The massive metal door stood before him.
Engraved on it were scenes from around the world, windswept plains and towering mountains, sprawling cities and rural villages. As his hand pushed it open, Arlan admired the engravings. He was an adventurer, a man who had spent years searching for this, the Door of a Thousand Stories.
Now it opened to reveal sunlight gleaming through massive windows, the rays illuminating thousands of metal boxes lining the steel shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling.
Each box was decorated with intricate artwork in raised bas-relief, showing a scene from the story contained within. A small bronze plaque at the bottom of each box gave the title of its contents.
As Arlan stepped into the room, the massive door swung shut behind him with barely a whisper. Ahead of him, he saw the Fountain of Wonder, hundreds of human figures entwined with each other, symbolizing every explorer’s reliance on others in the search for new knowledge. He took a step forward, his eyes studying the granite creation.
***
Across the room, a massive eye opened. It studied the adventurer, a smaller man with brown hair, sword on his right hip. No shield, no armor, just the sword. Rising to its feet, the dragon moved out into the open.
“Hello.”
The adventurer jumped, his left hand fumbling for the sword. It fell to the stone floor with a clatter, and the man bent, feeling for it with his hand while keeping his eyes on the dragon.
“I am Custos,” the dragon stepped closer to the fountain, his midnight blue scales glimmering in the sunlight. “Keeper of the stories. This is my home.”
The hand stopped searching, and the explorer got to his feet. “Oh. I am Arlan. My apologies, I assumed…”
Custos gave a surprisingly high-pitched chuckle. “Most do. But every dragon has their horde. Some choose material wealth: gold, fine stones, or livestock. One has even taken an interest in zoology, and is endeavoring to collect a sample of every species. But I collect stories, and have built this place, the Library of Legends, as the vault for my horde.
Arlan looked up at the dragon. “Custos, meaning keeper. Of course.”
“So you know the legend?”
The adventurer nodded. “I do.”
“Then you know I await your decision.”
***
His choice. The mythical decision Arlan had first heard of years ago, when he decided to seek the Door of a Thousand Stories, the Fountain of Wonder, and the Library of Legends. A man who survived the journey would arrive here to make a final decision, to challenge the Keeper of the Stories, with victory making him the new Keeper, or to drink from the Fountain of Wonder and become part of the Library of Legends forever.
In his home village, he had thought himself a worthy successor to the Keeper. But as Arlan journeyed across the Land of Nightmares and heard tales of the keeper’s prowess, his confidence had wavered until, as he extended his hand to push open the massive door, he’d realized he didn’t need to be the keeper to be part of this place.
Now, staring up at the massive dragon, he realized he’d made the right decision.
***
“I wish to drink from the fountain.”
Custos inclined his head in a nod. “A decision reached only by the worthy. I am honored to have you join my collection.”
Water flowed down from the ceiling, trickling over the human forms as it made its way to the pool at the base. On the rock wall surrounding the pool was a metal goblet.
Stepping to the edge, Arlan picked up the goblet. Studying it, a smile crossed his lips.
“I expected the vessel for the Fountain of Wonder would have a hidden meaning, a metaphor of some sort.”
“As I said, only the worthy reach the decision you have,” the dragon replied, watching as the adventurer lowered the goblet into the pool of water.
Lifting it, he raised it to the keeper. “To your health, Custos!”
Another slight inclination of the dragon’s head. “Thank you, my friend.”
Raising the cup to his lips, Arlan took a long sip.
The goblet fell to the floor with a clatter.
A new figure appeared on the Fountain of Wonder, a windswept adventurer staring out the library’s massive windows across the Land of Nightmares.
On the top row of one of the shelves, five new metal boxes appeared, their covers showing a boy growing into manhood, then setting out on a quest for knowledge. With a smile, Custos extended a clawed hand and took the first of Arlan’s stories from the shelf. Opening the box, he removed a pile of paper-thin metal, golden words etched onto each page, and began to read.
Joe Stout is an east Tennessee based writer who focuses on short stories and flash fiction. His work has been published by the Non-Binary Review, Every Day Fiction, and CafeLit. When he’s not writing, he enjoys exploring the mountains and spending time with his children. You can follow him on Facebook at Joe Stout Writing or Instagram @joestoutwriting.
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