*Dusty, the Head Librarian, and the Bit of Cheese

Dusty, the Head Librarian, and the Bit of Cheese

Once upon a time there was a mouse called Dusty that lived in the library of Tar Valon. Dusty, like all other mice, liked eating. He liked eating manuscripts, books, parchment and even the occasional scroll if he came across it. Needless to say, the Browns that were taking care of the library did not like Dusty much at all. They always ordered the new novices to try catching Dusty, but year after year, dusty got away from them, and year after year he kept nibbling and chewing, and chewing and nibbling on all the manuscripts, and books, and parchment and scrolls he could find. Then one day, the Head Librarian died, and after being very sad for a long time the Browns choose a new woman to lead them.

This new Head Librarian had always known about Dusty, but up until now she had been so busy reading, that she hadn’t gotten around to caring about him yet. She was over 200 years old, and she had decided that she would try to read everything she could find in the library, but now that she was Head Librarian she thought it was important that she’d at least give catching Dusty a try, and so she left her books laying on her desk, and went out into the library searching. Finally she came across a hole in the wall, just down on the floor, behind a book shelf, and sat down to wait. Just then, a novice came by, and put a mousetrap in front of the hole, with a little bit of cheese on it. The Head Librarian watched this with interest, and made a little note in her book, before settling down to watch again.

After a while the Head Librarian became hungry. She had, after all, been reading all day, and had simply forgotten to eat. She wanted to get something to eat, but she had promised herself to make a really good try at catching Dusty, and there was no novice or accepted in sight. Suddenly her eyes fell upon the cheese, and she could feel her stomach rumbling. Looking around, she snuck forward, and snatched the cheese of the trap. The trap went off, the way traps like that are supposed to do, and gave the Head Librarian a solid whack over her quick fingers. Muttering to herself about annoying novices, and deciding that she had better things to do, the Head Librarian pulled the trap of her hand and floated of to find a Yellow.

So how about Dusty you ask? Dusty still lives in the library, nibbling and chewing, and chewing and nibbling on every manuscript, and book, and parchment and scroll he can find. And so he will continue to do for the rest of his life, or until the Browns stop liking cheese, which I think we can agree, is quite as unlikely as Dusty ever grown tired of eating books.

• Penance served by Accepted Elandria d'ma Mieresouvra