Read Mystery in the Library: Chapter III here.

Jolly sprinted after Pat knowing that she couldn’t lose to him in another race. Pat was perched at the librarian’s table like a lighthouse waiting to shine light on a mystery. Jolly huffed and puffed and came to a standstill next to him.

‘’Always running off without a warning. Don’t you know you aren’t supposed to run in the library?’’ Pat looked at her quizzically and said, ‘’Weren’t you running behind me right now?’’ Jolly pretended to not hear him and took the book back.

‘’Look at all these illustrations – there’s a sun, a candle, holly, a pine tree, the moon, oranges, snow, and Alyssum flowers. It has to mean something.’’ 

Pat examined the pictures closely. “They all seem like winter symbols. Maybe it’s something related to a winter theme.”

MERRIN ABRAHAM

Merrin completed her Integrated MA in English Studies from IIT Madras. She is a storyteller, bibliomaniac and a lover of indie music who had a passion for the English language that she dedicated her childhood to reading Victorian literature. Besides drinking bitter coffee and analysing Asian media, she is trying to find a horror story worthy of the genre.

 Just then Mrs. Peterson came by. ‘’What are you both whispering about at my table? You’re done with mystery surprise already?’’

Jolly looked shocked. ‘’You even told Mrs. Peterson about it!?!’’

‘’Of course, how else would I be able to set up everything?’’ Pat nudged her to show the book so that they could start figuring out what Jolly was going on about. Jolly showed Mrs. Peterson the page with the illustrations. 

‘’We were wondering what this illustration could be about? This book is about the city library, but there is nothing explaining what these symbols are about.’’

‘’Ahhhh! It’s been so long since I saw this book!’’ With a smile she flipped through the pages before looking at the image in question. ‘’This was actually from a  special event from years ago. The library used to hold a Winter Reading Festival with a unique treasure hunt. Each symbol was a clue leading to a different location within the library.”

‘’That’s so cool!!!’’ Both of them couldn’t hide their excitement.

‘’If you’re interested, why don’t you give it a shot?’’ Mrs.Peterson rummaged through her desk and handed them a parchment and gently herded them away from her desk. ‘’Look at this and figure it out. You’re both mystery solvers, aren’t you?’’

Amazed that they could actually go on a treasure hunt, they sat down to look at the parchment. It was titled ‘Winter Reading Festival – The Nightly Hunt’. Below it was a map of the library with all the different sections of the library labelled in calligraphy. Jolly shivered and said, ‘’Do you think they organised this in the night and everyone had to roam around in the darkness to find the clues??’’

‘’Why? Would you prefer we started The Nightly hunt in the night…?’’

‘’Absolutely not! Mrs. Peterson would never allow it. Let’s just get started with this map and the clues we have from the illustration.’’ Looking at the map and the winter symbols side by side, they racked their brains trying to figure out where to begin.

Pat traced his finger in a clockwise direction over the winter symbols slowly murmuring, ‘’A star, oranges, snow, Alyssum flowers, moon, candle, pine tree, holly… And then it repeats. The sun burns bright at the centre. I think the sun is the final clue for the end of the Night hunt. It’s placed right at the centre, garnering all the attention. So what could be the beginning? The star? The moon?’’

‘’If the sun is the end, then the star is the beginning. Think about their differences. A star is a luminous ball of gas that produces heat, light, and photons. They grow over time and either burst into a supernova or become a white dwarf.’’

Pat pondered on Jolly’s words. ‘’But how is that related to winter? Oh! I got it! At the beginning of winter we get just a little light from the sun, but at the end of winter the days are longer and we get more sunlight! So the beginning is like the star and the end is like the sun!’’

‘’You’re a genius Pat! But I figured out the main part of the clue alright. So, where should we look for the star?’’ As both of them looked at the map, they saw the layout of the library and their eyes focused on a tiny corner that looked like a tiny star.

‘’THE ASTRONOMY SECTION!’’

Share your thoughts on what you think happens next in the comments. Stay tuned for the next part of the story. If you are interested in mysteries and solving clues, join our ‘Crafting Clues’ course to learn more.

Read Mystery in the Library: Chapter V here.