Surely, no human being had folded thousands of little origami birds—it had to be magic.
As I looked closer, I realized that every single bird carried a one-word inspirational message. Wander. Create. Fly. Dream. Imagine. Appreciate. The bird creations moved lightly in a softly flowing string of colors, almost like an aurora borealis made of delicate, colorful, paper doves. The effect was mesmerizing.
I was so busy looking up that I didn’t notice Edna approach. Next thing I knew she was shoulder-to-shoulder with me, looking up at the colorful chains of origami birds.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she whispered.
“Oh, so beautiful,” I agreed. We watched together quietly for a few minutes, then she pulled out her key and dangled it in the air. I followed her up the stairs to the private, historic, book room.
Looking around the space, I opened myself to the will of the library. It seemed to know what I needed and eventually directed me to the right choice. I stood perfectly still for a good five minutes, but received no supernatural message. Oh, well. It was worth a try. I wandered around browsing the shelves.
The enormous globe that appeared on my last visit was nowhere to be found, neither was the unique aquarium table. Even without these things, the room was a joy. It embraced you with its warm woods, comfortable stuffed chairs, ornate light fixtures, and shelves filled with books. There were several elaborate birdcages filled with finches and canaries. Smaller birds with smaller voices for this smaller room.
Today, for the first time ever, I saw Edna enter the room carrying a tray of tea and cookies. That tray always appeared when I was here, and I had assumed it was Edna who brought it. Now I saw I was correct. Or at least on this visit I was correct.
“Thank you so much! It’s very kind of you,” I said.
“My pleasure, Hayden.”
I sat at the table and poured a cup of tea. Snacking on a cookie, I scanned the pile of books someone (something?) had pulled out for me. I tried to decide where to start. As I was debating where to begin, I realized that Edna was still in the room.
She closed the door to the hallway and then came over to my table. She sat across from me. “Ever since your last visit, when the globe showed you Gladstone, you’ve been on my mind. I’ve been doing some research. Once I began to learn more, I even accessed the library’s hidden web, which I’ve only done once before, since sometimes you find things that you’re better off not knowing. I have discovered some stories and myths that you might like to hear.”
“Yes, please!” I answered, sitting up tall in my chair, ready to listen.
“I’ll be happy to share what I’ve learned, but keep in mind, none of this has ever been confirmed. It’s all just legends, myths, and rumors.”
“Good enough for me!” I opened a note page on my phone and eagerly awaited her stories.
Edna reached over and snagged a cookie. She seemed to think where to start.
“I’ve learned that in many ways, Gladstone is a direct opposite of Destiny Falls. When our climate is most usually warm and sunny, theirs is cold, cloudy, and snowy. Where people here tend to be friendly and kind, people in Gladstone are often untrustworthy and aloof. While touches of enchantment here are blessings of wonder (she gestured around the library), the magic that appears there is of a darker type.”
I thought about the people in the ferry line that I had seen. Most had items for a day at the beach, but I had seen cars of people with winter clothes and ski gear. The weather part of her story rang true. Well, true if the ferry was headed to wintry Gladstone.
“It doesn’t sound like an appealing place to visit. Why is it so elusive? People seem to know nothing about it.”
“I believe that’s part of the veil it created. You must understand that while we believe that Gladstone exists, it’s not a typical island, port, or city. It’s . . . how shall I say this? It’s almost a mirage. We have heard it is there, but if you try to reach it, you may find it doesn’t exist. Until it does. For only some people. There appears to be a power that decides which people reach the island and which are turned away. Most leave from here on their journey, only to find themselves back at the Destiny Falls ferry terminal with no understanding of how the circular trip occurred.”
“Wow, that’s extremely odd, even for Destiny Falls!” I shook my head.
“It gets even weirder,” she said. “I’ve read that some people do reach Gladstone. But they find only a small, typical port town—much like Destiny Falls or any harbor town. The major differences being the weather, the less sociable population, and a general feeling of . . . how do I explain? Creepiness, I guess. It has been rumored to be an unsettling place, and people become eager to leave and try to shorten their trip. Sometimes, though, it’s been said that once Gladstone gets its hooks in you, it doesn’t permit you to leave.”
“But then why do people try to visit Gladstone? Is it because these facts aren’t well known? It
