Level P Read online

sorry I disturbed you," Isaac said. Colin closed the door and Isaac moved on to the next door.

  He knocked on the door, the nameplate read Josh, and heard a quiet come in. Isaac opened the door. There was a desk with a computer on it and a man behind the desk. From the sounds of fighting coming from the computer Isaac guessed Josh to be playing some kind of computer game.

  "I'm looking of level P," Isaac said, "Do you know where it is?"

  "Um, level P, I don't know," Josh said, "there should be someone you can check with. The directory on the first floor, I think, should have a name and phone number."

  "Thank you," Isaac said, "I'm sorry I disturbed your game."

  "I just got my human paladin to level eighty," Josh said turning his attention back to his computer.

  "Congratulations," Isaac said before leaving the office and closing the door behind him.

  Isaac moved on to the next offices. The next several were more confused looks and shakes of heads. After closing the most recent door he sighed, shrugged his shoulders and moved on to the next office door.

  Isaac knocked on the door with the nameplate that read Weston. There was no noise for a few minutes so Isaac knocked again. This time a well-built man opened the door. Isaac caught a whiff of decomposing flesh coming from inside the office.

  "What do you want?" Weston asked.

  "I'm looking for level P," Isaac answered, "Do you know where it is?"

  "Never heard of it," Weston replied, "Now move along, there is nothing to see here." The door was closed before Isaac could say anything. Isaac stared at the door for several minutes before moving on to the next office. He was shaking his head at some of the strange people that rented offices in this building.

  Isaac went through many offices with secretaries that could not tell him anything. He finally reached the last door in this corridor and knocked on it. This door's nameplate read Danell.

  "Come in," a voice called from inside. Isaac opened the door. A woman sat at the desk very similar to many Isaac had seen today. Danell was reading the top paper in a stack that was in front of her.

  "Can I help you with something?" Danell asked.

  "I was wondering if you knew where level P is," Isaac answered.

  "I don't think I know anything about level P," Danell replied, "I am sorry that I cannot help you."

  "It is okay," Isaac said, "Sorry to disturb you." Isaac closed the door on his way out.

  He continued through the building and received nothing else of use in his search for level P. He finally reached the last office on the second floor and had been given the usual shake of the head. Is there even a level P in this building? Isaac wondered as he closed the door. There is nowhere left to check. Isaac went down to the end of the hallway anyway, just in case there was something down there that he could not see. When he reached the end he found an opening to another hallway that had a corner in it that he could not see around.

  Isaac headed down the hallway. He went around a corner and found only one door in this far corner of the building. It seemed a world away from the front entrance. The door itself only had the name Allan on it. Isaac knocked on the door.

  "Come in," the voice for the other side of the door said. Isaac opened the door and stepped inside. There was a desk with a computer on the corner as with many of the other offices in the building. The man behind the desk was tall. He was a little past middle age, but not to the point of looking old.

  "My name is Allan," the man said as he placed three brightly coloured balls on the desk, "What can I help you with?"

  "I am looking for level P," Isaac said.

  "You are the one they sent," Allan said, "Follow me, I will take you to de bunker."

  "De bunker?" Isaac asked as the man got up from behind the desk.

  "Level P," Allan answered, "I call it the bunker."

  "Why?" Isaac asked as they left the office and Allan closed the door behind them.

  "You will see," Allan said.

  Allan led Isaac to another out of the way corner of the building. He opened a door that Isaac did not remember seeing on his way through the building. Behind the door was a staircase. They went down the stairs to what must have been a floor between the first and second floors. With Allan leading the way they went down a hallway. At the end they came to a door. The door was metal and painted red. The trim was light blue and the concrete walls had been painted white. Allan unlocked it before turning to Isaac.

  "Behind there is level P," Allan said. After patting Isaac on the shoulder Allan went back up the stairs to the second floor. Isaac waited until he could not hear Allan's footsteps anymore. Placing his hand on the knob code name Isaac opened the door.

  Isaac pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room felt temperature controlled. Isaac looked around. The whole level was one room that was divided up with shelves. All the shelves were full of books. Some of the books looked old and some looked new, but they were all perfectly organized. In the centre of the room was a desk with someone sitting at it. Due to the dim light Isaac could not see any of the features of the person.

  Isaac closed the door and started to go passed the shelves toward the desk. Reaching it he studied the man sitting there. The man had black hair with plenty of grey streaks through it. The hair was shaggy, as if the man had been putting off getting it cut, and it was slicked back. The man looked to be solidly built, but was developing a paunch as if he had not been keeping up with his exercising. He was seated so Isaac could not tell how tall he was. The man also had not looked up from what he was writing on.

  The room gave the feeling that talking was prohibited and Isaac could not seem to say anything when he opened his mouth. Finally Isaac closed his mouth and cleared his throat.

  “What do you need?” the man asked.

  “I was sent here for some reason,” Isaac answered, “I don’t know why.”

  “I see,” the man said. He still had not stopped writing and had not looked up.

  “I was told to find level P,” Isaac said.

  “You have found it. What reason do you think your boss sent you here?” the man asked, “And don’t tell me you don’t know, because you at least should have a guess.”

  “There is something here that I need for my next mission,” Isaac answered, “Probably some piece of information.”

  “Well, you’re half right,” the man said as he put down his pen. He looked up at Isaac. His grey eyes held knowledge, mystery, and age.

  “What do you mean?” Isaac asked.

  “My name is Melville Dewey,” the man stood up and offered his hand. He was shorter than Isaac by about a foot.

  “Isaac,” Isaac shook the offered hand.

  “Nice to meet you, Isaac,” Dewey said, “Most people call me Dewey.

  “Are you related to the Melville Dewey that created the Dewey decimal system that is used in libraries?” Isaac asked.

  “I am the Melville Dewey who created the Dewey decimal system,” Dewey answered.

  “He is dead,” Isaac said.

  “These walls have a way of preserving knowledge and those who choose to protect it,” Dewey held out his hands as if including the whole room in his response, “Anyway, back to why you are here.” Dewey dropped his hands.

  “You seem to know why I am here,” Isaac said.

  “I do know why you were sent here,” Dewey said, “Please have a seat.” Dewey waved to a rickety chair that stood defiant of age in front of Dewey’s desk. Isaac did not want to sit on it, but when he turned to say something to Dewey he found Dewey was already headed off toward the bookshelves at the back of the level. Isaac sighed and then sat down on the chair. It held him, but not without some creaking. And Isaac figured out that it wobbled as if one leg was shorter than the other three.

  He sat there for about seven minutes before Dewey came out of the shelves that were behind Isaac. Dewey was carrying a stack of four books.

  “So, why am I here?” Isaac asked.

  “The
re have been many like yourself sent here,” Dewey set the books down on the desk, “Each of them had something they needed to learn. What do you think your boss wants you to learn?”

  “Patience?” Isaac guessed.

  “If he wanted you to learn patience he would have sent you to a monastery,” Dewey replied, “He sent you here for you to figure out the mystery of human life.”

  “That doesn’t sound like my boss,” Isaac said.

  “If you bring him the correct answer than you have passed his test,” Dewey said.

  “Okay,” Isaac said, “I’ll listen to you and learn what I need to know if you answer a question.”

  “What is the question?” Dewey asked.

  “Where did you get this chair?” Isaac asked.

  “Oh, that,” Dewey said, “I got it when the public library moved out of this building and into the new fangled one a couple blocks from here. I got a really good deal on it.”

  “You paid for this chair?” Isaac’s voice was filled with shock.

  “They needed the money,” Dewey said, “Libraries aren’t cheap to run, you know.”

  “Okay,” Isaac said, “What do I need to do to learn the mystery of human life?”

  “You need to figure out the answer to my question,” Dewey said, “My question is, what is the meaning of human life?”

  “Is the answer in those books?” Isaac asked.

  “Part of it,” Dewey said, “I have picked three great thinkers that will get you started on your journey to answering the question.” Dewey carefully set out three books on the desk in front of Isaac, while leaving the fourth one where it was. Isaac noticed that