The Carter Project

Chapter 3

Chapter 3Carter reached the third floor of the library. It was as large as the first floor, but significantly less occupied. He often found himself alone up here, which he preferred. This level was populated by numerous sections and rows of bookshelves and some study desks. Only a single computer was present for the main purpose of locating books. The far wall was all windows from the floor to the high ceiling which allowed plenty of natural daylight to brighten the silence.

He walked straight from the stairs through a main center aisle flanked by rows of tall bookshelves. His eyes were fixed on the triangle sketches in his hand. He turned into a familiar aisle and dragged his fingers across the books as he passed. He stopped his finger against one thick volume with the large letters “UFO” spread across the spine. Carter extracted the book from its perch.

He headed toward the far edge of the third floor where an assortment of tables faced out against the windows and provided an excellent view of the campus. Carter liked this vantage point. He felt like a hermit on a mountain overseeing the world below. The college was his ant farm as he watched specks of students scurry about.

He sat down and spread out his papers on the tabletop. The messy pile of crude drawings and sketches consisted of variations of the triangle. He stared at this collection as if trying to find a pattern, but didn’t know what to look for.

He raised his eyes from the drawings and surveyed the expanse of the campus. Restless nights caught up to him and he drifted into a trance. His head nodded as he fought off sleep.

His vision blurred. Sparks of static crackled through his mind. The bright daylight washed over him. The library faded away.

He found himself standing on a rooftop at night.

A bright light from above encompassed him. He shielded his eyes to look up at the source, but it was as futile as trying to see the sun. It didn’t matter. He already knew what was there.

A large triangle silently hovered over him. Its underside was glowing. A prism of light beamed down and encased Carter in its glorious illumination.

He lowered his hands and looked down. He clenched his fists then stretched his fingers outward. Something about this dream felt more real than the others.

Then it got violent.

The brightness increased. His arms involuntarily stretched out as if they were tugged by an unseen force. Every muscle flexed.

His feet left the ground as he slowly levitated. Quick bolts of electric current fired from the craft to his head. His own screams terrified him. An invisible vice squeezed his skull. A head-splitting, high-pitched tone pierced his cranium and drowned out his cries.

A range of grunts and shrieks burst from Carter as he frantically awoke from sleep, nearly falling out of his chair. He looked around to gain his bearings.

Still in the library. His sketches were sprawled out in front of him. He breathed a deep sigh of relief, happy to be awake, safe, and solitary.

“They say we are not alone,” said a voice next to Carter. He jumped and almost fell out of his chair again.

There stood Mister Seifer, the head librarian. He was in his sixties and capped with silver hair. His slightly overweight frame sagged as if he were weighed down with all the wisdom he had accumulated over the years. His jovial behavior with students showed he was eager to share his knowledge with each new generation of young minds.

Mister Seifer tapped his cane against the table. He lifted the front cover of the UFO book and peered inside. Then he nonchalantly examined Carter’s spread of artistic creations as if they were a regular assortment of essays.

“It seems last year’s habits are coming back to haunt you,” he said.

Carter cleared his throat and tried to shake off the intense dream. “Some say that high school is the best years of our lives,” he jested. “Maybe I’m just trying to relive it.”

“You almost did when you nearly repeated senior year,” chuckled Seifer. “That’s what happens when you doodle instead of doing homework. I’d hate to see you risk a similar thing here.”

“Lucky me, my old tutor and I ended up at the same college, so if I really need it—”

“I thought Tina helped you bury this habit.”

“It’s not a habit, it’s a happening.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Do you still substitute teach there?”

“Not as much. Been working on some new programs here. Keeping my focus closer to home, you could say. Besides, there’s been significantly less interesting characters there since you graduated.”

“If this is what makes me interesting, then I should probably keep it up.”

Seifer leaned back against the table and rested both hands on his cane in front of him. His tone turned heartfelt.

“What’s really going on here, Carter?”

“I’m not sure,” he shrugged, “but I feel like something special is happening, and I don’t want to risk losing it this time.”

Seifer looked out at the campus and sighed.

“You have a world of opportunity where you can truly become something special. If you let yourself be dominated by this daydreaming again, that’s what you’ll risk losing.”

Carter looked down to the floor. “You don’t think this is real? Or worth following? You don’t think there’s something out there?”

Seifer glanced at the UFO book on the table. He spoke slowly.

“Once you go down that road, it’s difficult to turn back. A person can be curious, obsessive, or paranoid. I don’t recommend any of them. Instead of looking for something up there, I advise focusing on what you have down here. And that will make the mantra even more meaningful.”

“What mantra?”

“That we are not alone.”

Tina approached them.

“Hi, Mister Seifer,” she said. “Didn’t know you were up here. I’m all done for the day.”

“I was paying a visit to Carter at his usual spot.” He patted Carter on the shoulder, then grabbed the UFO book. “I’ll go ahead and shelve this for you. Have a good afternoon.”

Mister Seifer walked away with the book tucked under his arm. Carter noticed that he didn’t return it to the shelf, but took it with him toward the stairs.

“I see you actually made it to the third floor.” Tina bit her lip to hold back a smile. “Are we teleporting to get pizza, too?”

“I kinda… dozed off. Didn’t have time to practice. So it looks like you’ll have to drive.”

“Of course, we can’t both fit on your bike. What were you and Seifer talking about?”

“Reminiscing on old times, I guess.”

“Did he see your drawings?”

“Yeah. But thankfully he didn’t take and shred them this time.”