Magnifico

Prepared

Jonas had been thinking of a way to escape when he suddenly remembered that a map was stored in the library. In this map, holds a secret passage that entered Alaphas.

“Why didn’t I remember this earlier?” he asked himself. He jumped up from his bed like he was struck with some kind of energy drugs, rushed to his wardrobe, and opened it. He brought out a black cloth and even a black trouser too. He changed his official wear and put on the black one instead. When he was fully prepared, he came outside but it was already getting dark. He wondered how many hours he had slept just lying down on his bed thinking about solutions.

He got to the Library and saw the librarian through a hole. He wanted to go back but on second thought he couldn’t.

“I can’t go back now. I have to find a way to sneak myself inside this library and get those maps because not only will it help me to escape from here, but I can use this as a possession which I will offer in an exchange for my life.”

This he thought and went to the back of the library to see if he could climb in through the walls and get in through a portable window that was used to design the library roof that was never closed. When he climbed and wanted to get in, he looked at the librarian and saw that he was drinking coffee. He thought maybe he was doing this to keep himself awake and not to sleep on duty. He then thought of something; he climbed down and headed back home. He brought a sleeping d**g he had kept in his drawer and stashed it inside his pocket. He rushed back to the library, went around the back, and also climbed as he climbed before. He got to the portable window and inspected for a while to know if it’s only the librarian that was in the Library. After staying there for a while, he noticed that it was only the librarian that was working in the library and he was studying some kind of article with a lamp because it was already dark.

Jonas climbed right inside with a rope he also brought along with the sleeping drugs. He moved close to a book shelve and hid. He brought out a little stone he had hidden in his pocket, he threw it to the other side of the library to distract the librarian. The librarian noticed that there was some kind of noise but he only looked and ignored it.

Jonas waited for his response but nothing happened, he brought out the last stone in his pocket and threw it again in that direction and the librarian looked too but ignored it. Jonas became worried and thought of climbing back again to collect more stones because he brought only two stones hoping the first one is enough to confuse the librarian but didn’t work. He then thought of something and he dropped a book from a shelve close to him, and made it fall in a was that generated noise. Now, the librarian attention was drawn so he stood up and started walking close to where Jonas himself while Jonas himself took a different route crawling on the floor to evade the librarian. He quickly went to the table where the librarian had kept his lamp and his coffee, he poured in the sleeping powder and shakes the coffee. He also crawled to another end and himself again.

“Hmm.. what might have made the book to fall? Maybe I didn’t arrange it properly.” the librarian mumbled to himself as he bent down to pick up the book and arrange it properly. He inserted the book right inside the bookshelves, went back straight to his reading table to continue what he was doing. He sat down and sipped his coffee while Jonas was watching him like an eagle. After reading for a few more minutes, he started feeling sleepy.

“What the hell is happening to me? I shouldn’t be feeling sleepy” the librarian was asking himself as though he was confused. He has been doing it before; drinking coffee to keep himself awake. He wondered why this time around, it wasn’t working. He thought maybe he didn’t drink enough, so he carried the remaining coffee left in the cup and drank it. It took another few more minutes and the librarian dozed off. Jonas had to stay put for a few more minutes to make sure the librarian was really asleep. After being convinced, he squirreled out from where he had hidden and went straight to the librarian, lifted his hand to be very sure he was asleep and he was really sleeping.

Jonas thought of all the time he had wasted waiting for the librarian to sleep and all the risks, he thought maybe killing him would have been better.

“No, if I had killed him, that would certainly ruin my plans and may get me arrested. I think this is the best way, yes, the best way.” Jonas was questioning his efforts. He went around the Library where he knew the map may be hidden and started searching. He searched and searched but couldn’t find it. He became confused and thought of waking up the librarian to ask him where it was hidden or where he could find it. But he knew that would certainly be a bad idea and may spoil the whole thing so he went back searching for it. He saw a brown small wooden box, so he brought it down and tried to open it but it was locked with a key. He wanted to break it but it was thick and breaking it will generate some kind of noise. So he carried it to where the librarian is, he brought the whole key the librarian hanged on his hip and started unlocking the box with different keys, luckily for him, he unlocked it. He opened the box and saw the map where it was well preserved. He smiled and inserted it back to his pocket and went back straight to where he brought the box from and kept it the way he saw it.

He quietly climbed back to the window which was almost close to the roof and escaped. Jonas went straight to his room and locked himself up, he didn’t want anyone to bump in right at him or come in unannounced. He brought the map out and started studying it and saw the secret passage that was hidden in the map. He wrapped up the map and started thinking of where to hide it.

“This time around, I am not going to hide it in my room because it may still be searched and if this happens, I am dead. I guess I will hide it outside.” Jonas thought to himself as he was wrapping up the map.

He went outside, in the dark, right outside his backyard and he hid the map under a small flower tree. Thanks to the darkness he buried the map there.

The following morning, the librarian was sweeping the Library to open up for the day and he saw the first stone on the floor, he ignored it though until he saw the second stone. It seemed weird to him because he doesn’t leave a pin behind while sweeping the library so he wondered how that stone walked in inside the room.

“These stones must have walked in here or maybe someone dropped them. This is weird and I must report this.” The librarian spoke to himself.

He headed for the door, opened it, and went straight to the palace, and reported it to Magnifico.

“Have you come here to tell me about two stones?” Magnifico asked the librarian.

“No No No. Not like that” the librarian said fearfully.

“Then like what?”

“The two stones aren’t supposed to be in the Library because I sweep the room and clean it every day.” The librarian replied.

“Oh! I see.”

Magnifico wondered what might have been stolen from the library and who may have broken inside the Library. Magnifico isn’t a fan of letting things slide or pass him by without knowing what it is.

“what do you think might have been stolen from the library?” Magnifico asked the librarian as he comes closer to him.

“My Lord, I have no idea.”

“You have no idea? Then your work in the library is useless.” Magnifico said angrily as he jacked the librarian up and threw him to a chair nearby and the chair broke into pieces. He ordered the soldiers to give him 30 strokes of cane before they release the old man. Magnifico wondered who might have done this or who knew the palace so well to steal something. He suspected Jonas; “call Jonas for me at once” he ordered the soldiers. The soldiers left the palace to summon Jonas.

when Jonas came with the soldiers to answer the call, he could sense the rage in Magnifico's face, the horror in his eyes, and see the veins in his big arms. He noticed immediately that he was in great danger.

I have been discovered. who might have seen me? I thought nobody saw me? what could be the problem?

These are the questions Jonas was asking himself. He swore to himself that in no circumstances shall he agree that he took anything from the library. "It is better I deny this and die and confess that I took something and die too. I will take my chances" he thought.

Coming closer to Magnifico, he was almost terrified. Magnifico looked at him insidiously, starring more closely to get a better look at Jonas. Jonas knew he wanted to read his mind so he decided to look away and wasn't looking directly into his eyes.

"Jonas! Jonas!" Magnifico hummed twice. "What do you know about the library?"

"Library?" Jonas said as if the word library was a foreign word. He knew he could get Magnfico mad if he didn't answer the answer to the question. "I don't know anything about the library. Jonas said as he looked at Magnifico shortly and looked away.

Leaning forward, Magnifico came closer to Jonas and said " you are a good liar Jonas and I am going to kill you now if you don't tell me what you stole in the library or what someone you sent stole from the library"

"Please, I didn't steal nor send anyone to the library," Jonas said crying. "I can swear to you that I don't k know anything about it. I would have told you if I had an idea. please, spare my life." Jonas begged.

Magnifico muscled Jonas up by holding his neck with his left hand without Jonas' legs touching on the ground.

He tossed him away and brought a dagger in this pocket and plunged it inside his stomach. Jonas shouted and he felt pain. what is even more painful for him is that someone that caused him is not someone he could repay or repel.

He was lucky he wasn't killed. After giving him the deep cut, he was ordered to get out of the palace.