The Living Library: Chapter I

They had to cover their faces with their hands, since the light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere was too bright. Just before Celia’s eyes got used to the apparently natural brightness two winged beings gently lifted her up and carried her to heaven–despite her lamentations. When Sylvan was able to see again to some extent he only noticed clouds of fog around him. Next to him was a bluish being with a chubby shape, four arms, two legs, and a long tail floating in the air. It looked at him with large, fluorescent, elliptical eyes.
Who art thou? Where art thou from? Where art thou going?
Sylvan made sure he was awake with a few slaps in his face and as soon as he had maltreated himself enough he tried to turn the tables:
“How did I get here and where is the exit?”
The odd being was silent and seemed to consistently insist on the right of the one who asked first.
“Very well!”, continued an obviously annoyed Sylvan, “I’m Youdunno and I come straight from Cloud Cuckoo Land!”
Youdunno from Cloud Cuckoo Land, repeated the creature so Sylvan found it necessary to remind it of his question. But instead of giving him an answer it remained true to its own priciples.
How far is thy realm?
At first he was inclined to counter, “My kingdom is not from this world!” But he was not willing to throw his mind before a stranger in a silly disguise and instead put on his smuggest smile.
“In order to be able to tell you I would first have to know exactly where I am here.”
If thou doeth not know that–how hath thou gotten here?
Since Sylvan’s patience was not outstanding (to say the least), he burst out in a loud tone,
“God dammit! Why can’t you just answer that simple question?!”
The figure fled at that moment, floating into the thick fog which made a somewhat notable impression on Sylvan. He was just beginning to regret his tone when his body was suddenly thrown up as the prey of an oversized spoon net in an extremely unpleasant way (and way before his mind could say goodbye to the ground). In a contorted immobility that made him painfully aware that he was definitely not dreaming he heard something like a chuckle with a certain complacency. The next instant, he already got whirled through the air in a semicircle, at a constant distance from the ground, only to find out that a long-haired giant had shouldered the handle of the spoon net in which Sylvan dangled miserably.
Under other conditions, he would undoubtedly have considered this excursion from the butterfly perspective to be worthwhile but packaged in this way, he took very little part in the lush vegetation. After what felt like an eternity this journey ended at the edge of a forest in front of a huge tree apparently inhabited by intelligent beings. The giant knocked politely on the bark and a feminine figure the size of a paperback appeared in a large knothole.
“For Gaia’s sake!“, she called at a barely audible volume, “What kind of bird are you bringing me?“
Sylvan was confused because he didn’t share his floating prison with any animal but the following statement temporarily made him question his common sense anyways.
“A cloud cuckoo, I see! Then let the poor guy down to earth very gently so that he can recover from the exertions.”
The giantess — as Sylvan now saw it was a woman — freed her shoulder of the burden by carefully reaching into the spoon net and placing him very carefully on the forest ground. While Sylvan made sure he hadn’t suffered any permanent physical damage the tree dweller hopped on the giantess’ hand to greet the tormented-looking man at eye level.
“She regrets the inconvenience and also says that she spoke to you beforehand but you didn’t answer. You were in a very dangerous situation from which she wanted to free you. Do you accept her apology?”
He looked stunned at the faces of the two surreal female figures. Each of them was attractive in their own way, just too small and too big, respectively, to seriously fall in love with either of them. After a while he found his voice again.
“According to my insignificant perception the danger only started when I became the victim of this mute bird catcher!”
The giantess began to sob and turned away to hide her tears. As a result of the jerky movement the fairy lost her balance, fell down, and was caught by Sylvan to their mutual surprise. Right in the moment of touch, a wave of bliss flowed through his body. An unknown feeling of security seized his mind. Suddenly, everything seemed so familiar that part of him wanted to merge with this world. But the other part — the one that fears nothing more than what it cannot explain — rose up to speak up in feigned superiority. Sylvan hastily let go of the delicate personality; and as his face darkened dusk seemed to begin.