Floating Ink Read Online Free PDF Page A

frequency.
Ruth felt waves of nauseous stomach flipping before the world faded
out via twinkling lights.
    “No,” said the ink blot as it started to
float away.

CHAPTER FIVE
    Caretaker
    Ruth awoke into bright lights. The creature
who had knocked her out was an evil thing, as the bright lights
made her head throb. No good being would kidnap a woman and then
give her a headache. The first thing Ruth noticed as she got up was
that she had been drooling on a green carpet. It must have been
awhile, as the puddle of drool was somewhat sizable.
    She pushed her body up with one hand while
rubbing her skull with another hand. The buzzing lights lit every
corner of the large room. The room was full of bookshelves and
tables. Books were littered every nook and cranny. They were
stacked 4-5 high on each table, and all the tables were full. She
looked around and tried to find any sign of where she was.
    Ruth twisted her head around slowly. She
didn’t want to hurt her neck or cause any additional movement of
her head, which could result in more pain. She spotted a poster on
the wall of a kitten wearing glasses. As she squinted she could see
the words “Reading” on the poster, but couldn’t make out the bottom
text. A logo was nestled in the corner of the poster. Hoping to
reveal a clue, she stood up and began making her way over.
    “Welcome to the Thomasville Library” came a
voice over a speaker. Ruth shrugged and stopped approaching the
poster for a location clue. “Please ask a librarian if you need any
help finding anything or accessing the WebDewey system. In
addition, our book sale will begin in the Emerald room in 5
minutes. Buy a bag for $10.”
    As the voice faded, Ruth looked around and
saw that one of the doors had a stack of paper grocery bags near
it. The bags had the words “Friends of Thomasville Library” printed
on them. Why had the ink blot creature taken her here? She decided
to venture out and ask someone.
    The metal bar in the middle of the door
pushed in, and she heard a click. Ruth pushed the door open into
another hallway. Inside that hallway was a small line of people
looking at their phones and watches.
    “Excuse me,” Ruth announced, “Is there a
librarian around that could help me? I am not really sure how I got
here.” She shrugged her shoulders and continued massaging her
temples. The headache was starting to go down.
    “You used the door!” Quipped a young man in
the line. A woman hit him in his chest.
    The woman spoke up, “Yeah, just go down this
hallway and take a right. That’s the main part of the library.”
    Ruth ignored the man and walked directly to
the woman. “Thank you,” she said, smiling sheepishly.
    Ruth walked down the long hallway and noticed
several rooms to the right. Each room was either not lit up or
appeared to be smaller than the room she was just in. She
eventually found another hallway connecting to this one. She went
right down the hallway, which opened into a large library setting.
Ruth looked around and spotted a sign that said “Information”. She
walked over to that sign and the woman sitting there. In the
woman’s lap was the green book Ruth had been reading earlier. It
was open, and the woman was scratching her head.
    “Excuse me, this may sound odd, but I am not
sure why I am here. Or, really where here is.” Ruth said, placing
her hands on the counter and talking to the woman.
    The woman ignored her and continued to move
her head back and forth, reading the book.
    “Excuse me?” Ruth said a little louder when
she didn’t get a response.
    The woman didn’t take her eyes off the book
Ruth had been reading. Instead, the woman began to speak in a soft
tone, as if to the book instead. “You are a caretaker. They are
just not sure what kind.”
    “I believe I am supposed to be an
accountant,” Ruth said, crooking up an eyebrow, a smile touching
the corner of her mouth.
    “No. You were not supposed to be an
accountant. You became an accountant and