by Liam Hogan
“Congratulations, Baltak. Before I confer you full librarianship, a three-part test.” She handed him a doubled-barrelled, large calibre gun. “Do you know what this is?”
“I think,” Baltak said, running his fingers over the stock, “it’s an elephant gun?”
“Good! Secondly, do you truly understand what ‘infinite’ means?”
“It means this library is without end. It contains everything.”
“Hmm. I suppose that will do.” The senior librarian snapped a teleport around his wrist, keyed in catalogue coordinates, and stepped back.
“And, the third part?” Baltak asked, gun still in his hand.
She grinned through the energies shimmering around him. “Survive!”
Liam Hogan is an award-winning short story writer, with stories in Best of British Science Fiction and in Best of British Fantasy (NewCon Press). He’s been published by Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and Flame Tree Press, among others. He helps host Liars’ League London, volunteers at the creative writing charity Ministry of Stories, and lives and avoids work in London. More details at http://happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk
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