Zoomorphology 1001 was the class you really are looking forward to
this year. You are pleased to learn that your new dormitory has a
portal into the University's library stacks. You go into the small
closet with stain glass doors which most resembles an old fashioned
telephone booth except for being made of glowing stain glass.
You step inside and the doors close behind you. The room glows, and
the silver mirror where the pay phone would have been glows with a
luminous countenance. It looks nearly human except that it is only a
distortion in the glass which otherwise is reflecting your image and
the glowing stain glass cabinet that surrounds you.
"Library Portal," says the image in the looking glass, "Which section
of the library is your desire?" the voice has an oddly hollow sounding
echo as it speaks.
"Zed Section in the stacks," you say.
The mirror glows and all the stain glass glows much brighter than
before. You are blinded. When the lights dim and you can see again you
are standing in a similar portal booth set into the wall in front of a
black wrought iron catwalk deep in the bowels of the library stacks.
It is a smaller section but it still takes up considerable space.
Three or four story bookcases disappear into the shadows above and
below you. You walk out of the dimming booth and on to the catwalk and
over to the nearest shelf. Randomly, you grab a book. It's black and
the name on the spine has long since faded away.
You open the book and read, "Zaalaamic Chimeric Magickal
Transmogrifications."
You grin, you are definitely in the right place. Though you're not
sure if these books are filed alphabetically or by topic. You wave
your hand and use a simple illumination spell. The spines of the dull
books light up, as the worn text glows so you can read them. As you
start to read the glowing spines, the books start to move of their own
accord. Your spell as triggered something it would seem. You wave
your hand to reverse the spell. Many of the spines dim, but some
continue to glow and move. A book leaps off the shelf. It flies open
and you see a glowing image, and....