Doctor Dewey's voice called from behind the door. "Come in."
Mr. Plot opened the door and stepped across the threshold into the Head Librarian's office. As he approached her desk, Doctor Dewey turned her attention away from some papers in her hand and addressed him. "What's on your mind, Mr. Plot? You look concerned."
She can read me like a book, all right. With no reason to beat around the bush, Mr. Plot decided to get down to business. "I am, Head Librarian. It's about Malcolm Dowd."
"Yes. Him." The doctor set her papers down and gave Mr. Plot her full attention. "Mr. Dowd has been quite the little problem, but what is your specific concern?"
"I just feel, Head Librarian, and I don't mean to step out of line, but I wonder if you're going at him too hard? I understand he's been trouble, but we're putting the screws on him tight. Tighter than on anyone else we've given a book. Should we be worried about the damage this might cause Tinker Belle?"
Doctor Dewey appeared to ponder Mr. Plot's words, but gave him an assured look. "Indeed, Mr. Plot, I am pushing Mr. Dowd very hard. But his psyche and Tinker Belle's are not yet bonded. There's still a mental separation between the two. Also, in order for this project to continue forward, we need to know the risks of troublesome targets. Particularly those under high stress. So while this perceived act of vengeance might be extreme, the outcome will provide us with data points going forward."
"And what if Tinker Belle is harmed as a result?" Mr. Plot asked.
"If our flexible little fairy dancer is harmed, we'll reverse the process and repair her book. Just like a little editing was necessary to bring Lady Murasaki in synch with her nosy little host." Doctor Dewey picked her papers off the desk. "And there's always the chance that worse could come to worse, but we just need to remain flexible for any event that happens. Understand?"
Mr. Plot nodded. "Yes, Head Librarian, of course."
"And thank you for expressing your concerns," Doctor Dewey said. "That said, I received a call from Hester, earlier. She's invited Malcolm's mother and grandmother to the club, and they've accepted. Let's prepare a couple of extra-special books for them, shall we?"
Wed Feb 24 02:26:55 2016
3 comments Last updated: Wed Feb 24 20:43:01 2016