And she was so curious with their own fascination for this mysterious object that she quietly watched their reactions to and listened to their conversation about the item that Gharn had trepidatiously entrusted to her before he died. Wait, how did he die? No one had told her. She started to wonder why the conversation was so focused on what Gharn was doing and saying in his last moments, instead of grieving the sudden loss of a colleague.

“Remarkable!”

Soji wondered if the curators would mourn for their colleague later, or at all.

“A book! What are all these objects on the cover?” one of them inquired.

“They look like stones. Unlatch that, let’s take a look inside. I wonder what language this is in?”

A tense quite hung over the curators as one of them opened this strange book. Soji caught a glimpse of it. It was covered in round, shiny… stones? If they were stones, Soji had never seen anything like it. She could hear the heavy cover gently clink against the table as the curator laid it to rest. In unison, the curators leaned over the first page.

“The paper is… thick.” one of them commented. A moment passed before the one who opened the book slowly turned to the next page. Another pause, but shorter this time, page turn again. Then another page turned. Then another. The other curators leaned away from the table, still looking at the book but with confused looks. Suddenly the curator was furiously turning pages or flipping them dozens at a time until he reached the end. “What in the hell!?” one of them exclaimed.

Soji was able to see the last page, which was completely blank. And in the blur of pages, she didn’t notice any ink from letters, symbols or drawings. She puzzled over why Gharn had been so nervous about handing her this book. Did he not know what was inside? Surely he must have looked between its covers before reluctantly entrusting her with it.

“What kind of book is this!? Some kind of over-bedazzled, unused journal for teenagers?!” It almost seemed as if they were insulted. “What is the fuss over this fucking book, Gharn?!” The other two curators gasped at the page-turning curator who slumped his shoulders in response. He did not intend to curse the recently departed, but was clearly frustrated not obtaining the answers he had hoped to gain from this document. Maybe they would mourn their colleague, Soji thought.

Before she could perceive it, one of the curators realized she was still in the room. “What are you still doing here, girl? Your work here is done. Go!” Soji scurried out of the office, relieved they were still too exasperated by this perplexing find to care whatever she did next.

* * *

Later, Soji saw that the curators office had calmed and waited until its occupants left for a late lunch to clean the mess they had made earlier that morning. She wanted to avoid them as much as she could today. As she cleaned up the debris, the book, which was still on the same table, caught her attention. She couldn’t explain it, but something about it drew her in. Something about those stones. They were so strange. All different colors, some of them with flecks of different material inside, which had a reflective quality to it. The stones were dull and to others might look boring, but she was fascinated with them. There was a large stone on the front cover, flat and as wide as her palm. She ran a finger along one edge of it.

Turning on and off electric objects is a skill that takes a little time to master, much like walking or controlling your bowels, but once a sparkler understands how to manage it, doing so becomes second nature. Because Soji knows that a lamp is an electric object that can be turned on or off, she never thought much about the sensation she gets from a lamp when she touches it. It has been so long since she mastered this skill that she forgot all about those details. That is, until she touched this stone.

The parts of her skin that touched the stone tingled ever so slightly, a feeling that radiated up to her knuckles. She drew in a sharp breath and clutched the affected hand close to her body. Cautiously, she looked out of the office window to make sure no one had noticed her fiddling with a document in the curators’ office. She should have expected that the keepers milling about the library would not have. They barely noticed her on a normal day when one of their colleagues had died suddenly. Her gaze slid back down to the book. She couldn’t seem to keep herself away from this thing. Cautiously, she moved to touch the stone again. This time, she wanted to see what would happen if she tried to…turn on the stone. That doesn’t make any sense, she thought to herself. The tip of her middle finger grazed the odd adornment, and she … turned it on - there was no other way for her to describe it. At least not at this time. To her delight, followed by utter dismay, the decoration was now luminating. Soji pulled her hand back again and shot a panicked glance out the window again. If anyone caught her damaging books, she would surely be fired. Still, she could not help herself. The book looked different somehow, aside from the glowing orb on its cover. Something compelled her to open it. And when she did so, her heart racing, she saw strings of symbols on the pages. Writing!

Suddenly she was horrified with herself. Soji slammed the book closed. The clap of hundreds of pages echoed throughout the office. She stopped breathing for a moment and turned her wild eyes toward the open door, fearful someone might have heard her. Outside the curators’ office, patrons and staff milled about as they normally did. Soji turned her attention back to the book and saw its glowing cover. She quickly turned off the stone in the center and shoved the book a few inches away from her. She wanted to keep this job. No book was worth the risk. She quickly cleared the rest of the torn-up package and all but ran out of the curators’ office.

* * *

Soji went about the rest of her day in a haze. Fortunately for her, the curators and rest of the staff were preoccupied with their own thoughts regarding Gharn’s death as well. So if she was late to respond to requests or forgot to perform one of her regular duties, no one seemed to notice. When the day was done, she made her way home. When she arrived, she was so mentally exhausted that she barely noticed Jahm and Raf were in the kitchen talking with her mother.

“Soji, honey. Join us. Relax and I will make you something to eat.” Who knows why her cousin and his friend had come over? But Soji’s mother was too generous of a soul to turn them away without filling their bellies. She considered going straight to bed, but also thought this might be a good way to get her mind off of the day’s news. After a brief, but noticeable, pause, Soji pulled out a chair and allowed her mother to soothe her anxiety with a substantial pile of deliciousness.

“Looks like you had a long one today. Eat up so you can feel recharged in the morning.” Torji instructed.

“Thanks mother.”

“Jahm and Raf were just regaling me with stories from your adventures over the weekend. Did you really meet a keeper at a party?! My goodness! What a sight that must have been.”

“I can’t believe you consider that guy to be your friend,” Jahm uttered.

“He’s not so bad. Maybe it’s different since I grew up with him.”

“And those questions he was peppering Soji with…” Jahm shook his head.

“What was he asking you, dear?”

“Just about my work at the library. He thought I was allowed to bring books home.” They all scoffed at Lairn’s naiveté. That is except for Raf.

“But you did bring something home from the library,” Raf pointed out.

Soji unconsciously uttered a “Yeah…” before trailing off into her own thoughts. She had been entrusted with an artifact by Gharn that his fellow curators had been stumped by. There must have been some reason that Gharn didn’t want to leave that book at the library, even hidden in a box and wrapped in paper. Gharn was the eldest of the curators in that office, though he wasn’t the lead curator. He was too easily agitated for that role. Soji’s memory flashed to arguments among the curators that had, once or twice, disrupted the library’s patrons. It always seemed that Gharn was in the center of those disagreements. If Gharn trusted Soji, an unqualified and moderately literate sparkler, to take care of the book over his colleagues, experts and peers in the field of rare documents, what did that mean? She thought about the book, once luminating when she touched it, now lying dormant and neglected by the curators. Yet, she now registered Gharn’s look when he handed her the package as fear.

“Soji, are you ok? You look dull.” Jahm leaned toward her over the table. Soji looked down and saw a plate of food, above which hovered a spoon full of stew in her hand. She shoved it in her mouth and tasted nothing.

Torji had left the room momentarily. Between chews, Soji mumbled “I brought that package back to the library today. I had to come home in the middle of the day to retrieve it.” She shoveled another flavorless spoonful into her mouth, chewed pensively and swallowed. “The curator who asked me to keep it here for him was… he died.”

Her cousin and his friend both looked at her with wide eyes and slack jaws, as she quickly gave them the highlights of the day’s events. The blank book that showed words only after she touched it. She made sure to do so quietly and while her mother was out of the kitchen. Soji didn’t want to worry her.

Suddenly, Raf blurted, “What if we showed it to Lairn?” just before Torji re-entered the kitchen. Soji shot Jahm and Raf a fiery glare, silently promising swift vengeance if either of them spoke about any of this with her mother present. Almost imperceptibly, the young men responded by simultaneously leaning back in their chairs.

“What are you boys up to this afternoon? You can’t hang around here all day.” Torji initiated.

Soji focused her attention on the plate of stew before her. The boys were on their own for this one.

“I do have an errand to run. This afternoon might be a good time to do it, actually.” Soji’s widening eyes slid from her plate to Raf’s incredulous face.

“Mysterious!” Torji chuckled.

“Haha, well, I want this friend to take a look at something for me. I think it might be valuable, but he would know better than I would. Not really ready to talk about it just yet.”

“Well remember your friends when you’re rich, young man.” Torji gestured at Raf with a kitchen utensil.

“How could I forget you, Torji? The matriarch of the neighborhood! I will take some of my wealth and create a monument in your honor.” Raf flashed Torji a charmed smile. Soji noticed.

“Alright, there. Enough flattery for today. Good luck with your little treasure hunt.” Torji resumed her puttering about the kitchen.

“What about you two, would you like to come with? It could be fun!” Raf addressed Soji and Jahm.

“Soji, it does look like you’ve had a rough day. Maybe a distraction will do you good.” Torji nudged. Perhaps her mother was right.

As the three of them left the apartment building, Jahm asked, “What exactly do you think we are doing right now?”

“Let’s get the book and bring it to Lairn.” Raf offers.

“Why don’t we just tell him about the book?” Jahm counters.

“Because if we bring it to him, maybe he can tell us what it’s about.” Raf rebuts.

“Soji can’t risk her job to steal an artifact from a library!” Jahm’s volume descended from a shout to a whisper in those last few words.

Soji was lost in her own thoughts as the two debated whether to bring the physical book to Lairn or not. She thought about her mother, never turning away a hungry child. She thought about her dead colleague. Did they even know how he died? And she thought about the existence of a book that she could make readable while the curators fumbled with the object. What is the purpose of a book that only a sparkler can read? The arguing between the boys was likely going to continue, but hearing her name invoked so many times eventually pulled Soji out of her introspection.

“I will get the book.” The argument ceased. “I have a key. I can get to it tonight. But I have to return it before the day starts tomorrow. The curators may have lost interest in it for now, but they really keep track of their artifacts. If anyone finds it is missing, there will be hell to pay.”

“Soji, are you sure.” Jahm was worried. He knew the employment alternatives for most women her age. If she lost this job and her reputation tarnished, only the most despicable options would be open to her.

“I want to know, Jahm. I feel this…” Soji jestured with her hands, palms facing her chest, fingers splayed wide, “need. Or something.” She gave up trying to find the words.

Jahm nodded concerned acceptance. “Ok.” Jahm turned to Raf, “You need to get Lairn and meet us at a safe location. Somewhere we won’t seem out of place and Lairn won’t either.”

“How about the house where we first met? It’s in the middle of a bunch of pleasure houses, so none of us will look out of place.”

“Ok, good. Soji and I will meet you there after we get the book later tonight.” Jahm swiveled to face Soji and put his hand on her shoulder, “I’m not letting you do this alone.” Jahm had the same strength and resolve as his father. At times it irked Soji how stubborn he could be sometimes, but right now she was deeply thankful to have her cousin on her side. They went their separate ways.

* * *

It felt like years were passing as Soji and Jahm waited for the library to close, plenty of time for both of them to imagine every possible way the plan could fail. They tried taking their minds off of the task ahead of them by sharing an ale and reliving childhood stories.

They waited an hour after the library finally closed to make their attempt to make sure all staff had been long gone. Soji and her cousin both entered the building together. Jahm waited by the front door where no one on the street passing by could notice him. As Jahm kept watch, Soji walked back to the curators office to obtain the artifact. The operation was completed without any of their catastrophic fantasies being realized and met Raf and Lairn later that evening. It was around this time when Torji would have been expecting her daughter home for dinner. In all the anxious planning, Soji had forgotten to tell her mother not to expect her. She would pay for it later, most certainly, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it now.

Soji had tucked the book away in her backpack, which was barely big enough to fit it. In fact, she had to empty out her bag to make room for the mysterious and bulky object. And she was so afraid of prying hands while shuttling this cargo that she slung the bag over one shoulder and clutched the bulk of it under her arm. The two of them had entered the house to meet Lairn and Raf, who then led them to a private room. Jahm closed the door, after which he and Soji locked eyes. Jahm could see how uneasy his cousin was. After a few moments, Soji gingerly removed the artifact from her bag and placed it on the floor. It was almost a relief when Jahm and Raf sat back and widened their eyes.

“I see what you mean, Soji.” Jahm said. “I can barely tear my eyes away.” It was strangely validating that he could feel the magnetism of this artifact as she could.

“What?” Lairn was confused. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“It’s hard to explain.” But Soji tried. “It kind of reminds me of a lightbulb. How it feels when you know you can turn it on and off.” The explanation seemed to help, for the moment.

“Huh. Ok.” Lairn looked down at the book and opened to a random page about a quarter from the front. Like the curators he saw blank white pages. He picked it up and examined every inch of the thing. “This book is ancient. Hands down the oldest artifact I have ever seen with my own eyes. The binding has been done in a style I have only read about at university. A museum curator might see bindings like this, and it would be a rare find even for them. And the paper isn’t the same kind of lignin and cotton-based paper we would use today.” Lairn thumbed through pages as he said this. “It’s much too stiff. Perhaps it's made of a different plant.”

Lairn closed the book again and placed it on the floor, scrutinizing the adornments on the cover. “And these… what are these? Rocks? They almost have a gem quality to them but they look synthetic.” He drew a finger over the largest stone, noting its smoothness. “And this is the one that you… turned on?” He seemed uncomfortable with the phrase but didn’t know what else to call it. Soji nodded.

“Would you mind…” Lairn trailed off and simply gestured toward the cover.

Soji traced a finger along the edge of the largest stone, and it easily came to life. Throughout the dark grey object shone a bright blue-green light. “Whoa.” Raf quietly gasped.

“Amazing!” Lairn exclaimed. Without regard for his friends, he grabbed the book and opened it to a random page. There they could all see a mass of symbols written in dark blue-green ink.

“Astounding!”

“Can you read it?” Raf asked. “I don’t recognize those symbols.”

“It’s ancient Viglarian. I’m not fluent, but I can pick out a few terms.” He slid his index finger down the page. The way the symbols lined along the page, the phrases seemed to be arranged vertically.

Lairn stopped on a cluster of symbols. “This word means ‘fire’.” And that one, that means ‘Earth’ or maybe ‘wall’. I would need to study up to translate a coherent sentence.” Lairn flipped to the title page and drew a finger over the largest symbols. Aloud he translated, “Book 3 of 12.”

“Does that mean there are more of them?” Jahm spoke up.

“I would assume so…” Lairn absentmindedly answered. Abruptly, he swiveled his head to Soji.

“What do you think of the other stones? Are they… can you turn them on too?”

“I didn’t try. I-I don’t know.” She wasn’t sure why that question made her nervous. Perhaps it was the wild look in Lairn’s eye. She suddenly realized she was trusting a keeper with this clandestine artifact. She didn’t know him, or particularly like him. And Raf, the man who connected them, was also a new face to Soji. How could she trust either of them?! Quick as lightning, Soji reached across Lairn, slammed the book closed and turned the light in the stone off. She kept her splayed hand firmly planted on top of the book, putting some of her weight on top of it. “What do you want with this book?! Why are we trusting you to read it? I cannot lose my job over this!!” She didn’t realize she was yelling until she stopped and heard ringing in her own ears. Losing her job wasn’t exactly her top concern, but she didn’t know how to feel about Lairn’s behavior. He seemed obsessed, or possessed. Whatever it was, she didn’t like it.

Lairn backed away and raised his hands in surrender as she crouched like a panther over the artifact. “I am only trying to help. I promise. Raf is a dear friend of mine and I wouldn’t want to hurt him or anyone he cares about. Honestly.” Soji twitched internally a little at that last bit, but quickly refocused her energies.

“You are practically foaming at the mouth over this thing.” She spoke in staccato as she leaned closer to Lairn’s face. Where was this coming from?

“I am excited, yes.” Lairn replied quickly. “I never get to work with artifacts like this. I assure you that is all. Well, also I think this might be important. You say that the curator who gave it to you died. What if it was because of this?”

The panther maintained her ground.

“I want to help, truly I do, but only if you want my help. If you want to take that book back to the library and never look back, I will accept that. Secretly I may spend the rest of my life looking for the other eleven books,” he let out a nervous chuckle, “but I will accept your position.”

Soji slowly sat back down, sliding the book toward her as she did, never breaking eye contact with Lairn. Once she was seated, she picked the book up and secured it back in her backpack. Lairn looked defeated. Raf looked a little disappointed. And Jahm looked like he was ready to come to Soji’s aid if she needed it.

“What do you think of this book?” Soji asked. “Why would there be a book that only a sparkler can read? Sparklers can’t read well. Who would do such a thing?”

Lairn looked at Soji, confused but hopeful. “I don’t know, really. But, outside of fragmented myths, we know very little about the ancients. Whatever is in here could shed a dim light on an unknown past.”

The two stared at each other silently for some time while Soji evaluated all that he had said and searched her feelings for meaning. This was overwhelming and a little terrifying to think about all that had transpired over the past few days. She turned to look at Jahm. “I feel like I need to investigate this more.” She wasn’t asking his permission, exactly. But she was again grateful for his presence and he returned her statement by straightening his stance, taking in a deep breath and nodding. She turned back to Lairn, “and I suppose I do need your help to do that.” Lairn nodded as well.

“And I want to understand this as well.”

“To be safe, no one can know about this.”

“Agreed.”

“What do you need?”

“Well, I would like to study a few pages, if you don’t mind. Even just one can help us to understand what subject this book covers. I have a few blank sheets of paper. If you would allow me, I could copy a bit of it and work on translations at home.”

Soji’s eyes bore a deep hole into Lairn’s soul, but he didn’t back down or protest. “Ok.” She pulled the book back out of her bag and made the text visible again. The three sparklers spoke very little as Lairn quickly copied three non-contiguous pages. He seemed to select them intentionally and described to the other three why he had selected the pages he did. Soji was actually impressed that Lairn was taking the time to explain his process, something the curators wouldn’t have even considered.

Soji quietly thought to herself about the events of the day. Is this why Gharn died? If so, what did that mean? And why was she so compelled to understand this document? She had never been this driven before, content to live her days as she had before. She pondered the meaning of a book like this as she watched Lairn scribble. And what did it mean that there was a series? These didn’t feel like natural thoughts for a sparkler, but they flowed through her like electricity. She felt that this was the beginning of something interesting. In reality, these four had no idea the impact of history they were starting to unravel.