Chapter Two

As you descend further into the depths of the library, the books lining the walls seem to get older. You follow Tegan and Thomas through the maze of twisty little passages, all alike. Finally, you arrive in a cozy room filled with multiple glass enclosures of varying sizes and shapes. A large bespectacled man stands amongst them.

The man welcomes you warmly. "Tegan! Thomas! It's been so long, I'm glad you came to visit – and with a guest, no less! How can I be of assistance today?"

"Hello Gregor," replies Thomas. "We're solving a mystery. Words have been disappearing from books lately, and we don't know how or why. Do you have any bugs in your collection that might help us?"

Tegan whispers to you. "Gregor is the library's etymentomologist – he knows everything about words and the strange critters that live on them."

"Let's see what we've currently got in the collection." Gregor gestures at the glass habitats all around him. "Ask me about an insect."

"Pyridae biblioclasmus – more commonly known as Fyreflies. They can reach temperatures of over 233˚C, or 451˚F. Authorities throughout history have used these insects to burn books and other cultural material in an effort to suppress dissent. These days we keep them in this furnace and feed them inflammatory tweets."

"Polygonia Oxfordia, or the Comma Butterfly, is a winged insect that, when agitated, flaps its wings, and, by some unknown process, causes chains of clauses to concatenate, unprompted, creating confusing run-on sentences, a rather chaotic effect, which, if left unattended, could, in the worst case scenario–"

"Yes, thank you, Gregor, that’s quite enough," interrupts Tegan.

"Attacus atlas: the Atlas moth. They start out as dusty-green caterpillars that leave a faint trail everywhere they travel, forming a slimy map that corresponds with local geography. Eventually they spin a cocoon and emerge as adult moths with large, chartaceous wings that feature a distinctive vein pattern. This one’s still in its pupal stage; please don't disturb it."

"Vermis verbis, also known as bookworms. These pests love eating words from old texts. After a while, they regurgitate their half-digested meals onto blank pages. I keep them locked up in this briefcase so they don't infest the whole library. They're a real menace." Gregor pulls a face of disgust and gestures at an empty pedestal.

Thomas frowns. "Gregor, where's–"

He doesn't finish his question, and instead looks past you, mouth hanging open in bewilderment. You hear the door open and turn your head just in time to see Tegan running off, holding a briefcase in her hand.

Gregor is the first to react. "Quick, after her!"


Give chase!

Fyreflies?
Comma butterfly?
Atlas moth?
Bookworms?