The Spiral Staircase -- From Charlie's Diary

 

I had forgotten my lunch, and as I was coming out of the library to go to the snack bar, I ran into Michele.

"Why, Charlotte, what a nice surprise! I’m having lunch with Emily, but she’s tied up in a meeting and told me to sightsee. And I remembered what you said about the library. It’s lovely." The College has two libraries. The science library is in a modern building from the turn of this century and liberal arts library is from the turn of the last century. It has stained glass windows and hardwood floors.

I decided I could quickly show Michele around and still get to the snack bar. "Do you want to see basement first? It’s full of old files and really creepy. In a fun way." I didn’t explain that whenever anybody calls me Charlotte, I feel like I’m being scolded and anyway I didn’t.

"Fun?"

I felt I’d said the wrong thing. "Or we can go up to the top floor where the 800’s are. You know literature and sh—things."

The spiral staircase is like something out of a Victorian murder mystery and when you get to the top floor, you can see most of the campus. The 800’s don’t get a lot of scholastic action and it was deserted.

"What a wonderful place to escape everything, Just you and all these stories."

I don’t know how she knew that I liked to come up there on my breaks. "It makes me sad, sometimes. All these books just sitting and waiting and gathering dust. And the authors are probably dead."

"But that’s what makes it so special isn’t it? I’m so glad you shared it with me."

"I’m glad you like it." I’d never told anyone about it except Ed, and then we started reminiscing about the stacks at our old college where people came to get high and make out.

I went to the window. "It’s so pretty in the fall."

"Yes, isn’t it?" Michele was standing in back of me. I didn’t know what to say next, so I just stood there trying to think of something.

"You know, Charlotte, . . ." Michele began, but all of a sudden there was a crash. Someone somewhere had knocked some books off a shelf.

I had to get back to work and Michele had to meet Emily. I got some crackers and soda out of the food machine. I didn’t feel like eating, though.