typewritten notes; unfinishedlibrary

[starandhope]

 

 

Mina Harker's Diary

(Notes on the library, typed on a typewriter in the computer lab, excerpted from her shorthand journal - there are several copies of this document and it is available to any character to peruse.)

I no longer know what day, or even year, it is, but I feel it imperative to continue this diary, taking down my experiences and observations in as much detail as I can manage, if only to prove to myself that this is all real, that I have not gone mad. I will begin with waking...


Observations on the library
...The stacks are seemingly endless. I can discern no logical means of finding one's way through them, though every time I have found myself lost and seeking the circulation desk, I find it almost immediately. I have made several attempts to find the same section of the library by following the same directions, starting at the circulation desk. However, I always end up in a different place. It is most confusing, and there is no guide or map that I can find.

Similarly, the books themselves appear to be in no particular order. Not alphabetical, or organized by subject, or even, seemingly, place or time of origin. I have found scientific treatises alongside romantic adventures; instruction manuals shelved with philosophy texts. If there is a pattern, it will take a greater mind than mine to discern...

On the Changeable Door
I opened the Changeable Door five times today, at approximately mid-morning. Here are my results:

1. The Study Room
2. The Garden
3. The Garden
4. The Typing Room
5. The Garden

Does it wish us to be in the garden today? Yesterday I couldn't get the garden to appear at all. Does the library have wishes of its own, or is there some other controlling force? I have yet to discern any pattern to the Changeable Door.

(There are approximately three pages of similar trials and observations of what Mina calls the Changeable Door. Lists of her attempts, and what she found, including the time of day she attempted it.)

This is only my own data. Perhaps, if we all combine our data, we may be able to discern the workings of this strange room...

On the Books Themselves; On Being an Editor
The books are all unfinished. I have chosen several at random, and all have sections missing. Beginning, middle, or end, once again, there seems no pattern except that none are complete. The obvious conclusion, given that we are all being called "editors", is that we are meant, somehow, to finish some of these books...

...Hikaru had an interesting theory today. He believes that we may be brought to other worlds, as we were pulled from our own, in order to help finish the stories in the library. It makes sense; this does seem to be a kind of place between places. We all come from very different worlds, and what is a library but a repository of stories?


A Conversation With Mr. Phillip Durand, Library Assistant
Today, I used the provided telephonic device for the first time. I have heard of them, even seen them, but had never had occasion to make use of one myself... After some partial reassurance as to the safety of my Jonathan, I proceeded to ask Mr. Durand if he could provide any incentive for our assistance. At first, he would only say that we will probably not be hurt - which I pointed out was not very reassuring. I then asked if he could tell me anything about why we have been brought here. His answer was an interesting one, and I quote it here as best I can recall. He said, "this is the Unfinished Library. You are Editors. Anything that is finished no longer stays here."

I must admit, I felt he was speaking as much of us as of the stories on the shelves. Are we also "unfinished"? If so, is that the key to our escape? How would we go about "finishing" ourselves? I must ponder this further...

Comments

Hikaru’s Contribution: A Practical Guide To Unfamiliar Tools

[ohaiyo_isekai]

As a member of a relatively technological world, after seeing many Editors puzzled by the equipment available in the Changing Room, the Crafts Room and the kitchens, I thought I might add a practical guide to using those unfamiliar tools. You are reading it now.

Let’s start with the kitchens - the kitchenette, rather, as it’s smaller and more stripped down than a full kitchen for a full dining room. Most important here are the various cookers: the stoves, microwave oven, and so on.

Microwave Oven
(he has helpfully illustrated and diagrammed it)

This boxlike oven draws power from the wire running into the socket on the wall to cook whatever is placed in it very quickly.

To operate it, simply open it, place the food to be warmed inside of it, close it, and use the numbered buttons to write how many minutes and seconds you want to heat your food, and then press the button labled “start.” The inside should light up and you should hear the whirring of a fan if you did it correctly. When your food is done, the light goes off and it beeps.

A little time goes a long way: a bowl of soup only takes about one minute to heat, while a hand-sized piece of meat would take three minutes on one side then two on the other.

This works best for moist foods, or steaming. For things like breads or sausages, it’s best to wrap it in a damp towel while cooking.

Never place more metal than a thin strip of foil into the microwave oven. The method of heating reacts violently and explosively to metal. Do not leave utensils in the oven, and remove any canned (tinned) food from it’s can. Ceramic, paper, and tempered glass are safe…

(And he includes many other entries like this.)

Kai's Contribution:

[starandhope]

(Attached to this document is Kai's hand-drawn map of the living quarters and lobby of the Unfinished library, provided to Mrs. Harker.)

Rin's Contribution:

[starandhope]

(Attached to this document is the stack of papers Rin provided to Mrs. Harker, including but not limited to: data on frequency of the changes in the stacks, basic information on the library assistants and kidnappees, surveillance reports on the STAFF ONLY door.)