Amanda's morning was going somewhat slowly. Fridays were normally this way, though as some started their weekends early. The sunny morning also allowed people to enjoy parks, the beach, and the outdoors. She could have taken the day off, too, and spent it with Joe. She fought the urge to say 'I wish I had taken the day off.' She knew all too well it would have happened, or would it? That would have caused a few paradoxes, but she wasn't about to explore them with only one wish available.
She had sat through the staff meeting with little focus on upcoming changes in the library computing system and the problem with books disappearing from the library. Her heart wasn't in it too much as she tossed around wishes with the prospect of inadvertantly changing herself or someone else into something she never intended. 'Why did Joe give me this when it seems like a curse?'
Now she was at the help desk. One woman had come in trying to find encyclopedias. Amanda gave her directions to that stack. A young man asked to know where the adult magazines were. Amanda told him that the library did not keep such items. He replied, "well, if you did, I wish you were in them." Amanda cringed upon hearing that. She didn't find herself in a magazine. She almost made a wish for him, but she refrained. He left after seeing her odd reaction to his wish.
Amanda had an hour of peace when a beautiful woman in her early 20s came up to the help desk. She was wearing a tight dress which hugged her tall frame. She was well-endowed and her eyes seemed mesmorizing.
"Good morning, Ms...," the strange woman began the conversation.
"Amanda," Amanda managed. "Can I help you?"
The woman could see the magical aura that enveloped Amanda. It was an aura she was familiar with and it could only come from her ring. Rebekka had sensed magic in this area of the world. She was able to track it down rather easily, unlike the last owner of the ring who managed to elude her well. But then, she found her yesterday afternoon. She was now keeping birds happy in the park while they danced in the water she held.
"Yes, Amanda, you can. I'm looking for a book on antique rings," she said clearly.
Amanda tinged when she heard that request. She could tell it wasn't Joe impersonating a woman. There was something dark about this woman and she was making Amanda feel uneasy. "Well, there has been interest in them lately. The best book we have is up on the third floor in the E section. If you take those stairs there, it's to the left." Amanda had to give her the information without error.
"Thank you, Amanda. Be seeing you," Rebekka said coolly. Amanda was around too many witnesses and Rebekka was drawing too much attention. Rebekka knew she had to get over her own vaniety and dress down a little. But that expended magic and she tried to keep that down to a minimum.
Rebekka turned from the desk and walked to the stairs. Amanda watched her as did most of the library as she elegantly made her way to the stairs and began to ascend up them. Amanda closed her eyes. She needed to get to Joe. "Guys, I'm taking a bio break," she announced.
Her two deskmates echoed an OK. Amanda made her way out of the desk area and into the isolation of the stacks. She made her wish and felt a wave of pleasure envelope her. She appeared at Joe's side.
"Joe, there is a woman looking for antique rings!" Amanda said quickly. "She's coming up here now."
"So?" I said, wonder why she used her wish to surprise me.
"She didn't strike me right. She was incredibly beautiful and tall. I don't like her," she said.
I had a thought. "Does she look like this?" I asked, holding up the pamphlet with the picture of Rebekka open.
Amanda's eyes opened wide. "Yes, that's her. How did you..."
"It's the book on the ring. Her name is Rebekka and she created it. I bet she wants it back too," I concluded.
"If she created it, does that mean she is more powerful than it?" I asked.
"May be. I don't know. Perhaps we had better go," I suggested.
"Like where?" she said and we heard shoes clicking on the cement floor.
In desperation, I said, "I wish she could not see or feel us."
Amanda and I were overcome with a tremendous energy. I turned to her to see her glowing and her body literally being eaten up. She disappeared before me. While it felt good to me, there was a sense of evil being present and it only seemed to amplify the transformation I went through. "Amanda," I whispered as a tall woman became visible at the end of the row of books.
"I'm here, but I can't feel anything, you, books, nothing," she cried.
"Quiet, and avoid her," I cautioned.
Rebekka came up and could see the signatures of magic there. There were 6 remanents she could sense. They involved shrinking, three inanimate transformations, forwarding time, and creating something out of nothing. There was another transformation but she couldn't put a handle on. She looked around but didn't find anything but a book on antique rings sitting on the shelf. It glowed the magic of being created by the ring. Rebekka knew who ever had the ring was here within the last day or two.
Rebekka showed disgust and walked through Joe. She didn't sense him there and walked back out of the stacks. Joe followed her until she started down the stairs.
He returned to the table. "Amanda, are you here?"
"Yes, I'm standing in the book shelf. This is kinda weird. It's like I can pass through everything but the floor," she said quietly.
"You can. Don't walk out of the building," I cautioned. "I'm by the table, come here."
Amanda stepped out of the book shelf and into the middle of the table.
"Amanda, was that her?" I asked.
Amanda's voice replied, "Yes, that was her."
'Amanda McCaul, please return to the help desk. Amanda McCaul, please return to the help desk' was announced on the libraries intercom. 'It was rare anyone used it', Amanda thought.
"I wish I could see Amanda and she could see me," I quipped.
Amanda's body reemerged, at least her upper torso. I assumed her lower torso was under the table. Amanda looked down and giggled seeing herself standing in a table. She walked out of it and to my side.
"Who would page you?" I asked.
"I don't know. We can see the help desk from the railing," she suggested. We went to the railing although I slowed us.
"Amanda, don't lean over the rail. It won't support you and I have no idea if you will fall," I advised.
Rebekka stood at the help desk, waiting for Amanda to return.
"Joe, she's looking for me. What do we do?"
"Well, obviously we can make ourselves invisible to her. Somehow we need to deflect her from you. You will have to talk to her, I'm afraid."
"But, she could turn me into something. I can't just go down there," she pleaded.
"I know. I have an idea, though," I replied.