Just My Imogen and the Library Books

Imogen has got me in trouble again.

I don't know if you know Imogen. She's a fairy, and she lives with me in her little fairy house, which looks something like an ivy covered lantern. She's adorable, with her tiny little wings and big blue eyes, but she's always getting into trouble and dragging me along with her.

Well, today Imogen pulled a library book out of her house and informed me it was overdue. I didn't even know she had a library card. So I opened the book, and (I don't know why this should surprise me) I discovered it was over two years overdue.

"Imogen," I said with a sigh, "why didn't you return this two years ago?"

"How could I?" she replied. "I only finished reading it yesterday."

"Do you have any other books from the library?"

"No."

So of course I looked in her little fairy house, and of course I found six other books in there. I told her we had to return all of them.

"Can't," she said. "I haven't read those yet."

But I took the books back to the library, with Imogen darting in and out of my backpack trying to pull books out the entire way. I didn't know how I was going to explain this to the librarian. I hoped that she had a troublesome fairy, and that maybe she would understand.

So I got to the library and put the book in the book return slot. Then I tried to sneak out before the librarian noticed me, but no luck there.

"These are over two years overdue," she told me.

"I know." I sighed.

"Don't worry," she said. "You won't have to pay two years worth of fines for seven books. We never charge more than the price of the books."

"Oh, good."

So she looked the books up on her computer, and, surprise, surprise, turns out they were each rare collector fairy books, so I was better off paying the fines instead.

"That will be $532.80," the librarian said.

"Imogen!" I shouted, forgetting for a moment that I was in a library.

"You heard the woman," Imogen said. "Pay up."

So I wrote a check and, grumbling, gave it the librarian. To my surprise, the librarian squealed with delight and hugged me.

"Thank you," she shouted, "for keeping these books for so long!"

All the other librarians rushed over to see what was going on. The first librarian showed them the check, and the rest of them hugged me with tears in their eyes. One of them said, "Thank you so much! With all the government cutbacks, we rely on overdue books to pay our bills. You've saved our library! Thank you!"

Then they all thanked me over and over, and then two of them started to arrange a party in my honor. Apparently next week they'll be renaming the library after me.

Imogen of course is annoyed, because she thinks she should get the credit. After all, I wouldn't have written that check if she hadn't kept those books for over two years. And she's also upset with me because I took some of those books back before she had a chance to read them. In addition, I made her give me her library card, so this doesn't happen again.

Before we left the library, I used my own card to take out a book. It's How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier. I don't really plan to ditch Imogen, but I wanted to teach her a lesson. She was really cross when she saw me reading it, but now it's gone and disappeared. I was right in the middle of a really good part, too. I've looked everywhere for that book.

I wonder what could have . . .

Imogen!