Spankville

Part 8; The Library by Callipygian

Spankville Part one to read this story from the beginning.

It was a red brick building just set back from Main Street, the legend above very sealed dirty black panelled doors read ‘Library’ in embossed brick and underneath in a somewhat smaller embellishment it read ‘Est. 1893.’ The area outside was dominated by an old Hackberry tree, which had long since been challenged by a plethora of other plants so that what once had been a paved plaza was now a jungle with scant access to the former palace of knowledge.

For all that it was a splendid neo-classical building and apart from the wooden boards that sealed its windows it looked sound enough.

“It looks pretty cool,” Mercy said, “Do you think it is haunted?”

Avery looked at her new intern and smiled. They had come together to see what could be done with the place now that Christine had signed off on its use. “Probably,” she said, “But I have come to evict. There is a door around back that will open with the key.” She held it up, “See what you can find,” and handed Mercy the key.

Mercy felt kind of conspicuous scrambling around in a smart business suit and something like brambles scratching on her skirt. She looked at Avery standing demurely like a queen untroubled by the arboreal Armageddon that had descended over the years. “Right,” she sighed eyeing the vegetation warily.

To left there was a closed down hardware store and the alley behind that ran between the old library and the derelict shop was more or less impassable. To the right behind a junk store that purported to be still in business was an open lot. Mercy had never seen the store actually open, but things in the window got changed and moved around from time to time and there was a newish door out back in the alley. Someone had regular access so at least it was passable.

There were weeds growing between paving slabs, but less than the other side behind the hardware store. Watching her step carefully, Mercy found her way around the vacant lot to a side door. There were some stacked wooden pallets against the wall and miscellaneous boxed trash, but the small door up three steps still had a shiny brass Yale keyhole. The key fitted it.

The inside was far from dilapidated; Mercy had expected peeling paint and wild birds fluttering through rafters, but the smell musty with an undertone of old books. The door had opened into a short but wide corridor with a staircase down to her left and one going up on the right. Along the corridor were doors on either side, the right hand ones offices she guessed and the rather anonymous ones to her left store rooms or cupboards… there wasn’t a lot of building in that direction as it the small rooms were backing on to an outside wall.

Pushing on through the doors ahead she came to the large open area of what once had been the public area. It was mostly empty now, but there were a few empty shelves that obviously dated from the old days and a large reception desk in heavy carved wood near the big doors out front. It was quite dark, with only some light from holes in the boards over the windows and somewhere a pigeon did flutter, but Mercy could not see it in the gloom.

Mercy crossed the rather threatening darkness to the great doors and tried them. The lock was operable and there were two bolts that yielded reluctantly to her tugging on them.

“Okay,” she panted at last, “Let there be light,” and she hauled the right-hand door open with a loud groan.

Framed by the now open portal Avery stood like an empress grinning at the newest acquisition to her empire.

***

“It needs a bit of work,” Mercy said as she tried the lights. She operated the switches by the door several times with no obvious reaction. “There is an upper floor that may have windows that haven’t been boarded up but the cellar is another matter.”

“Yes, a pity, I would have liked to get a better feel of the place today, but promising, very promising nevertheless,” Avery said. “Can I rely on you to get some guys in to remove the boards and an electrician to fix the lights?”

“Yes Ma’am,” Mercy said, having no real idea how to organise anything.

“Good,” Avery made a slow turn of the area she could see with the light through the considerable main doors. “Now I have a library I need my librarian.”

“You mean Aunt Nancy?” Mercy said.

Avery smiled and strolled elegantly around her new intern. “My you have been paying attention,” she said.

“Yes Ma’am,” Mercy said and then licked her lips hesitantly.

“Speak,” Avery stepped back and watched Mercy’s face intently.

“Um… don’t you think we had better get this place more… well librarian friendly before you let people see it?” Mercy ventured tentatively.

Avery sucked in her cheeks and pondered. She was in a hurry, especially where the library was concerned, or more to the point where the librarian was concerned. “I will give you one week,” Avery shrugged.

“A week… but…” Mercy protested.

“Good, I am relying on you,” Avery smiled. She wasn’t being fair and she knew it, but Mercy needed to shape up or… she would shape her up.

“Well I know where I might find somebody to help,” Mercy said gloomily.

“Oh?”

“The library, they usually have a notice board… but whoops,” she let her face make an exaggerated wince and gestured to the derelict building they were standing in.

“Don’t give me static now,” Avery warned, “Do you drive?”

“I have a license courtesy of Driving Ed,” Mercy shrugged, “A car… not so much.”

“You can borrow mine and head on over to Waller,” Avery tossed her the keys, “I’ll lock up.”

“Yes Ma’am,” Mercy agreed and then took one last glance at the library, she had no idea what this would take.

“Oh Mercy, I know you’re not going to let me down,” Avery called after the intern before she had reached the open doors, “But if it helps, I pay top dollar for workman and a 100 dollar bonus on top if they can start this week.”

“Yes ma’am.”

***

After the library Avery headed over to the diner. It was the first time she had walked Main Street and got a very good look at the town. It had clearly never been much, but she figured there had been maybe 20 businesses at one time. Now there was barely five and at least two of those were like the junk store near the library, running on memories rather than customers.

It also struck her that there were not that many young people in town; very few kids, but more than that, there were few people young enough to have kids, or so it seemed. Avery made a mental note to talk to Christine about a town meeting so she could see what she was working with.

She stopped at the end of the street that led up to the mayor’s house and pondered dropping in. It was always fun humbling Christine and she needed to confirm that she wanted the library, then again, maybe not. It would take her 20 minutes or more to walk to the diner on the edge of town as it was.

Most people had heard about the young black woman buying up the town, it hadn’t sat well with some. Christine’s early attitude had hinted at deep seated negativity about non-white people in town, but the woman was positively a liberal compared with some. As Avery strolled along people stopped and stared, or worse they pretended not to. The smartest dressed woman in town was one who maybe should be picking cotton, and it was no never mind that there was no cotton and never had been.

Avery grinned. The dried up old folks were either on her side or they weren’t; it really didn’t matter. Martha Headey was a good sort and there were many others. However, what the town really needed were kids like Mercy and Daly, although heaven help them if they had to rely on the motel manager.

There were more stares and a man born since Civil Rights who should have known better actually spat on the ground too near for comfort.

Avery nodded at him as if he had just greeted her warmly, ignoring his scowl. She wished she could run all the rednecks out of town on a rail and then line up the women folk between 18 and 50 and spank their little white bottoms for them. She looked back at scowler and openly laughed. Maybe she would at that.

Mr Scolwer turned to glare at her laughter, which made the business woman laugh all the more.

“Now, now, girl, we ain’t running nobody out of town,” she muttered, “Let the hard cases see what she could do.” Still, a spanking parade was still a fun idea.

***

The diner was busy. Well as busy as it ever had been; it was half full and several locals were drinking coffee. Maybe it was the film star in their midst that they had come to see or maybe it was a change in management.

“Ms Avery,” Beth called over, “Can I get you something?”

“Coffee,” Avery smiled and took a table by the window.

Beth brought the pot and filed Avery’s cup at the table before sitting down.

“How is it going?” Avery asked.

“Hope is still grounded and yesterday I had to spank her again for trying to sneak out,” Beth sighed, “Still her bottom looked like two Victoria plums standing in that corner, she won’t sneak out again for a while. Not until she can sit down again anyway.”

“I was thinking more about the diner here,” Avery chuckled.

Beth snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sorry… my girls are kind of front and centre at the moment. As you can see, picking up some trade, but sadly mostly coffee and refills. I called in a favour and there is now a sign up on the interstate directing folks this way. We got a few truckers in. Hell word might even spread if I handle it right. Diner feeds the motel and the motel…”

“That’s about the size of it, but my dear Beth, it is not a very big size, not yet,” Avery sounded sanguine, “Still a good start.”

“So how is Mercy doing?” Beth asked.

“Fine, really,” Avery shrugged, “She is walking and talking the right way, for now anyway.”

Beth nodded and scanned the diner for anything that needed her attention. Then returning back to Avery she said, “You sound as if you don’t expect that to last.”

“Oh it won’t,” Avery told Mercy’s mother straight, “She is bright, eager and ready to please. She will overreach herself soon enough, I am kind of counting on it, else she won’t learn.”

“You’ll cut her some slack though?” Beth didn’t mean to sound so maternal.

Avery took a swig of coffee, “No, of course not, but I won’t give up on her either; I do hope you are not going…?”

“No, no, nothing like that… I think I trust you… you have your methods no doubt. She can tell me what a bitch you are in her own time, I won’t pry. It is a hard world and I have coddled her enough. Hell, back in the day if my mother knew how much time I spent on my knees entertaining producers and agents…”

“You think I expect her to…?” Avery was suddenly uncomfortable; she had already harboured self-doubts about her motives.

“No. I guess you are already sparking Daly and maybe Christine Templeton from what I hear?” Beth ventured.

“Christine and I are just good friends,” Avery said evasively, “Daly is over 21 and my port in a storm. There will be others,” she shrugged, “But Mercy won’t be one of them.”

“So more over your knee than on her hers?” the actress said with more edge than she meant.

“Definitely, unless that is you want to write her a note?” the business woman said.

“No, she is a big girl, and happily not big enough quite yet,” Beth relaxed, “Only being 19 and all,” she added by way of a reminder.

“We have an understanding then, as for anyone else,” Avery shrugged, “Well anyone 21 and over is fair game.” She looked meaningfully at Beth.

The former film star laughed. “Good luck with that,” she said and made to go.

“You need anything for here?” Avery asked.

“Lots of things, I’m making a list for you,” Beth winked.